What is In the Food Guide Wheel?
Comparing the proportions of the different spokes of the wheel, you will see immediately the relative importance of the various foods that make up a healthy diet for an average adult or child. For an adult, these Food Guide Wheel proportions are based on a 2,400-calorie diet.
Whole grains
The grain group, a prime source of energy, supplies about one-quarter of the daily calories for most children and adults (more or less, depending on energy expenditure). One serving = one slice of bread, 3/4 cup of dry cereal, 1/2 cup cooked cereal, 1/2 cup rice or pasta.
Vegetables, fruits and legumes
Together these groups comprise another quarter of a total daily healthy diet.
- Vegetables: one serving = one cup of raw or 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables, 3/4 cup of vegetable juice.
- Fruits: one serving = 3/4 cup of fruit juice, one medium apple, orange, or banana; 1/2 cup of fruit.
- Legumes: one serving = 1/2 cup of canned beans, 2 tablespoons of nut butter, one cup of cooked lentils or beans, one ounce (3-4 tablespoons) of seeds or nuts
Seafood
One serving = 4 ounces
Dairy
One serving = 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of yogurt, 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, 1 ounce of cheese
Soy foods
One serving = 3 ounces of tofu, 8 ounces of soy milk
Vegetable oils
Flax, canola, and soy, plus nut oils. 1 serving = 1 tbsp.
Eggs
3 per week
Meat and poultry
One serving = 4 ounces
Desserts and treats
Keep sweet treats a minor part of your diet and gradually make them less sweet and less fatty. One serving = 200 calorie equivalent of pie, cake, cookies, or ice cream.
Dr. Sears, or Dr. Bill as his “little patients” call him, has been advising busy parents on how to raise healthier families for over 40 years. He received his medical training at Harvard Medical School’s Children’s Hospital in Boston and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, the world’s largest children’s hospital, where he was associate ward chief of the newborn intensive care unit before serving as the chief of pediatrics at Toronto Western Hospital, a teaching hospital of the University of Toronto. He has served as a professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto, University of South Carolina, University of Southern California School of Medicine, and University of California: Irvine. As a father of 8 children, he coached Little League sports for 20 years, and together with his wife Martha has written more than 40 best-selling books and countless articles on nutrition, parenting, and healthy aging. He serves as a health consultant for magazines, TV, radio and other media, and his AskDrSears.com website is one of the most popular health and parenting sites. Dr. Sears has appeared on over 100 television programs, including 20/20, Good Morning America, Oprah, Today, The View, and Dr. Phil, and was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine in May 2012. He is noted for his science-made-simple-and-fun approach to family health.