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Making Good Food Choices

How much dairy should you eat every day? How many glasses of water do / need every day? How much protein do we need? There are so many popular diets that it's hard to know what is healthy. Some countries produce charts with information and pictures to help people make healthy food choices.

The chart from the United States looks like a plate and a glass. There are five food groups: fruits, grains, dairy, vegetables, and protein. The size of each food group shows how much you need each day. Vegetables and grains are the largest sections. These are the foods you should eat a lot of every day. Also, you need to eat some protein, such as meat, fish, or eggs, and some fruits. The dairy section Is the smallest. That means you shouldn't eat a lot of dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, or cheese.

The chart doesn't say how much sugar or fat you should eat, or how much water to drink. The food balance chart in Korea is the shape of a bicycle! It has six food groups and water. In addition to the food groups in the US chart, the Korean chart includes a section for sugar and oil. This section is, of course, the smallest.

Brazil's food guide doesn't have food groups like vegetables or dairy. It says to eat more unprocessed food, less processed food, and no ultra-processed food. Take fish as an example. Fresh fish is unprocessed. It's healthy. Canned fish is processed. It's not as good for you as fresh fish. Finally, frozen fish nuggets are ultra-processed. Ultra-processed foods are not healthy because they have a lot of artificial ingredients and preservatives. The message is that unprocessed food is better for you.

grains (n) rice, bread, oatmeal, elc.

artificial (adj) man-made, not natural

preservatives (n) something put in food to make it last longer