With so many food choices and a lack of nutritional education, it’s not always apparent when it comes to healthy food choices. Here is a rundown of all you need to know about the USDA daily intake recommendations for fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein.

As a NASM, Certified Personal Trainer, and Certified Nutrition Coach, I must maintain transparency surrounding nutrition. My scope of practice is providing nutrition guidance, such as food ideas and calorie/macro intake. I cannot provide a full meal plan as a registered dietitian can.

Let’s get started with basic nutrition:

With so many food choices and a lack of nutritional education, it’s not always apparent when it comes to healthy food choices. Here is a rundown of all you need to know about the USDA daily intake recommendations for fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein.

The information below is the recommended serving sizes and guidelines from the USDA. For more information, visit Choose My Plate. All individuals have different dietary needs. Consult your doctor or a registered dietitian before beginning any nutrition plan.

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are all of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to survive. We tend to get all of the necessary vitamins and minerals from food. The more color on your plate, the greater the likelihood of getting the majority of the micronutrients that you need. Adding in a multivitamin can also help you get any micronutrients you may miss with food.

Fruits

The USDA states that a serving can be 100% fruit juice, fresh, canned, frozen, dried, whole, cut up, or pureed. The recommendation for a serving of fruit can be one to two cups daily. Individual needs may vary based on age, gender, and physical activity habits. Some common micronutrients found in fruits include fiber, potassium, folate, and vitamin C, just to name a few.

Vegetables

Vegetables are categorized a little differently than fruits. There are dark green vegetables (i.e., kale and spinach), starchy vegetables (i.e., potatoes and sweet potatoes), beans and peas, red and orange vegetables (i.e., peppers and carrots), and then the rest that do not fall under these categories. Servings of vegetables may be fresh, dried, frozen, whole, cut up, raw, or cooked.

The recommended daily intake of vegetables is 1-3 cups. Again, the USDA recommends that individual needs may vary based on age, gender, and physical activity. Many common micronutrients found in vegetables include vitamin A (beta-carotene), vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, phosphorous, and folic acid, just to name a few.

Grains

There are two different types of grains: whole grains and refined grains. Whole grains (i.e., wheat flour, oatmeal, brown rice) are less processed and have the nutrients intact but may not be as smooth and delicate in texture.

Refined grains (i.e., white flour, white bread, white rice) have already been milled and processed, which removes the germ and bran. Typically, this creates a much smoother texture and increases the shelf life of products made with refined grains. This sounds nice, but it also removes many B vitamins, fiber, and iron during this process. These nutrients are often added back into refined grains, known as enriched.

The USDA recommended daily intake of grains should be between 3 oz and 8 oz, with at least half of the daily intake being whole grains. One large bagel equals 4 oz of grains or 1/2 cup of oatmeal. Individual needs may vary based on age, gender, and physical activity.

Dairy

Dairy products are high in calcium and include milk, yogurt, cheese, or calcium-fortified soymilk. The recommended daily intake is between 2-3 cups of low-fat or fat-free options, which may vary based on age, gender, and physical activity. The diary is also a source of food sensitivities, so dairy is unnecessary if you get calcium through other foods or a multivitamin. Consult with your doctor or dietitian for ways to get calcium in your diet if dairy is a food sensitivity for you.

Macronutrients

Macros or macronutrients are the main components of your food: Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats. Whereas micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals within macronutrients. It is super important to balance macros and add a variety of colors with fruits and vegetables to your meals.

Remember that individual needs vary based on age, gender, and physical activity.

Protein

Protein is essential for producing cells, enzymes, and hormones in the body. Protein can be sourced from meat, beans, eggs, nuts, and seeds. The recommended daily intake is 2-6 1/2 oz of protein daily. Most children need approximately 2-4 oz, while adults need about 5-6 oz protein.

When choosing a protein source, there are a few things to think about:

• the fat content - chicken and turkey have a lower fat content than beef or pork. Neither is the “correct” choice, but you may have to remember to balance the fats from the rest of your meals.

• complete protein sources - protein comprises 9 essential fatty acids, and the human body does not naturally create what we find in food. When choosing foods with protein, know that animal protein and quinoa are the only foods with all 9 essential fatty acids that create a complete protein. There are many plant-based options that have protein, but you have to pair certain plant-based options (beans and veggies, for example) to create a complete protein option. However, plant-based options have a larger carb-to-protein ratio, so that is something to remember when choosing it as a protein source.

• Protein is a slower digesting macro.

Carbohydrates

Carbs are essential for the body to create glucose to turn into energy, which consists of starches, sugars, and fiber. There are simple carbs, which are sugars and simple carbs, and complex carbs, which are fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain options. Complex carbs that are high in fiber tend to be slower digesting carbohydrates, but carbs are the slowest digesting macronutrients.

Fats

Fats build cells, nerve tissues, and hormones and are essential for the body to absorb certain vitamins such as A, D, and E. Some healthy fats include butter, oils, nut butter, cheese, and avocados. Fats are the highest in calories but also a slower digesting macronutrient.

Creating a Balanced Plate

A balanced meal should contain approximately 1/2 carbs (with at least half in veggies), 1/3 protein, and the remaining 1/6 fats. This is just a suggestion for an easy visual for a balanced meal. Fruits can be incorporated into your daily intake through snacks or replacing a portion of vegetable serving. When you ensure that you have a variety of colors from fruits and vegetables in your diet, you will ensure that you get an adequate amount of micronutrients.

There are many ways to track food, such as an app like MyFitnessPal. But that may not be an option that works for everyone. So, another strategy is to combine the two images above to use visual portion size comparisons to create a balanced plate at every meal.

Please keep in mind that individual needs vary; not every meal needs fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein. But rather a balance throughout the day of getting in the daily recommended intake. By learning your needs for each category based on age, gender, and physical activity level, you can determine what portion sizes you need each day. Once you choose how much each you require, you can select a strategy to get those portion sizes throughout the day. There are many free resources available online to help you figure out an estimate of your nutritional needs. However, working with a nutrition coach or registered dietitian can help determine your specific needs.

Putting it all together

As I mentioned, you can track food in apps such as MyFitnessPal or use a visual to create a balanced plate. So, for most people, you want roughly 40-50% carbs, 25-30% protein and 25-35% fats.

So, using the two images above, you can think about your plate in sections to create a balanced plate with carbs, protein, and fats. Then, use the visual representation of how much each macro looks.

For example, 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fats:

Try to build your plate with half carbs comprised of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. I like to do half whole grains and vegetables/fruits for lower calories and added micronutrients such as whole-grain rice and mixed vegetables.

Then, maybe a little larger than your palm to double the protein size, such as chicken breast.

And for fats, you want to use roughly a thumb size of whatever cooking oils or causes you choose!

If you are able to build every meal in this way, you can ensure that you have all of the micro and macronutrients in your diet.

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