The Bottom Line

I just wanted to spell it out in simple, easy to understand terms for those who either have already heard enough of why we should eat right and just want to know how.  Maybe you don’t have enough time to go look up all the specifics about vitamins, minerals, fiber, calories, what to avoid, what to make sure you get in, etc.  I recommend this line of study to maintain motivation but if you already have enough motivation to get started, here it is:

Source:  ChooseMyPlate.gov

So for women and girl-teens, memorize this:

6 oz. grains

2.5 c. veggies

2 c. fruits

3 c. dairy

5.5 oz. protein

6 tsp. oil

11 cups of water

For most men and boy-teens, you need to up your serving sizes to:

7 oz grains

3 c. veggies

3 cups fruit

3 cups dairy (stays the same)

7 oz protein

7 tsp. oils

16 cups of water

1 oz grain = 1 regular size piece of bread (preferably whole grain) or about 1/3 c. oats or 1/2 c. cooked rice
1 c. fruit = 1 baseball sized apple, orange, etc.
4 oz protein = the size of your palm

Exercise for at least 150-300 minutes a week.

Calculate your Estimated Energy Requirement:

1.  Determine your activity level:

Source:  Visualizing Nutrition¹

2.  Put the numbers together:

Source:  Visualizing Nutrition¹

If you want to lose weight, decrease total energy by 500 calories a day.  You can do this by decreasing what you eat or by exercising more.  I recommend both.

If doing the above doesn't work because of SPIRITUAL REASONS or you have become overly dependent upon eating too much and so are entrapped in habits you can't get out of, take some time to regularly read a post from my The Servant Initiative blogs. They talk about the scriptures and encourage you to read them. Read these things daily like you would eat nutritious meals and take supplemental Vitamins and Minerals. Reading, listening, watching, thinking anything that increases your Spiritual Energy each day is like eating a nutritious Spiritual meal. No one knows better what sources of literature, music, movies, and stories uplift you better than yourself.  Identify what these are and take at least 1-2 a day.

¹Visualizing Nutrition, Everyday Choices, 2nd edition by Mary B. Grosvenor and Lori A. Smolin