the basics: the usda food guide

 The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides a food group plan: the food guide.  It gives the servings (or equivalents) for each of the categories.  Also, something to think about is high vs. low nutrient density food.  We can eat food that is technically good for us, sure, but it has low nutrient value, which means we'll be hungry an hour or two later...which adds up the calories.  The red foods we should choose less often than the green.

Here is a summary of their table:

fruits:  consume a variety and no more than 1/3 of recommended intake as juice

1/2 c. fruit is equivalent to: 1/2 cup fresh, frozen or canned fruit; 1 medium fruit; 1/4 cup dried fruit; 1/2 cup fruit juice

apples, apricots, avacodos, bananas, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapefruit, grapes, guava, kiwi, mango, oranges, papya, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon; dried fruit; unsweetened juice

canned or frozen fruit in syrup; juices, punches, ades, and fruit drinks with added sugars; friend plantains. 

vegetables: choose variety each day and all five subgroups several times a week

1/2 c. vegetables is equivalent to: 1/2 cup cut-up raw or cookies vegetables; 1/2 cup cooked legumes; 1/2 c vegetable juice; 1 c. raw, leafy greans

1. dark green: broccoli, leafy: romaine, spinach, etc

2. orange and deep yellow: carrots, carrot juice, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and winter squash

3. legumes: black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, letils, pinto beans, soybeans, soy products and split peas

4. starchy vegetables: corn, green peas, potatoes

5. other: artichokes, asparagus, beets, cabbages, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, greenb eans, iceburg lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes


baked beans, candied sweet potatoes, french fries, potato salad, refried beans, coleslaw, scalloped potatoes



grains: make at least half grain selections whole grains

1 ounce grains in equivalent to: 1 slice bread; 1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta or cereal; 1 oz dry pasta or rice; 1 c ready-to-eat cereal

whole grains (barley, brown rice, oats, rye, wheat), whole-grains, low-fat breads, cereals, crackers, pastas, enriched bagels, breads, cereals, pastas, rice, rolls, tortillas

biscuits, cakes, cookies, cornbread, crackers, croissants, doughnuts, french toast, fried rice, granola, muffins, pancakes, pastries, pies, presweetened cereals, taco shells, waffles

meat, poultry, fish, dried peas and beans, eggs and nuts: make lean or low-fat choices

1 oz meat is equivalent to: 1 oz cooked lean meant, poultry or fish; 1 egg; 1/4 cookies legumes or tofu; 1 tbs peanut butter; 1/2 oz nuts or seeds

poultry (no skin), fish, shellfish, legumes, eggs, lean meat; low-fat tofu, peanut butter, nuts or seeds

bacon; bakes beans; fried meat, fish, poultry, eggs or tofu; refired beans; ground beef; hot dogs; luncheon meats; marbled steaks; poultry with skin; sausages; spare ribs

milk, yogurt and cheese: make fat-free or low-fat choices

1 c milk is equivalent to: 1 cup fat-free milk or yogurt; 1.5 oz fat-free natural cheese; 2 oz fat-free processed cheese

fat-free milk and fat-free milk products
     
not fat-free products; milk products with added sugars such as chocolate milk, custard, ice cream, frozen yogurt etc.  

oils: select recommended amounts from among these sources

1 tsp oil is equivalent to: 1 tbs low-fat mayonnaise; 2 tbs light salad dressing; 1 tsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp soft margarine

liquid vegetabls oils such as canola, corn, flaxseed, nut, olive, peanut, safflower, sesame, soybean, and sunflower oils; mayonnaise, oil-based salad dressings, soft trans-free margarine

unsaturated oils that occur naturally in foods such as avacados, fatty fish, nuts, olives and shellfish  

hopefully this will provide some basic nutrition information that you can keep in mind when you're preparing food/buying food.  If you go to Mypyramid, you can create a custom pyramid for your age, weight, situation (pregnant, nursing, etc) and it can be helpful when you're planning meals.  The website has many other resources you can use.