You remember back in school when all the teachers and commercials were pushing The Four Basic Food Groups? I sure do. It was everywhere you looked. If you wanted to be healthy, all you had to do was eat a nice balanced diet across these four basic food groups. Do you guys remember them? “Maybe so, maybe not” (haha…cheesy reference to yesterday’s post). You may not remember them because they have not been pushed as much lately as the other diets. High protein diets, Paleo diet, Vegan diet, Low-carb diet….the list goes on. They all push eating more of one or two things and less of others.
When I analyzed how I eat each week and the system I use for eating, I realized that I don’t really follow any one listed diet out there. I simply eat a balanced diet from The Four Basic Food Groups. Let’s take a look at them and I will share with you what I eat in each group. Then I will share with you some positive results I have had eating this way.
The Milk Group
This groups consists of milk, cheese, ice cream, and other milk-based foods. I eat from this group every day. I have low-fat mozzarella cheese in my scrambled eggs on Monday/Wednesday/Friday (M-W-F), and have milk with my protein shake each day. On the weekends, I have an occasional bagel with cheese and splurge with an occasional bowl of ice cream. Last night I had Reeses Peanut Butter Cup!!! Yummy!!!
The Meat Group
This groups consists of meat, fish, eggs, poultry, legumes, and nuts. I also eat from this group every day. I have my scrambled eggs on M-W-F, tunafish on Tuesday/Thursday (T-Th), and some sort of meat for dinner at least three nights a week. I also put mixed nuts or almonds in my protein shakes and often have a cup of nuts as a snack in the late afternoon.
The Fruits & Vegetables Group
The fruits and vegetables groups consists of exactly what it says. The fresher the fruits and vegetables the better. Try to avoid processed ones as much as possible. I eat anywhere between 2-4 bananas a day. The greener the better. The yellow bananas have a lot of natural sugar in them and can be too sweet. So, eat the greener ones for an even healthier choice. Along with bananas, I will eat an apple, pear, or some grapes on the same day. I pretty much have 4-5 servings of fruit each day.
When it comes to vegetables, I have a helping of vegetables with each dinner every day. I will have some frozen peas, string beans, or spinach. I also have a bowl of tomatoes on M-W-F with my scrabbled eggs. Yeah, I know, botanically tomatoes are a fruit, but in the culinary world they are considered a vegetable.
Grains: The Breads & Cereals Group
This group consists of anything made from grains. Foods like rice, tortillas, oatmeal, bagels, biscuits, crackers, pasta, etc…. I typically have at least one pasta meal a week. We also have some sort of rice as a side for dinner a couple nights a week, and I will eat some occasional white rice with Chinese food on the weekends. I love oatmeal as a snack and return to my childhood days with the occasional bagel with butter and melted cheese on the weekends.
Final Thoughts
I eat the same scrambled eggs and bowl of tomatoes for lunch every M-W-F. I eat the same tunafish and protein bar on T-Th. Dinners are a healthy variable during the week as my wife is very mindful of healthy eating. I don’t eat breakfast as I typically fast from 9:30pm at night to 1:30pm the next day during the week. The weekends are more loose, but I do my best to eat from The Four Basic Food Groups and within reason.
Having eating this way for over a year now, I have some results. I just had some blood work done a month ago as part of a normal checkup. The doctor said, “Your blood work is beautiful. Whatever you are eating, keep eating it.” I thought, “Hmmph…I just eat from The Four Basic Food Groups.”
So, I share my experience with you on how I eat so you can consider going back to the basics like I did. I am very happy with my weight right now. I feel healthy and my blood work “is beautiful.” I’m sold. A balanced diet of The Four Basic Food Groups it is!!!