Healthy Nutrition: Food Groups and Balanced Diet

Posted on Feb 13, 2025 in English

Unit I: The Importance of Healthy Nutrition

I. Vocabulary

Before reading, look up the meaning of the following words, and underline the countable and uncountable nouns (use different colors). It will help to understand the text.

  • Nutrition
  • Diet
  • Energy
  • Healthy weight (peso saludable)
  • Dairy group (grupo lacteo)
  • Grain group (grupo de los granos)
  • Fats and sweets (grasas y dulces)
  • Right size serving (tamaño adecuado que sirve)
  • Frozen food (alimentos congelados)
  • Canned food (alimentos enlatados)
  • Nutrition label (etiqueta de nutricion)
  • Food packages (paquetes de alimentos)
  • Expiration date
  • Bake (coccion)
  • Broil (asar)
  • Grill (parrilla)
  • Steam (vapor)
  • Fry (freir)
  • Recipe (receta)

II. Reading Preparation

First, check the questions in exercise III, and then skim the text in order to find the right answers.

Improving Your Health – Nutrition

Preventive health care means more than getting regular checkups by a doctor and a dentist. It also means making good decisions about your health. To do that, you need to know what foods you should eat to stay healthy and how to plan and prepare healthy meals.

Good nutrition is also preventive care. Nutrition or diet means everything that you eat or drink. Good nutrition is eating and drinking things that are healthy for your body. Good nutrition gives you energy. It also helps you feel good, keep a healthy weight, and reduce the risk of disease.

Health professionals say that you need to eat a balanced diet. That means you should choose foods from these six major food groups:

  • Protein Group: The protein group includes meat, fish, dried beans, eggs, and nuts.
  • Dairy Group: The dairy group includes milk, yogurt, and cheese.
  • Vegetable Group: The vegetable group includes many vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, peas, and green beans.
  • Fruit Group: The fruit group includes many fruits such as apples, oranges, and bananas.
  • Grain Group: The grain group includes bread, rice, pasta, and cereal.
  • Fats and Sweets Group: The fats and sweets group includes fats, oils, and sweets.

Our bodies use the foods in these six major food groups in different ways. Some foods are healthier than others. Health professionals say you should eat more of some foods than others. For example, you should eat more vegetables and grains and less protein. You should eat very little fats and sweets.

III. Reading Comprehension Questions

Circle the correct answer for each of the following questions.

  1. Which one comes from good nutrition?
    1. energy
    2. healthy weight
    3. reduce the risk of disease
    4. all of the above
  2. Which foods are in the protein group?
    1. fish, dried beans, and nuts
    2. milk, and yogurt
    3. corn, potatoes, and carrots
    4. pears, grapes, and oranges
  3. Which foods are in the vegetable group?
    1. oils, cake, and butter
    2. broccoli, carrots, and green beans
    3. meat, turkey, and nuts
    4. bread, cereal, and rice
  4. Which foods are in the dairy group?
    1. cream, milk, and cheese
    2. chicken, meat, and dried beans
    3. apples, grapes, and pears
    4. cereal, pasta, and bread
  5. Which foods are in the fruit group?
    1. butter, candy, and oil
    2. rice, cereal, and pasta
    3. bananas, apples, and lemons
  6. Which foods are in the fats and sweets group?
    1. green beans, onions, and peas
    2. cake, oil, and candy
    3. cream, milk, and yogurt
    4. eggs, nuts, and dried beans
  7. Which foods are in the grain group?
    1. chicken, turkey, and meat
    2. grapes, apples, and oranges
    3. bread, cereal, and rice
    4. butter, candy, and oil
  8. Which is the least healthy way to cook?
    1. grilling
    2. broiling
    3. frying in oil
    4. steaming
  9. What does a nutrition label tell you?
    1. food package weight
    2. serving size
    3. expiration date
    4. all of the above
  10. Which describes the term “balanced diet?”
    1. three meals a day
    2. no more than two snacks a day
    3. eating or drinking only 8 oz. of any food or beverage
    4. choosing food from the six major food groups

IV. Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Skim the text again, and classify the nouns in two categories: countable and uncountable.