Nutrition and Healthy Eating Habits
First, review the questions in exercise III and, then, skim the text in order to find the correct answers.
Improving Your Health – Nutrition
It signifies preventive health care, more than just 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 and diet mean everything that you eat or drink. Good nutrition is eating and drinking things that are healthy for the body. Good nutrition gives you energy. It also helps you feel good, maintain 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: Includes meat, fish, dried beans, eggs, and nuts.
- Dairy Group: Includes milk, yogurt, and cheese.
- Vegetable Group: Includes many vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, peas, and green beans.
- Fruit Group: Includes many fruits such as apples, oranges, and bananas.
- Grain Group: Includes bread, rice, pasta, and cereal.
- 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.
Reading Comprehension Questions
Circle the correct answer for each of the following questions.
- Which one comes from good nutrition?
- (a) energy
- (b) healthy weight
- (c) reduce the risk of disease
- (d) all of the above
- Which foods are in the protein group?
- (a) fish, dried beans, and nuts
- (b) cheese, milk, and yogurt
- (c) corn, potatoes, and carrots
- (d) pears, grapes, and oranges
- Which foods are in the vegetable group?
- (a) oils, cake, and butter
- (b) broccoli, carrots, and green beans
- (c) meat, turkey, and nuts
- (d) bread, cereal, and rice
- Which foods are in the dairy group?
- (a) cream, milk, and cheese
- (b) chicken, meat, and dried beans
- (c) apples, grapes, and pears
- (d) cereal, pasta, and bread
- Which foods are in the fruit group?
- (a) butter, candy, and oil
- (b) rice, cereal, and pasta
- (c) fish, chicken, and eggs
- (d) bananas, apples, and lemons
- Which foods are in the fats and sweets group?
- (a) green beans, onions, and peas
- (b) cake, oil, and candy
- (c) cream, milk, and yogurt
- (d) eggs, nuts, and dried beans
- Which foods are in the grain group?
- (a) chicken, turkey, and meat
- (b) grapes, apples, and oranges
- (c) bread, cereal, and rice
- (d) butter, candy, and oil
- Which is the least healthy way to cook?
- (a) grilling
- (b) broiling
- (c) frying in oil
- (d) steaming
- What does a nutrition label tell you?
- (a) food package weight
- (b) serving size
- (c) expiration date
- (d) all of the above
- Which describes the term “balanced diet?”
- (a) three meals a day
- (b) no more than two snacks a day
- (c) eating or drinking only 8 oz. of any food or beverage
- (d) choosing food from the six major food groups