A healthy eating pattern includes a variety of nutrient-dense foods across and within all the food groups: vegetables, fruits, grains, protein foods, dairy products, and oils. Each of the food groups is described below, with equivalent examples. The guidelines present three USDA Food Patterns with recommended amounts for how much you should consume from each food group per day. Specific recommendations vary depending on your age, sex, and level of physical activity.

1. Vegetables

Vegetables come in a wide variety of colors, flavors, and textures. They’re also an important source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Dark green vegetables include broccoli, collard greens, spinach, and kale. Some red and orange vegetables are acorn squash, carrots, pumpkin, tomato, and sweet potato.

Examples of starchy vegetables are foods like corn, green peas, and white potatoes. Other vegetables include eggplant, beets, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, celery, artichokes, green beans, and onions. Beans and peas (legumes) include black beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), kidney beans, soybeans, and tofu. Legumes can also be counted in the protein foods group.

1/2 cup-equivalent of vegetables equals:

2. Fruits

Many fruits provide extra fiber that helps keep your digestive system moving. Just make sure you wash all fruits thoroughly before eating. Whole fruits are best, but 100% fruit juice also counts as fruit. When purchasing frozen, canned, or dried fruit, choose options that are lowest in added sugars.

1/2 cup-equivalent of fruit equals:

3. Grains

Any food made from wheat, rye, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another cereal grain is a grain product. In addition to bread and pasta, breakfast cereal, grits, tortillas, and even popcorn count. Look for grain choices that are low in saturated and added sugar and that have no trans-fat. But be careful as low-fat baked goods can be high in added sugar.

At least half of all grains eaten should be whole grains, which contain the entire grain kernel. Whole grains provide iron and many B vitamins, and they have fiber, too. Examples of whole grains include whole wheat, whole oats, whole bulgur (also known as cracked wheat), and whole cornmeal.

Some grain products are refined, that gives them a finer texture and a longer shelf life but removes fiber and nutrients. Most refined grains are enriched, which means that some nutrients are added back after processing. Examples of refined grain products include white flour, degermed cornmeal, white bread, and white rice.

1 ounce-equivalent of grain equals:

4. Protein Foods

Try to include a variety of nutrient-dense proteins in the foods you eat. Choose lean (low-fat) meats and poultry. Keep in mind that you can also get protein from seafood, eggs, beans, and peas, as well as nuts, seeds, and soy products.

The Dietary Guidelines recommend that you eat 8 ounces per week of a variety of seafood, not only for the protein but also because seafood contains omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA, which are good for your heart. Seafoods that are higher in EPA and DHA include salmon, shad, and trout. These sea foods are also lower in mercury, which can be harmful, than other types of seafood.

1 ounce-equivalent equals:

5. Dairy

Most adults do not get enough dairy in their diet. For your heart health, pick from the many low-fat or fat-free choices in the dairy group. Choosing fat-free or low-fat milk and yogurt, as well as lower-fat cheese, gives you important vitamins and minerals, with less fat.

1 cup-equivalent of dairy equals:

6. Oils

Oils are high in calories, but they are also an important source of nutrients like vitamin E. For adults of sage 51 and older, the daily allowance for women is 5 teaspoons of oil and, for men, 6 teaspoons.

If possible, use oils instead of solid fats, like butter, when cooking. Measuring your daily oils can be tricky—knowing what you add while cooking or baking is one thing. But, oil is naturally a part of some foods.