Throughout the country, it is very common to see large people that are undernourished. For example, while sodium helps the body to function normally, it is a fact that sodium consumption is often three times the required daily intake. Fats and calories are too, sometimes even more. This is attributed (fair or not) to fast food chains serving much soda, sugary foods and foods that contain saturated trans-fats. Since foods served here are almost similar in content, and are readily available, favoring a particular diet is common. Variety is lost and so are other essential nutrients.

It has often been said that when we buy food we should read the label or at least know the caloric content to arrive at a healthy diet. Wise advice that should be heeded. Label information is very important if we do not want to go over the required fat, calorie and sodium intake. But if you are like most people, the less bother you have the better. Besides who really enjoys counting calories inside a restaurant or read labels in a grocery all the time, every time. And so the list below is translated to the number of cups or servings if you will, so that the diet is easily monitored. For brevity though, ages are those that are in the adult range. The list is based on people of average weight. The heavier and the more active you are the more you will require depending on the difference of the weight against people in the normal weight range. The approximation is very close and effective for all activity ranges that do not have particular diet requirements aside from getting sufficient nutrients in the food and staying fit.

There are six main food groups that are to be included to the diet. The food groups in order of serving size priority are:
1. Grains Average daily serving for adults should be about six ounces, half of which are whole grains
2. Fruit Eat fruits daily equivalent to two cups. This is the minimum requirement eating more than that is advisable.
3. Vegetables About three cups is the minimum
4. Meat, Beans and Proteins Three quarters of a cup is ideal.
5. Milk Groups Three cups a day is sufficient.
6. Oils should be about six teaspoons
When these requirements are met, you can still eat as much as 260 calories of added sugars and fats at your discretion.

Eating a healthy diet then simply means eating various foods to get the entire nutrient that the body needs. It does not really have to be costly. It does not have to be anything special. It is simply enjoying the entire spectrum of food that nature offers and then regulating it.