About a century ago, malnutrition was a problem in our country. The U.S. Department of Agriculture worked to educate the public on the foods to eat in order to combat the problem. The first food groups were born, and the number fluctuated through the years from anywhere between four to twelve groups.

Around the mid-1970's, obesity and diet-related illnesses dominated as a public health concern, and the USDA switched gears, creating the Food Guide Pyramid. The food groups and proportions were based on what was healthy for a young adult male, which fit only a portion of the population.

Recently, a modernized version was released - MyPyramid. The new version gives guidelines, but the challenge is making it applicable to our lives. In short, what do we require to stay healthy?

The key to nutritional health is variety. With the body requiring about 40 essential nutrients and approximately 2,000 calories a day, shaking things up a little in the kitchen is the optimum way to insure that you cover your nutritional bases.

With the Food Guide Pyramid, food groups place a particular food item in one category. The reality is that foods don't always fit that neatly into one slot. Cheese is found under "Dairy", but protein and fat are also applicable categories. Healthy eating requires knowledge of what makes up a food item, and then planning meals accordingly.

Protein, fats, and carbohydrates are considered macronutrients. Vitamins, minerals, and trace elements are micronutrients. Nearly all foods contain a combination of two to three of the macronutrients in their whole state. When foods are overly processed and refined is when you begin to upset the balance of good nutrition.

Protein should be approximately 15% of your total calories. Most people automatically picture "meat" as the only choice, but there are many foods rich in protein. Fish, dairy products, beans, whole grains, and other plant foods provide a healthy alternative. And, fish, poultry, and dairy products provide higher percentages of protein per ounce than meat and eggs.

About 55-60% of your daily diet should be in the form of carbohydrates. They are the body's chief source of energy.

A lot of food trends have taken their turn in the news through the years. Eat more protein, eat less protein, stay away from fats, and on and on it goes. Eating whole foods has been consistently the fall-back for all of these "latest and greatest" ideas, as it offers balance and consistency.

Following a whole foods eating plan is the most nutritionally sound choice and much more simplistic than trying to figure out what processed-food combinations will provide you what, if any, nutrients. By staying as close to the natural state of a food as possible, there are guaranteed to be the maximum amount of macro and micronutrients needed for great health that your food choices can provide.

A diet that is high in fiber and low in fats also alleviates the need to count every calorie you eat. Losing body fat is one of the best side effects of good nutrition!