Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, and keeping yourself as healthy as possible – all which can be achieved by learning some nutrition basics and incorporating them in a way that works for you. By developing your own plan for healthy eating, you’ll be able to expand your range of healthy choices to include a variety of delicious. Using guidelines and tips for creating and maintaining a satisfying, healthy diet, you can learn how to approach food in a smarter, healthier way.
Focus on fruits. Eat a variety of fruits – whether fresh, frozen, canned or dried – rather than fruit juice for most of your fruit choices. For a 2,000 calorie diet, you will need 2 cups of fruit each day (for example, 1 small banana, 1 large orange, and 1/4 cup of dried apricots or peaches).
Vary your veggies. Eat more dark green veggies, such as broccoli, kale, and other dark leafy greens; orange veggies, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and winter squash; and beans and peas, such as pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, split peas and lentils.
Choose:Vegetable oils (olive, canola, peanut), avocados, fatty fish (salmon), nuts, and seeds.
Avoid: “Damaging” good fats by exposing them to heat, light or air – for example, keep your bottles of canola or olive oil in the refrigerator. Avoid trans fats and saturated fats (see above “Basics” section on fats).
Dairy products provide a rich source of calcium, necessary for bone health. Most are fortified with vitamin D, which helps the small intestine absorb calcium.
Take a vitamin D and calcium supplement if you are unable to get enough of these nutrients from your diet, or if you follow a vegan diet.
Choose: 1-2 servings per day of low-fat dairy products that do not contain rBST (bovine growth hormone). If you’re lactose-intolerant, choose lactose-free and lower-lactose products, such as hard cheeses and yogurt.
Know the limits on fats, salt and sugars. Read the Nutrition Facts label on foods. Look for foods low in saturated fats and trans fats. Chose and prepare foods and beverages with a little salt (sodium) and/or sugars (caloric sweeteners).
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