Your Guide to Healthy Eating

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• Focus on fruits
• Vary your veggies
• Get your calcium-rich foods
• Make half your grains whole
• Go lean with protein
• Know the limits on fats, salt, and sugars
• Understanding what you eat
• All about fats
• Resources to help you continue your healthy lifestyle

An important part of adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat. A nutritious diet is well-balanced with foods from all groups, including a variety of fruits and vegetables, grains (especially whole grains), and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products. Learn more about each food group here:

Focus on fruits

Eat a variety of fruits - fresh, frozen, canned or dried - get what's in season as those are generally less expensive. Avoid fruit juice high in sugar or with added sweeteners, like high fructose corn syrup. Be sure to eat fruits of all colors as they will give your body a wide range of essential nutrients such as potassium, and Vitamins A and C. It's recommended you eat 2 cups of fruit every day* - remember that 1 cup is about the size of a baseball (a medium sized whole fruit). Try fruit as a mid-morning snack or add them to your waffle, pancake, cereal, or oatmeal!

Vary your veggies

Eat from the five vegetable sub groups: dark green (broccoli, spinach), orange (carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash, legumes (beans, chickpeas, tofu), starchy (corn, peas), and other (cabbage, celery, cucumber, lettuce, onions, peppers, green beans, cauliflower, mushrooms, summer squash). Eating a bunch of different colors will help you get a variety of essential nutrients like fiber and folate. It's recommended you eat 2-3 cups of veggies each day.* Add veggies to your scrambled eggs or omelet!

Get your calcium-rich foods

Every day you should get 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk - or an equivalent amount of low-fat yogurt and/or low-fat cheese (1 cup of milk = 1 1/2 oz. of cheese = the size of 4 dice).* For kids aged 2 to 8, it's 2 cups of milk. Low-fat dairy products are also low in sodium, reduce cholesterol, and are major sources of calcium and protein. If you don't or can't consume milk, choose lactose-free milk products and/or calcium-fortified foods and beverages.

Make half your grains whole

Grain products include cereals, breads, crackers, rice, and pasta. At least half of the grain products you eat every day should be 'whole grains.' This means the entire grain kernel was used to make the food versus 'refined grains' which have been milled. The milling process not only removes much of the grain kernel, but also nutrients like fiber, iron, and B Vitamins. You should eat 6 ounces of grains each day - at least 3 oz. should be whole-grain: cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta.* One ounce is about 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of breakfast cereal, or 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta. Check the product label to see whether the product is 'whole.' Toast your whole grain bread and top it with peanut butter and banana slices!

Go lean with protein

Bake, broil, or grill lean meats and poultry. Or vary your choices, and select fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and trout. Avoid processed meats like bologna and pepperoni (they often have added sodium - check the label!). Egg yolks are high in cholesterol so try recipes that call for egg whites, which are cholesterol-free. The Meat and Beans group is not only a good source of protein, but also B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, zinc, and magnesium.

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. Choose and prepare foods and beverages with little salt (sodium) and/or sugars (caloric sweeteners). Aim for no more than 1 teaspoon (2,300 milligrams) of salt a day.

Understanding what you eat

We've selected a variety of nutrients to describe to help you make better sense of the table above. You'll find more nutrition information throughout the calendar of this tracking log.

Anti-oxidants: compounds in plant-based foods that can help prevent heart disease, certain cancers, and improve the immune system, memory, and eyesight.

B vitamins: help the body release energy, form healthy red blood cells, build tissues, and play a vital role in the function of the nervous system.

Calcium: an essential mineral, important to bone health and nerve and muscle function.

Carbohydrates: compounds such as sugars and starches that are broken down to release energy in the body. "Carbs" are one of three nutrients that provide calories.

Iron: used to carry oxygen in the blood. Many girls and women in their child-bearing years have irondeficiency anemia. Magnesium: used in building bones and in releasing energy from muscles.

Mineral: an element (such as calcium, iron, sodium, or potassium) that is obtained from food and is needed by the body.

Omega-3 fatty acids: may help lower blood cholesterol. Plant sources include tofu, soybeans, canola, walnuts, and flaxseed (these contain alpha-linolenic acid, a less potent form of omega-3 fatty acid).

Protein: function as building blocks for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood - essential to the structure and function of all living cells. Examples of proteins in the body include enzymes, antibodies, and some hormones. Proteins are one of three nutrients that provide calories.

Vitamin: any of various chemicals needed for metabolism. Vitamins are found in small quantities in food, and some are produced by the body.

Vitamin E: an anti-oxidant that helps protect vitamin A and essential fatty-acids.

Zinc: helps the immune system function properly.

All about fats

• INCREASES "good" HDL cholesterol levels
• NO CHANGE OF "bad" LDL cholesterol levels

You can find monounsaturated fats in canola, olive and peanut oils, and avocados.

Polyunsaturated fats (okay!)

• INCREASES "good" HDL cholesterol levels
• NO CHANGE OF "bad" LDL cholesterol levels

You can find polyunsaturated fats in many nuts and seeds including safflower, sesame, and sunflower seeds.

Trans fats (bad for your health!)

• INCREASES "bad" LDL cholesterol levels
• DECREASES "good" HDL cholesterol levels

Trans fats (trans fatty acids) are made in a process called hydrogenation - they're formed when liquid oils are made into solid fats like shortening or stick margarine. Hydrogenation is done to increase a food's shelf life and maintains its flavor for a longer time period. Trans fats are found in commercially fried foods, baked goods, cookies, and crackers; small amounts are in animal products like beef, pork, and butter.

Saturated fats (bad for your health!)

• INCREASES "bad" LDL cholesterol levels

Saturated fats are mostly found in food from animals including: beef, pork, butter, cream, whole milk dairy products, and cheeses. Saturated fats are also found in tropical oils like coconut and palm oils as well as processed foods (frozen meals, canned foods).

Resources to help you continue your healthy lifestyle

• Go "Inside the Pyramid" to learn more about the food groups. Find out how much you need, what counts, nutrient content, benefits and implications, and tips to make healthy choices. http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid
• Learn more about your favorite fruits and vegetables at Fruits & Veggies Matter. Check out the publications page where you'll find interactive worksheets and fun recipes for kids. http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov!
• Find a variety of Healthy Recipes, including those with tips for healthy and thrifty meals. http://www.womenshealth.gov/FitnessNutrition/recipes/
• If you are healthy, but would like to keep your cholesterol low, you can follow the Heart Healthy Diet. http://nhlbisupport.com/cgi-bin/chd1/step1intro.cgi
• If you currently have high cholesterol, to help lower your LDL cholesterol you can follow the Therapeutic Lifestyles Changes (TLC) Diet. http://nhlbisupport.com/chd1/tlc_lifestyles.htm
• If you need to lower high blood pressure, you can follow The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/

Content last updated March 24, 2008.