The Basics
Your body needs the right vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to stay healthy. A healthy diet means that you are eating:
- Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low–fat milk products
- Fish, poultry, lean meats, eggs, beans, and nuts
Stay away from:
- Cholesterol, sodium (salt), and added sugars
- Trans fats – Trans fats may be in foods like cakes, cookies, stick margarines, and other fried foods.
- Saturated fats – These fats come from animal products like cheese, fatty meats, whole milk, and butter.
Use this menu planner to help you choose healthy snacks and meals.
A healthy diet can keep your body strong and active.
A healthy diet can help protect you from:
- Heart disease
- Bone loss
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Some cancers such as colorectal cancer
Take Action!
Making small changes in your eating habits can make a big difference in your life. Here are some tips and tools to get you started.
Keep a food diary.
Knowing what you eat now will help you make changes. Starting today, write down:
- When you eat
- What you eat
- How much you eat
- Where you eat
- How you’re feeling when you eat
For example:
Tuesday 3:30 pm, 2 chocolate chip cookies, at work, feeling stressed
Plan ahead.
Planning your meals for the next week can save you time and money. These tools can help you find healthy meals that are easy to make and taste great:
If you are looking for ethnic foods, vegetarian choices, or special recipes for people with food allergies, try these tools:
Shop smart at the grocery store.
Try these tips the next time you go shopping:
- Eat a snack at home before you go shopping.
- Always use a shopping list.
- Buy a variety of fruits and vegetables in different colors.
- Look for the low–sodium or "no salt added" brands of canned soup, vegetables, and beans.
- Try the low–fat or non–fat brand of your favorite milk products like yogurt or cheese.
- Choose 100% whole wheat or whole grain bread and crackers.
- Buy foods when they are on sale or in season to save money.
Get more tips on Healthy Food Shopping.
Click this picture for more details about how to read nutrition facts labels.
Read the nutrition facts label.
- Look at the serving size and the number of servings per package.
- Check out the percent Daily Value (%DV) column.
- Try to keep saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium at 5% or less.
- Look for foods that have 20% or more of fiber, iron, calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and C.
Eat healthy away from home.
It’s important to make smart food choices wherever you are – at work, in your favorite restaurant, or running errands. Try these tips:
- At lunch, have a sandwich on whole–grain bread.
- Choose fat–free or low–fat milk, water, or diet drinks.
- In a restaurant, choose steamed, broiled, or grilled dishes instead of fried foods.
- On a long drive or shopping trip, pack some fresh fruit, unsalted nuts, or low–fat string cheese sticks to snack on.
Get more tips for eating healthy when dining out.
Save time.
Foods that keep you and your family healthy can be fast and easy to make. Here are some tips:
- Cook several main dishes on the weekend when you have more time.
- Make soups, stews, or casseroles that you can reheat for more than one meal.
- Rinse and chop vegetables the day before you need them.
Be a healthy family.
Many families spend a lot of money on take–out food and restaurant meals. To save money, cook and eat meals at home to stretch your grocery budget.
If you have children, you are a role model for making good food choices. Many kids like to help with grocery shopping and cooking, so let them help out!
Manage your high blood pressure or diabetes.
If you or a loved one has high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or heart disease, talk with your doctor about how to stay healthy. If you need a special diet, check out these websites: