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Summary
Food provides the energy and nutrients you need to be healthy. Nutrients include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water.
Healthy eating is not hard. The key is to
- Eat a variety of foods, including vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain products
- Eat lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, and low-fat dairy products
- Drink lots of water
- Limit salt, sugar, alcohol, saturated fat, and trans fat in your diet
Saturated fats are usually fats that come from animals. Look for trans fat on the labels of processed foods, margarines, and shortenings.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Related Issues
- 10 Tips: Smart Shopping for Veggies and Fruits (Department of Agriculture) Also in Spanish
- 4 Types of Foods that Boost Your Memory (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
- Diet Choices to Prevent Cancer (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- Diet in the News -- What to Believe? (Harvard School of Public Health)
- Enjoy Your Food, but Eat Less: 10 Tips to Enjoying Your Meal (Department of Agriculture) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Fast Food: Tips for Choosing Healthier Options (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Feeding Your Family on a Tight Budget (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Healthy Cooking Techniques (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- How Do I Change Recipes? (American Heart Association) - PDF
- How Many Calories? Look at the Menu! (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
- Make Celebrations Fun, Healthy, and Active: 10 Tips to Creating Healthy, Active Events (Department of Agriculture) - PDF
- Making Healthy Choices at Fast Food Restaurants (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- Overview of Food Ingredients, Additives and Colors (Food and Drug Administration)
- Plants: Partners in Health? Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs, and You (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
- Sample Menus to Eat Right and Lose Weight (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Specifics
- 10 Tips: Add More Vegetables to Your Day (Department of Agriculture) Also in Spanish
- 10 Tips: Liven Up Your Meals with Vegetables and Fruits (Department of Agriculture)
- 5 Top Foods for Eye Health (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
- Eat Seafood Twice a Week: 10 Tips to Help You Eat More Seafood (Department of Agriculture) - PDF - In English and Spanish Also in Spanish
- Eating Healthy Ethnic Food (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Focus on Fruits: 10 Tips to Eat More Fruits (Department of Agriculture) - PDF Also in Spanish
- FoodData Central (Department of Agriculture)
- Healthy Breakfast: Quick, Flexible Options to Grab at Home (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Healthy Recipes (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Nutrition Facts for Cooked Seafood (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Nutrition Facts for Raw Fruits (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Nutrition Facts for Raw Vegetables (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
Health Check Tools
- MyPlate Kitchen (Department of Agriculture)
Statistics and Research
- FastStats: Diet/Nutrition (National Center for Health Statistics)
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Nutrition (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Nutrition Disorders (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Nutritional Physiological Phenomena (National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: COVID-19: Is there a role for immunonutrition in obese patient?
- Article: Effect of interval between food intake and drug administration at fasting...
- Article: Alteration, Reduction and Taste Loss: Main Causes and Potential Implications on...
- Nutrition -- see more articles
- Food additives -- see more articles
Reference Desk
- Definitions of Health Terms: Nutrition (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
Teenagers
- Smarter snack ideas (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
Men
- Nutrition for Young Men (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
Women
- Healthy Eating for Women (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
Patient Handouts
- Calorie count - fast food (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Eating extra calories when you are sick - adults (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Eating out (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Fast food tips (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Healthy grocery shopping (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- How to read food labels (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Managing your weight with healthy eating (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Nutrition Facts for Cooked Seafood (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Nutrition Facts for Raw Fruits (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Nutrition Facts for Raw Vegetables (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
- Snacks for adults (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish