Healthy Diet: Brief Version

To keep healthy, you need to:

• Eat many kinds of healthy foods.
• Eat serving sizes that are not too big or too small.
• Get physical exercise.

What kinds of foods do I need?

Your daily diet should include choices from every food group:

• fruits
• vegetables
• grains
• milk products
• protein, such as meat, poultry, fish, and soy
• healthy fats found in plant oils, nuts, seeds, and avocado.

How much should I eat?

Paying attention to the calories you eat can help you to keep from eating too much. Calories are a way to measure the energy value of food. Your body burns calories all day long. It burns fewer calories when you sleep and sit and more calories when you exercise. There is a right number of calories for you to eat each day. This number depends on your age and how active you are. It also depends on if you are trying to gain or lose weight or stay at your current weight. If you want to stay the weight you are now, the number of calories you eat every day should be the same as the number of calories you burn. If you want to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories and increase your exercise.

Here are some serving suggestions for each food group.

• Eat about 2 cups of fruit each day (for example, 1 small banana, 1 large orange, and 1/4 cup of dried apricots).
• Eat 2 and 1/2 cups of vegetables each day. Especially healthy vegetables are broccoli; cabbage; dark leafy greens; and red, yellow, and orange vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, and squash.
• Include at least 3 ounces of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta every day. One ounce is about 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of cereal, or a half cup of cooked rice or pasta. Look for the words "whole grain" or "whole wheat" as some of the first words on the ingredient list.
• Drink 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk each day. Or you might have this much low-fat yogurt or low-fat cheese instead. (1 and 1/2 ounces of cheese equals 1 cup of milk.) If you have problems digesting milk products, ask your healthcare provider what you can eat or drink instead.
• Get protein by eating small amounts of lean meats and poultry. Bake, broil, or grill the meats instead of frying them. Some of your protein should come from other foods, such as fish, beans, peas, egg whites, nuts, and seeds. You can have a healthy diet without eating meat. If you are vegetarian, ask your provider how you can be sure to get enough protein, iron, and zinc.
• You can get healthy fats by adding to your food small amounts of olive, canola, or other vegetable oils. You can also add small amounts of nuts, seeds, avocado, and "trans fat free" margarine. These foods, although good for you, are also high in calories. For most people, a few small portions a day are enough.

What foods are not healthy?

Some foods are not very healthy. Some can even cause disease if you eat them too often. You don't have to give up all sweet, salty, or fatty snacks. You just need to eat less of these foods. It's best not to keep them on hand. Save these foods for a special treat or an occasional snack.

Stay away from foods with cholesterol, saturated fat, and trans fat.

Your blood vessels can build up fat and get too narrow. This can increase your risk of having a stroke or heart disease. Saturated fats and trans fats are less healthy than unsaturated fat. Here are a few ideas for eating less cholesterol and less saturated or trans fat:

• Drink nonfat or low-fat milk instead of whole milk.
• Choose lean cuts of meat.
• Take the skin off poultry before you eat it.
• Use canola oil, olive oil, or sunflower oil to cook with.
• Use less butter. It is healthier to use margarine that is labeled "no trans fatty acids."
• Eat fewer servings of meat or egg yolks. These foods have cholesterol, which can increase the risk for heart disease.

This is very important if you have a family history of diabetes, high cholesterol, or heart disease.

Eat foods with less salt (sodium).

• Your body needs some salt to keep healthy. But it can be unhealthy if you use too much. It may make high blood pressure worse.
• Eat no more than 2,300 mg (milligrams) of sodium a day. That's equal to 1 teaspoon of salt. Read the labels on the food packages you buy. Check how much sodium is in the food.
• Taste food before you add salt to it at the table. Try adding other spices or herbs instead of salt.

Drink little or no alcohol.

When you drink too much alcohol, it can lead to many health problems. Women should have no more than 1 drink a day. Men should have no more than 2 drinks a day. A drink is 1 small glass of wine, 1 can of beer, or 1 shot of liquor.

Eat fewer foods with sugar.

Foods that have a lot of sugar can give you many calories. They often don't give you what you need to keep healthy.

Eat less meat.

Eating meat, like poultry and fish, can help you keep healthy. It is an easy way to get iron and protein. But most people in this country get more protein than they need. It's a good idea to eat less meat. You can:

• Choose lean cuts of meat.
• Try to use meat as a side dish. Put meat in a casserole or stew.
• Choose not to eat meat at all. Just make sure you get iron, zinc, and protein in your other foods.

Read the Nutrition Facts Label

Food labels help you know about the calories and nutrition in a serving of food. Learning to read food labels can help you stay away from unhealthy foods. It can also choose foods that are good for you. Find the % Daily Value (DV) section on the food label. Use this tool to make choosing healthy foods quick and easy. If a serving of a food provides 5% DV or less of a nutrient, it is low in that nutrient. 20% DV or more is high. Try these tips:

• Keep these saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium low.
• Get enough potassium, fiber, vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron.

Always look at the serving size listed on the label and think about how many servings you are really eating. If you double the servings you eat, you double the calories and nutrients you are eating, including the % DVs.

How much exercise do I need?

To stay healthy you need to have regular physical activity as well as a healthy diet. Be physically active for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. If you are trying not to gain weight or to lose weight, you may need to exercise 60 to 90 minutes.