Jun 9, 2009

Healthy Eating: It’s Easy

Healthy eating is the time-tested advice of balance, variety, and moderation. In short, that means eating a wide variety of foods without getting too many calories or too much of any one nutrient. These tips can help you follow that advice while still enjoying the foods you eat.
1. Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods. You need food selection should include bread and other whole-grain products; fruits; vegetables; dairy products; and meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods.
2. Eat moderate portions. Keep your portion sizes reasonable, it's easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy.
3. Eat regular meals. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in overeating. Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don't eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal.
4. Reduce, don't eliminate certain foods. Most people eat for pleasure as well as nutrition. If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt or sugar, the key is moderating how much of these foods you eat and how often you eat them. Identify major sources of these ingredients in your diet and make changes, if necessary.
5. Balance your food choices over time. When eating a food high in fat, salt or sugar, select other foods that are low in these ingredients. If you miss out on any food group one day, make up for it the next. Your food choices over several days should fit together into a healthy pattern.
6. Know your diet pitfalls. To improve your eating habits, you first have to know what's wrong with them and don't eat more.
Remember, foods are not good or bad. Select foods based on your total eating patterns, not whether any individual food is "good" or "bad." Don't feel guilty if you love foods such as apple pie, potato chips, candy bars or ice cream. Eat them in moderation, and choose other foods to provide the balance and variety that are vital to good health.

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