Approximately 50 million Americans diet annually; however, only 5 percent of those are successful at maintaining a healthy weight, according to Colorado State University Extension. Those who are successful at maintaining a healthy weight long-term are those who realize that living a healthy lifestyle is required to keep the weight off. Part of a healthy lifestyle is following a daily healthy meal plan.
Components
The components of a healthy eating plan include vegetables, fruits, lean meat and beans, milk, grain and oils, states MyPyramid.gov. Foods from each of these groups must be eaten daily. A person's gender, activity level and age determine the exact number of servings needed daily from each group. All of the foods chosen should be as close to their natural state as possible. For example, choose fresh fruits and vegetables instead of canned or dried versions.
Benefits
Eating a healthy diet daily will help to keep your weight under control. The closer you are to a healthy weight for your height, the more health benefits you will get. As your weight decreases, so does the risk of diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and some cancers, notes Medline Plus. For a person who is within the recommended weight range for her height, eating a healthy diet helps to keep the risk of those obesity-related conditions under control.
Time Frame
A daily healthy meal plan can involve three meals a day with one snack or you can choose to eat a small meal every two to three hours. In either case, each of the meals you eat should be the same size as the rest of the meals for the day. Additionally, FamilyDoctor.org recommends that you start each day with a healthy breakfast and that you don't skip any meals.
Considerations
A daily healthy meal plan is more than just eating healthy foods---beverages must be taken into account. Some beverages, such as water, zero calorie flavored beverages, low fat milk, 100 percent fruit juice and unsweetened tea contain either no calories or calories that contain a lot of nutrients. These are considered part of a healthy eating plan. However, other beverages, such as alcohol and soft drinks, contain a lot of calories and little or no nutrition, states FamilyDoctor.org. These are considered empty calories and aren't part of a healthy eating plan.
Warning
It is sometimes necessary for a person to deviate from traditional healthy eating plans because of medical conditions. For example, a diabetic will usually have to limit the types and amounts of grains consumed daily, a heart disease patient on blood thinners will have to stay away from some types of foods that contain vitamin K, and a person with a gastrointestinal condition may have to stay away from fibrous foods. Talk to your doctor before starting a new eating plan to ensure that it won't affect any condition you have or interact with any medications you are taking.
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