Junk food has nutrient-poor calories with no health-improving benefits, while healthy foods are packed with nutrients that reduce your risk of disease and increase your energy for a productive and fulfilling lifestyle. Foods may appear healthy, such as granola bars, yogurt and pasta dishes in a box, but can be loaded with preservatives, sugar, salt, saturated fat and trans fat. Healthy foods share similar characteristics including being high in fiber, low in added sugars, low in saturated and trans fat and low in sodium.
Step 1
Check the amount of fiber on the nutrition label. Healthy foods have at least 3 g to 4 g of fiber per serving, according to Medlineplus. Fiber keeps you feeling full and helps reduce your cholesterol. Choose one serving of fruit or nuts for a healthy snack, such as a medium apple or a large orange, which have 4 g of fiber. Include 1 oz. of unsalted almonds with your fruit for a small meal, adding 4 more g of fiber. Use whole grains, such as whole wheat pasta and bread from sprouted grains, to make your meals as these products have more fiber compared with pasta and bread that come from refined white flour.
Step 2
Read the label of your breakfast and energy bars carefully. Look under the total carbohydrate heading to find the grams of sugar. If the bar doesn't contain much fruit, chances are it has plenty of added sugar. Review the ingredient list. If sugar, honey, molasses, corn syrup, dextrose or fructose are the first few ingredients, find something healthier to eat, advises KidsHealth. These types of sugar have plenty of calories with very little nutrients compared with the sugar in fresh fruit and skim milk.
Step 3
Review the amount of sodium in each serving of food. Eat no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day, according to MedlinePlus. Keep track of your sodium intake so that healthy foods with more than 100 mg of sodium per serving can fit within the recommended daily intake of sodium. Limit your intake of packaged foods, including soups, deli meats, canned meats, hot dogs, stews, chips, crackers and popcorn. These items generally are very high in sodium.
Step 4
Check the total grams of fat per serving in your foods. Abstain from all foods that have trans fat -- vegetable oils that the product maker has altered to extend the shelf-life of foods. They have no nutritional value. These fats not only raise your bad cholesterol or LDL, but they also lower your good cholesterol. Select foods low in saturated fats so that that your daily intake of saturated fat is 7 percent or less of your total calories. This means you must limit your consumption of butter, lard and animal-based foods. Eat and drink low-fat or fat-free dairy products. The majority of the fats in your food should come from monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats, such as those in nuts, seeds, avocado, olives and olive oil.
Tips and Warnings
- Select fresh foods that have been minimally processed or cooked as these are usually healthy foods not junk food.
References
- MedlinePlus: How to Read Food Labels
- "Exercise Physiology, Energy, Nutrition & Human Performance"; William McArdle, Frank Katch and Victor Katch; 2007
- Kids Health: Figuring Out Carbs and Sugar
- "ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal"; Eat Like You're in Crete: Teach Your Clients the Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet; Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D.; September/October 2007
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