You can make good nutrition second nature by focusing on which foods you buy, how you cook them and how much you eat. A healthy diet even includes room for indulgences if you balance them with nutritious choices. Support your metabolism, stay at a healthy weight, avoid chronic disease and satisfy your appetite with a healthy eating plan for every stage of your life.
Steady Nutritional Levels
The primary goal of having good eating habits is to get all of the nutrients your body needs from the foods that you eat without gaining weight. The USDA recommends nutrient dense foods, or those that offer superior nutrition with moderate calories, as the ones to choose most often. Get your daily values of essential vitamins, minerals, protein, fat, fiber and other nutrients without overloading on any one element. This balanced diet comes from eating many different foods within the grain, fruit, vegetable, nut, seed, bean, dairy products, meat and seafood groups.
Limited Fat and Cholesterol
Selecting low-fat milk, yogurt and cheeses and lean meats will automatically reduce your saturated fat and cholesterol intakes, which the American Heart Association recommends as a healthy eating habits. Lean meats include beef and pork loin and skinless poultry. Fish contains similar protein but less saturated fat and than meats, and the USDA suggests eating 8 oz. of fish, or about two servings, per week. Cook without butter, lard or stick margarine whenever possible. Avoid commercial baked goods that contain trans fat, which also threatens your cholesterol levels.
Reasonable Portion Sizes
Start reading the FDA nutrition facts on package labels, which are based on an average 2,000-calorie diet, to choose which foods to eat. You'll be able to see how many calories are in a suggested serving size, and you'll be able to "say when" before overloading. The AHA defines one serving of whole grains as ½ cup to 1 cup of rice, cereal or pasta. Fruit and vegetable portions should be about ½ cup, while a healthy meat or fish portion is 3 oz. Eat 1 oz. of cheese or 8 oz. of yogurt, and drink 8 oz. of milk or 4 oz. fruit juice.
Wise Food Trade-Offs
If you stay within calorie boundaries on most days, you can enjoy the occasional indulgent dessert or rich breakfast, lunch or dinner. When you have a snack or entree that is high in fat, restrict your fat intake the next day. Eat a vegetarian meal once or twice a week to cut down on saturated fat and cholesterol. Instead of mayonnaise-based salad dressings, use a fat-free variety.
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