The foods you need to eat to stay healthy consist of whole grain breads and cereals, fresh produce, fish, nuts, low-fat meats and dairy products. By eating a limited amount of fats and keeping away from processed foods, you can take in nutritious vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber without unnecessary sugar, preservatives and unhealthy amounts of sodium. Sticking with reasonable amounts of healthy, whole, fresh foods will help you avoid chronic, obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
Whole Grain Story
You should eat about half your daily calories in carbohydrates. Whole grain breads, pastas and cereals contain iron, B-complex vitamins and plenty of dietary fiber because they use the entire kernel of the grain according to MyPyramid.gov. Milled, white bread and processed cereals and pastas leave out the fiber even if they are later enriched with iron and B-complex vitamins. In a typical 2,200-calorie diet you should take in between 250 g and 350 g of carbs from fresh produce as well as complex carbs from whole grains. The simple carbs in fruit give quick energy while the complex carbs in whole grains give lasting energy because they take longer to process in your body.
Healthy Protein
You should eat about a quarter of your daily calories in protein, such as the low fat protein found in fish, poultry, nuts, and beans. The Harvard School of Public Health states that there is plenty of protein in red meat, but beef also has four times as much fat as the same amount of fish such as salmon. High protein fish such as trout and herring also contain heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Nuts and seeds can also be a good source of protein with heart-healthy oils.
Limited Fats
You need fat to break down fat-soluble vitamins such as A, K, D and E, but it is easy to get too much fat which can build unhealthy levels of cholesterol in your body and may lead to heart disease. MayoClinic.com states you can focus on nutritious vitamins and minerals while avoiding the empty calories and fat in processed foods and snacks by making fresh produce the first stop in food buying. Avoid preservatives and added sugar and sodium in processed foods by stocking up on fresh fruit and veggies for snacks, salads and side dishes.
Healthy Amounts
Make sure you keep the total amounts of food in check by limiting your daily intake of total calories. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that by eating 10 calories for every pound of body weight in women, they won't gain weight. The same goes for 13 calories for each pound of body weight for men. Add in at least a half-hour of brisk cycling, swimming or walking daily and women can up the amount to 12 calories per pound. Men can go even higher at 15 calories per pound. Check food labels to see how many calories each food item adds to your daily totals.
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