You can eat a healthy and balanced diet by limiting your total daily caloric intake with the right proportions of whole, fresh foods readily available at your local grocery store. Choose fresh fresh fruits and veggies to avoid the preservatives and unnecessary sodium in processed foods. Go for whole-grain foods, low-fat dairy items and lean meat and fish. Vary your choices to provide a full spectrum of nutrition and taste.
Find Fresh Produce First
The best place to start your food shopping is in fresh produce. Once you've cleared out processed foods and snacks from your cupboard to make room for healthier food choices, start your shopping in the fresh produce aisle to place a priority on fresh fruits and veggies with all the nutrition they contain. Pick as many different colors in produce as possible to deliver a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. Try to eat about 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of veggies daily for a healthy, balanced diet.
Hold to Whole Grains
Whole-grain breads and cereals are excellent sources of iron, B-complex vitamins and dietary fiber. MyPyramid.gov says that the complex carbs in whole-grain foods deliver much better fiber and natural nutrition than the contents of refined breads, pastas and cereal. You will find some complex carbs in fresh veggies as well, but steer clear of white bread, rice and pasta as well as processed cereal to make sure you get full nutrition and fiber for digestion. You should eat about 3 slices of whole-grain bread or 1 1/12 cups of processed cereal daily.
Keep Protein High and Fat Low
Choose fish, poultry and legumes over red meat for high-protein foods that build strong muscles. The Harvard School of Public Health says that fish such as salmon contain much less fat than beef, but almost as much protein. Other good fish choices include trout and herring because of the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids they contain. In the dairy department, choose low-fat items to get your calcium for strong bones with less cholesterol-building fat. If you are avoiding animal products, broccoli and spinach deliver good amounts of calcium, and legumes are protein-rich foods. Try to eat about 6 ounces of lean, meat-group items and about 3 cups of low-fat dairy foods or the equivalent in kale, spinach or broccoli.
Calorie Countdown
Check food labels to keep tabs on your calorie intake so that your diet stays within your goals, whether they are to maintain, lose or even gain weight. The University of Maryland Medical Center says that men can take in about 13 calories for each pound of body weight without gaining, while women should only take in about 10 calories per pound. Add a half-hour of brisk exercise to your daily regimen and you can add 2 calories per pound. Since weight gain or loss is in direct relationship to how many calories you take in, you can expect to gain or lose weight over time by adding more calories per day or shaving a few from these numbers in your daily diet.
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