Most people know that they should be "eating healthy," but not everyone quite knows what a healthful diet consists of. If you think you have been following a healthful diet for years or if you have just recently made the decision to start following a healthful diet, you be familiar with what a "healthy balanced diet" really is. Speak to your health care provider before you make dramatic changes to you diet.
Diet Goals
Healthy eating requires you to follow balanced diet that meets all of your nutritional needs. Through eating solid food, you should be able to meet all of your recommended dietary allowances for fat, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. The Harvard School of Public Health states that the "best nutrition advice" is eat a diet that is rich in plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, healthful unsaturated fats, lean proteins and healthful beverages. In general, you should be eating the foods that are low in saturated fat, low in refined or processed sugars and void of trans fatty acids.
Choose Good Carbohydrates
Eating "good" carbohydrates and avoiding "bad" carbohydrates is one of the primary elements of healthy eating. Good carbohydrates are foods that are low in processed and refined sugars and high in complex carbohydrates. Likewise, bad carbohydrates have high amounts of simple sugars and low amounts of complex carbohydrates and fiber. Whole-grain foods, such as whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, oats, brown rice, bulgur, barley and whole-grain cereals are among the best carbohydrate sources. Fruits and vegetables are also ideal carbohydrate sources because they are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. The Harvard School of Public Health recommends you eat at least nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. It further suggests that you should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables and not limit yourself to any particular favorites.
Eat Leaner Protein
Protein sources that are low in calories, low in saturated fat and have no trans fatty acids are part of a healthful balanced diet. Fish, egg whites, nuts and beans are among the best choices. Skinless chicken and skinless turkey are also healthful and low in calories. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fish a week, but eating fish instead of red meat is almost always more healthful. Red meat is high in calories from saturated fat and you should eat it sparingly. Beans are a particularly healthful source of protein because they contain high amounts of dietary fiber that can help satisfy your appetite and keep your blood sugar and insulin levels stable.
Use the Right Fats
Whether you are eating healthy for the health benefits or if you are trying to lose weight, your diet still requires sources of dietary fat. Unsaturated fats are the types of fat you should eat. Limit your saturated fat intake to below 10 percent of your total calories. Avoid trans fat altogether, if you can. Sources of healthful unsaturated fat include nuts, avocados, seeds and cooking oils, such as canola oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil and safflower oil. These cooking oils are healthful replacements for butter or margarine, which are high in saturated fat and trans fat.
References
- Harvard School of Public Health: Protein: Moving Closer to Center Stage
- Harvard School of Public Health: Vegetables and Fruits
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Fiber; February 2010
- Harvard School of Public Health: Fiber: Start Roughing It!
- Harvard School of Public Health: Fats and Cholesterol: Out with the Bad, In with the Good
- University of Illinois: A Diet that Works
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