An eating plan with a variety of nutrient-dense foods helps promote health and manage weight.
Why it matters
People with healthy eating patterns live longer and have lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity. For people with chronic diseases, healthy eating helps manage them and prevent complications.
What a healthy plan looks like
Following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a healthy eating plan:
- emphasizes vegetables, fruits, protein, dairy without added sugars, healthy fats and whole grains;
- includes healthful proteins: seafood, meats, poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), soy products, nuts and seeds;
- is low in added sugars, sodium, saturated and trans fats, and cholesterol;
- stays within your daily calorie needs, which you can calculate from your age, sex, height, weight and activity level.
Tips by food group
| Food group | Try this |
|---|---|
| Vegetables | season grilled or steamed vegetables with an herb such as rosemary; sauté in a non-stick pan with a little olive oil spray; microwave frozen or canned vegetables for a quick side (choose ones without added salt); add frozen peppers, broccoli or onions to stews and omelets; try a new vegetable each week |
| Fruits | fresh, frozen or canned all count; go beyond apples and bananas to mangos, pineapples or kiwis; out of season, try frozen, canned or dried — but watch for added sugars and syrups, and pick canned fruit packed in water or its own juice |
| Protein | bake or grill instead of frying fish or breading chicken; try beans in place of meat; look for lower-calorie recipes |
| Dairy without added sugars | milk, and regular or Greek yogurt without added sugars — a good dessert swap; lactose-free and fortified dairy alternatives also work |
More from CDC
Rethink your drink · how to reduce sodium · healthy eating tips · good nutrition starts early · planning meals · get enough sleep · food assistance and food system resources, for everyday needs and emergencies.
Sources
Based on "Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain. Two stock photographs are left out.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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