Milly Gaines
When planning a healthful diet, it's important to remember that it's not just about what you eat, but also how much you eat. A healthy diet combines all the nutrients and food groups, but these need to be balanced. The USDA's ChooseMyPlate initiative recommends filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with protein, and a quarter with whole grains and starches. However, individual needs will vary, so it's important to be mindful of your own body and adjust your diet accordingly. Maintaining a healthy diet can be challenging, especially when eating out, but having a strategy in place can help ease the stress and uncertainty of navigating restaurant menus.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Nutrients | Include all food groups and nutrients |
| Balance | Balance the food groups |
| Individual needs | Individual needs vary, so use the USDA's interactive tool "MyPlate Plan" to find out your personal needs |
| Strategy | Have a strategy in mind before eating out |
| Low-fat | Low-fat does not mean healthy |
| Drinks | Drink water, coffee, or tea. Skip sugary drinks, limit milk and dairy products to one to two servings per day, and limit juice to a small glass per day |
| Activity | Staying active is important for weight control |
What You'll Learn
Balance your diet with a variety of fruits and vegetables
When planning a healthful diet, it's important to remember that balance is key. A healthy diet will combine all the nutrients and food groups, but these must be balanced, too.
One way to ensure you're eating a balanced diet is to use the plate method. The USDA's "ChooseMyPlate" initiative recommends filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables. This is a good way to ensure you're getting a variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre, which is important for digestive health.
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, it's important to aim for colour and variety. Different coloured fruits and vegetables contain different vitamins and minerals, so by eating a rainbow of produce, you're ensuring you're getting a wide range of nutrients. For example, dark, leafy greens like spinach are rich in iron and vitamin K, while orange fruits and vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A.
It's also worth noting that potatoes don't count as vegetables on the Healthy Eating Plate because of their negative impact on blood sugar. This is due to the high starch content in potatoes, which can cause blood sugar spikes.
In addition to balancing your diet with fruits and vegetables, it's important to remember to stay active. The Healthy Eating Plate's placemat features a red figure running, reminding us that physical activity is also key to maintaining a healthy weight.
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Drink water, tea or coffee instead of sugary drinks
When planning a healthful diet, it's important to remember that it should combine all the nutrients and food groups, but that these should be balanced. A good way to remember how much of each food group to eat is the plate method. The USDA's "ChooseMyPlate" initiative recommends filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables. However, individual needs will vary, so the USDA also provides an interactive tool, "MyPlate Plan", where you can enter your own details to find out your personal needs.
Drinking water, tea or coffee instead of sugary drinks is an important part of a healthful diet. Sugary drinks are high in calories and low in nutrients, and can contribute to weight gain and tooth decay. Water, tea and coffee, on the other hand, are hydrating and can help you meet your daily fluid needs without adding extra calories or sugar to your diet.
In addition, water has the added benefit of being calorie-free and can help you feel full, which can be helpful if you're trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Tea and coffee also contain antioxidants, which can provide additional health benefits. For example, some studies have shown that drinking green tea may help reduce the risk of heart disease and improve brain function.
However, it's important to note that adding sugar or other sweeteners to tea or coffee can negate these benefits. If you find it difficult to drink these beverages without sweetening them, you may want to consider gradually reducing the amount of sugar you add over time, or trying alternative sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit extract, which have fewer calories and may have less of an impact on blood sugar levels.
Finally, while water, tea and coffee can be healthy alternatives to sugary drinks, it's important to remember to consume them in moderation. Excessive consumption of caffeine, which is found in tea and coffee, can lead to negative side effects such as increased heart rate, anxiety, and disrupted sleep. As such, it's generally recommended to limit caffeine intake to no more than 400 mg per day, which is equivalent to about 4 cups of coffee.
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Limit milk and dairy products to one to two servings per day
When planning a healthful diet, it's important to remember that a healthy diet combines all food groups and nutrients, but these must be balanced. The USDA's 'ChooseMyPlate' initiative recommends filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables, but individual needs will vary.
One way to ensure you are eating a balanced diet is to limit milk and dairy products to one to two servings per day. Dairy products are a good source of calcium, which is important for bone health. However, they can also be high in fat and calories, so it's important to limit your intake.
There are many non-dairy sources of calcium, including dark, leafy greens like spinach and kale, as well as broccoli and tofu. These foods are also good sources of other nutrients, like vitamin K and fibre.
If you are going to include dairy in your diet, opt for low-fat or fat-free options. This will help you to get the benefits of dairy without consuming too much fat or calories.
Remember, it's important to balance your diet and ensure you are getting a variety of nutrients. So, while limiting milk and dairy is important, it's also crucial to ensure you are getting enough calcium and other nutrients from other sources.
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Stay active
When planning a healthful diet, it's important to remember that staying active is key. While eating healthily is important, it's also crucial to focus on weight control through exercise.
The Healthy Eating Plate initiative recommends drinking water, coffee, or tea, and skipping sugary drinks. It's also important to limit milk and other dairy products to one to two servings per day, and juice to a small glass.
In addition to a healthy diet, staying active can help maintain a healthy weight. This could include going for a run, a walk, or doing some other form of exercise. It's important to find an activity that you enjoy and that suits your lifestyle, as this will make it easier to stick to.
Planning ahead can also help to stay active. For example, if you know you have a busy day coming up, you could plan to go for a walk during your lunch break or take some time to do some stretches or a short workout before starting your day.
It's also a good idea to vary your activities to keep things interesting and challenging. This could include trying new sports or activities, or simply changing your route when going for a walk or run.
By staying active and maintaining a healthy weight, you can complement your healthy diet and improve your overall health and well-being.
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Plan ahead for eating out
When planning a healthful diet, it's important to remember that a healthy diet combines all the nutrients and food groups, but these must be balanced. The USDA's 'ChooseMyPlate' initiative recommends filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables, but individual needs will vary. For example, potatoes don't count as vegetables on the Healthy Eating Plate because of their negative impact on blood sugar. It's also important to remember that low-fat does not mean healthy, and to stay active.
Eating out can be challenging when trying to maintain a healthy diet, but there are ways to make it easier. Having a strategy in mind before you arrive at a restaurant or gathering can help you feel prepared to navigate eating out. Planning ahead can ease any stress or uncertainty you might feel about sticking to your balanced diet.
Firstly, you could research the menu in advance. Most restaurants will have their menus available online, so you can take your time to choose a healthy option. You could also look up the nutritional information for the dishes, if this is available. This will help you to make an informed decision about what to eat.
Secondly, you could plan to eat a healthy snack before you go out. This will help to curb your appetite so that you don't overeat when you arrive at the restaurant. Eating a healthy snack beforehand can also help you to make healthier choices when you're ordering.
Finally, you could ask your server about the ingredients and preparation methods used in the dishes. This will help you to make informed choices about what to eat, and you can also request any modifications to make the dish healthier. For example, you could ask for sauces or dressings to be served on the side, or for certain ingredients to be left out.
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Frequently asked questions
You should remember to eat a wide variety of foods in the right proportions, and consume the right amount of food and drink to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.
You should eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.
You should fill a quarter of your plate with protein foods, such as fish, eggs, meat, beans, pulses and dairy or dairy alternatives.
Highly processed foods are foods that are changed from their original food source and have many added ingredients. Examples include fast food, hot dogs, chips, cookies, frozen pizzas, deli meats, white rice and white bread.
You should drink water, coffee or tea. You should skip sugary drinks, and limit milk and other dairy products to one to two servings per day.
