Step 1: Look at how you eat
To eat healthier, you
first need to know what makes up a
balanced diet. A nutritional guideline such as
MyPyramid
will show you how many servings of each food
group you need for a healthy, balanced diet. The guidelines stress whole grains
and fruits and vegetables, and limited fat and sugar. After you know what foods
make up a balanced diet, you can figure out what changes you need to make.
Keep a
food diary
(What is a PDF document?)
for a week or two and record everything you eat or drink. Make
sure to track the number of servings you get from each food group.
Most people
need:
- 5 to 8 one-ounce-equivalents of grain products each day. Get at
least half of your grain requirements from whole grains. A one-ounce-equivalent
is 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or ½ cup of cooked rice,
cooked pasta, or cooked cereal.
- 1½ to 2 cups of fruits each
day.
- 2 to 3 cups of vegetables each day.
- 3 cups of
nonfat or low-fat milk or equivalent milk products each day. An equivalent for
1 cup of milk is 1 cup of yogurt, 1½ oz of cheese, or 2 oz of processed cheese.
- 5 to 6½ one-ounce-equivalents of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans,
nuts, or eggs each day. A one-ounce-equivalent is ¼ cup of tofu (soybean curd),
1 tablespoon of peanut butter, ½ oz (1 Tbsp) of nuts or seeds, 1 egg, or ¼ cup
of cooked dry beans, peas, or lentils.
Click here for information on serving sizes.
After the first week, review your food diary. Ask yourself a few
questions: Are you getting the minimum number of servings from each food group,
on the average? Do you get plenty of fruits and vegetables throughout the day?
Are most of the foods you eat low in fat, sugar, and salt? Do you prepare meals
at home, or do you eat more fast foods or convenience foods? Do you drink
beverages that contain a lot of sugar? Do you drink plenty of water?
The number of calories you need each day depends on your age, whether you
are male or female, and your activity level. In general:2
- Less active women and older adults need
between 1,600 and 2,000 calories.
- Active women and most less
active men need between 2,000 and 2,400 calories each day.
- Active
men need between 2,400 and 3,000 calories each day.
These calorie amounts may vary from day to day, and
are meant to be an average over several days. Pay attention to how hungry you
are, and how full you are, instead of counting calories. Eating regular meals
can help you be more aware of hunger and fullness.
Step 2: Start thinking about changes
Look over
your food diary.
Do you find that you eat out a lot? If so, you
may be getting more fat, salt, and calories than you need. Do you eat a lot of
meat but not many vegetables? Your diet may be too high in saturated fats and
low in fiber. Do you rely on packaged convenience foods for a lot of your
meals? If so, you may be getting more salt and sugar than what is healthy for
you.
Start reading
labels on convenience foods that you eat, to see the
amount of nutrients they contain. Fast-food and convenience-food meals often
contain few or no fruits or vegetables. Adding some fruits and vegetables on
the side will make the meal more nutritious.
Guidelines, such as
the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, provide tips
for eating well to prevent diseases, such as heart attack and stroke.
To learn more about eating healthier, see:
Healthy eating: Changing your eating habits.
Step 3: Start small
Don't try to make big changes
in your eating habits all at the same time. You will likely feel overwhelmed
and deprived of your favorite foods and, therefore, will be more likely to
fail. Start slowly, and gradually change your habits. Try any of the
following:
- Use whole wheat bread instead of white
bread.
- Eat brown rice instead of white rice.
- Try whole
wheat pasta instead of pasta made with white flour. Or try a mixture of the
two.
- Use skim (nonfat) or 1% (low-fat) milk instead of whole milk
or 2% milk.
- Try low-fat cheeses and low-fat yogurt.
- Add
more fruits and vegetables to meals, and/or have fruits and vegetables for
snacks.
- Add lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and onion to
sandwiches.
- Add fruit to cereal.
- Healthy eating: Starting a plan for change
Step 4: Know your ingredients
To make healthy
choices, you need to know how certain foods affect your body.
- Fat: Learn the
differences between types of fats. Saturated and trans
(hydrogenated) fats can raise cholesterol levels and increase your risk for
coronary artery disease. Monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fats may reduce your risk of developing coronary artery
disease.3 And omega-3 fatty acids are part of a
heart-healthy diet. They are found in fish, such as
trout, tuna, and salmon, as well as in plant foods, such as walnuts, flaxseed,
and canola oil.
- Carbohydrate:Learn the
differences between types of carbohydrate. Choose whole-grain sources of
carbohydrate found in unprocessed cereal grains, such as brown rice instead of
white rice and whole wheat bread instead of white bread. Whole-grain sources of
carbohydrate add
fiber and reduce the risk of heart disease.3 Other high-fiber carbohydrate sources include vegetables and
cooked dry beans.
- Sugar: Milk and fruits
contain naturally occurring simple sugars along with many other
vitamins and
minerals. Foods with added sugar, such as granola bars
and fruit drinks that are not 100% real fruit juice, often are high in calories
but low in vitamins and minerals. Added sugars can make food taste better, but
too much added sugar can fill you up and leave less room for other more
nutritious foods.
Learn how to read food labels and how to understand
health claims that can legally appear on food
packaging.