What Is A Healthy Diet?

Some people assume that healthy eating is lowering their intake of calories and fat, but what does it really mean to eat healthy? A healthy diet is one that helps you to stay healthy or improve your health. It involves eating the appropriate amounts of nutrients. A nutrient is a chemical that we need to live and grow and enrich the body. Nutrient–rich foods are familiar and easy to find and represent the five basic food groups we’ve been hearing about since kindergarten. Selecting nutrient rich foods and beverages first is a way to make better choices when eating for better health.

When adding nutrient rich foods, you’ll find that you have less room for the foods that serve no nutritional value:

  • Make sandwiches on whole-grain bread, such as whole wheat or rye. Add slices of avocado, tomato, or cucumber to lean meats like lean roast beef, turkey or chicken.
  • When eating out, look for choices such as entrée salads with grilled seafood and low-calorie dressing.Top baked potatoes with salsa, grilled vegetables and reduced fat cheese.
  • Instead of ice cream, try a yogurt parfait made with strawberries and blueberries.
  • Top foods with chopped nuts or reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese to get crunch, flavor and nutrients in each bite. 
  • Cut and bag vegetables so they are in easy reach for snacking. Ready to eat favorites include red, green or yellow peppers, broccoli or cauliflower, carrots, celery, cucumber, and whole radishes.
  • Make meals that pack multiple nutrient rich foods into one dish, like, hearty broth based soups full of vegetables, beans and lean meat.
  • Enjoy smoothies or frozen treats blending mango or strawberries with low-fat milk, ice and a splash of pineapple juice.

 "One cannot think well, love well, or sleep well, if one has not dined well."   Virginia Woolf