- Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods: The body needs more than 40 different nutrients for good health, and any food containing them all. Include bread, grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products and meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods.
- Enjoy plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
- Maintain a healthy weight: This depends on several factors. Excess body fat increases the chances for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some cancers and other diseases. Regular exercise is also important to maintain a healthy weight.
- Eat moderate portions: With portion sizes reasonable, it is easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy.
- Eat regular meals: To avoid getting out of control hunger, often resulting in excess. Snacking can help minimize hunger, but not eating more, the snack becomes an entire meal.
- Reduce, don't eliminate certain foods: Most people eat for pleasure as well as nutrition. If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt or sugar, the key is moderating how much of these foods you eat and how often they eat.
- Balance your food choices over time: Not all foods have to be perfect. When eating a food high in fat, salt or sugar, select other foods that are low in these ingredients.
- Know your diet pitfalls: To improve your eating habits, you first have to know what is wrong with them. Take note of what you eat for at least three days.
- Make changes gradually: Begin to remedy excesses or deficiencies of the modest changes that may add to the positive eating habits for life. For example, if you do not like the taste of skim milk, low fat treat. Eventually, you can find like skim, too.
- Remember, foods are not good or bad: Select foods based on your total eating patterns not, whether an individual food is "good" or "bad." Do not feel guilty if you love foods such as apple pie, potato chips, candy bars or ice cream. Eat sparingly and choose foods that provide balance and variety that are vital for good health.
Bibliography:
International Food Information Council FoundationLast. (1994). 10 tips to healthy eating . Retrieved from http://www.realtime.net/anr/10eattip.html
