12 Tips to Start Eating Healthier
Updated August 06, 2015.
The Dietary Guidelines recommend two and one-half cups of vegetables per day if you eat 2,000 calories each day.
Try adding vegetables to foods such as:
Frozen chopped greens such as spinach, and peas, carrots, and corn are easy to add. Also, add dark leafy green lettuce to sandwiches. You can involve children by letting them help pick vegetables in different colors when you're shopping.
Eat a variety of dark green vegetables such as:
Eat a variety of orange and deep yellow vegetables such as:
Eat a variety of starchy vegetables and legumes such as:
Eat a variety of other vegetables, such as tomatoes and onions.
Look for ways to make it convenient. You can buy salad in a bag. Or buy a vegetable tray from the grocery store and put it in the refrigerator. Everything's already cut up and you can just reach in and eat it throughout the week.
Higher salt intake is linked to higher blood pressure, which can raise the risk of stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease. The Dietary Guidelines recommend that people consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day (approximately one teaspoon of salt). There are other recommendations for certain populations that tend to be more sensitive to salt. For example, people with high blood pressure, blacks, and middle-aged and older adults should consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium each day.
Most of the sodium people eat comes from processed foods. Use the Nutrition Facts label on food products: 5%DV or less for sodium means the food is low in sodium and 20%DV or more means it's high. Compare similar products and choose the option with a lower amount of sodium. Most people won't notice a taste difference. Consistently consuming lower-salt products will help taste buds adapt, and you will enjoy these foods as much or more than higher-salt options.
Prepare foods with little salt. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends giving flavor to food with:
Consult with your physician before using salt substitutes because their main ingredient, potassium chloride, can be harmful to some people with certain medical conditions.
Potassium counteracts some of sodium's effect on blood pressure. Increase potassium-rich foods such as:
The Dietary Guidelines recommend choosing and preparing food and beverages with little added sugars. Added sugars are sugars and syrups added to foods and beverages in processing or preparation, not the naturally occurring sugars in fruits or milk. Major sources of added sugars in the American diet include regular soft drinks, candy, cake, cookies, pies, and fruit drinks. In the ingredients list on food products, sugar may be listed as:
Be sure to check the sugar in low-fat and fat-free products, which sometimes contain a lot of sugar.
Instead of drinking regular soda and sugary fruit drinks, try dinking:
For snacks and desserts, try fruit. People are often pleasantly surprised that fruit is great for satisfying a sweet tooth. If ice cream is calling your name, don't have it in the freezer. Make it harder to get by having to go out for it. Then it can be an occasional treat.
Source: Healthier Eating by Michelle Meadows, FDA Office of Public Affairs, FDA Consumer Magazine May-June 2005 Issue
Tip #10) Eat Your Veggies
The Dietary Guidelines recommend two and one-half cups of vegetables per day if you eat 2,000 calories each day.
Try adding vegetables to foods such as:
- meatloaf
- lasagna
- omelettes
- stir-fry dishes
- casseroles
Frozen chopped greens such as spinach, and peas, carrots, and corn are easy to add. Also, add dark leafy green lettuce to sandwiches. You can involve children by letting them help pick vegetables in different colors when you're shopping.
Eat a variety of dark green vegetables such as:
- broccoli
- spinach
- greens
Eat a variety of orange and deep yellow vegetables such as:
- carrots
- winter squash
- sweet potatoes
Eat a variety of starchy vegetables and legumes such as:
- corn
- dry beans
- peas
- chickpeas
- pinto beans
- kidney beans
- tofu
Eat a variety of other vegetables, such as tomatoes and onions.
Look for ways to make it convenient. You can buy salad in a bag. Or buy a vegetable tray from the grocery store and put it in the refrigerator. Everything's already cut up and you can just reach in and eat it throughout the week.
Tip #11) Lower Sodium and Increase Potassium
Higher salt intake is linked to higher blood pressure, which can raise the risk of stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease. The Dietary Guidelines recommend that people consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day (approximately one teaspoon of salt). There are other recommendations for certain populations that tend to be more sensitive to salt. For example, people with high blood pressure, blacks, and middle-aged and older adults should consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium each day.
Most of the sodium people eat comes from processed foods. Use the Nutrition Facts label on food products: 5%DV or less for sodium means the food is low in sodium and 20%DV or more means it's high. Compare similar products and choose the option with a lower amount of sodium. Most people won't notice a taste difference. Consistently consuming lower-salt products will help taste buds adapt, and you will enjoy these foods as much or more than higher-salt options.
Prepare foods with little salt. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends giving flavor to food with:
- herbs
- spices
- lemon
- lime
- vinegar
- salt-free seasoning blends
Consult with your physician before using salt substitutes because their main ingredient, potassium chloride, can be harmful to some people with certain medical conditions.
Potassium counteracts some of sodium's effect on blood pressure. Increase potassium-rich foods such as:
- sweet potatoes
- orange juice
- bananas
- spinach
- winter squash
- cantaloupe
- tomato puree
Tip #12) Limit Added Sugars
The Dietary Guidelines recommend choosing and preparing food and beverages with little added sugars. Added sugars are sugars and syrups added to foods and beverages in processing or preparation, not the naturally occurring sugars in fruits or milk. Major sources of added sugars in the American diet include regular soft drinks, candy, cake, cookies, pies, and fruit drinks. In the ingredients list on food products, sugar may be listed as:
- brown sugar
- corn syrup
- glucose
- sucrose
- honey
- molasses
Be sure to check the sugar in low-fat and fat-free products, which sometimes contain a lot of sugar.
Instead of drinking regular soda and sugary fruit drinks, try dinking:
- diet soda
- low-fat or fat-free milk
- water
- flavored water
- 100 percent fruit juice
For snacks and desserts, try fruit. People are often pleasantly surprised that fruit is great for satisfying a sweet tooth. If ice cream is calling your name, don't have it in the freezer. Make it harder to get by having to go out for it. Then it can be an occasional treat.
Smart Snacks
- unsalted pretzels
- applesauce
- low-fat yogurt with fruit
- unbuttered and unsalted popcorn
- broccoli, carrots, or cherry tomatoes with dip/low-fat yogurt
- grapes
- apple slices with peanut butter
- raisins
- nuts
- graham crackers
- gingersnap cookies
- low or reduced-fat string cheese
- baked whole-grain tortilla chips with salsa
- whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk
More Information
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 and "Finding Your Way to a Healthier You"
- MyPyramid Plan: Steps to a Heathier You
- Calculate the number of calories you need to maintain your current weight
Source: Healthier Eating by Michelle Meadows, FDA Office of Public Affairs, FDA Consumer Magazine May-June 2005 Issue
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