Healthy Diet for January 15 – Easy as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Life’s hectic! How can you be assured of eating enough food and variety for good nutrition, but not too much?

Truth is, there’s no single way to eat for health. Even your own family members enjoy different foods and flavors, prepared in different ways, and they have different nutrient and energy needs. No matter what your individual style or tastes, there’s still an easy, flexible guide for planning a healthful day’s worth of meals and snacks for everyone, ages two years or more.

To eat for health:

• Choose food for variety among and within the five food groups. Variety is nutritious and tastes good, too!
• Balance. Follow food-group serving guidelines to “up” your chances of eating the right amount of nutrients and calories (energy) for your age, gender, and activity level. If your portions are bigger or smaller than food-group servings, that’s okay—if the day’s total adds up to your whole day’s serving advice.
• Make calories count. Pick mostly foods that deliver more nutrients. Go easy on foods high in fat and added sugars.