Health and Nutrition facts

A person’s diet is made up of the food they eat. Nutrition is the way that the food people eat nourishes their bodies.
Good nutrition means your body is getting all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals it needs to work at its best level. Eating a healthy diet is your main way to get good nutrition.
Most people know that a balance of good nutrition and physical activity can help them reach and maintain a healthy weight. But the benefits of good nutrition go beyond weight. Good nutrition can also:

• Improve cardiovascular and other body system functions, mental well-being, school/cognitive performance, and wound healing or recovery from illness or injury
• Reduce the risk for diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, some cancers, and osteoporosis
• Increase energy and the body’s ability to fight off illness

No—A number of factors impact a person’s nutritional and dietary needs.
Different age groups have different nutritional needs, and people’s diets should meet those specific needs. For example, an infant needs a different diet and nutrition than a teenager. Likewise, the nutritional needs and diet of a pregnant woman are different than those of an elderly man.
In addition, factors such as a person’s height and current weight, current health status, and activity level also affect what kinds of nutrients they need and how much they need.
Some general tips for healthy eating include:

• Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables – Eat fruit that is fresh, frozen, canned, or dried rather than fruit juice for most of your fruit choices. Eat dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, and beans and peas.
• Get your calcium-rich foods. Get 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk, or other dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese. You can also try dark green, leafy vegetables, lactose-free milk products, and calcium-fortified foods and beverages for your calcium needs.
• Make half your grains whole. Eat at least 3 ounces of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta every day. Look to see that grains such as wheat, rice, oats, or corn are referred to as "whole" in the list of ingredients.
• Go lean with protein. Choose lean meats and poultry. And vary your protein choices with more fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds.
• Know the limits on fats, salt, and sugars. Read the Nutrition Facts label on foods. Look for foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars. Saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol tend to raise “bad” (LDL) cholesterol levels in the blood, which in turn increases the risk for heart disease.

In general, a healthy diet—one that gives your body balanced nutrition—includes these actions:

• Make smart choices from every food group
• Find your balance between food and physical activity
• Get the most nutrition out of your calories

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans—a report published every five years by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture—explains how you can accomplish these actions. The report recommends a general diet that can help lead to good health and reduce risk for diseases for people two years and older.
There are a number of other resources that you can use to set up a healthy eating plan specific to your needs:

• Finding the way to a healthier you: Based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans offers additional ways to promote your health and to reduce the risks of certain diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis through a healthy diet.
• The My Pyramid Plan Web site is an interactive Web site that allows you to get personalized diet plans to help make sure that you and your family are getting the foods and amounts that are right for your age, current weight, and health level.
• The Make your calories count Web site is an interactive site that explains how to use the information in Nutrition Facts labels on foods to make food choices that provide balanced nutrition.

Additional resources are listed in the Related Web Sites in the right-side menu.
If you are concerned about your own or your family’s nutritional needs, you can also talk to your health care provider. He or she can make suggestions based on your family history and current health status. You can also find a nutrition professional in your area through the American Dietetic Association Web site.

Life is like a hot bath. It feels good while you’re in it, but the longer you stay in, the more wrinkled you get.

To set yourself up for success
To set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think.

• Simplify. Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety and freshness—then it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more delicious.
• Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart.  Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different color vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking.  As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet.
• Every change you make to improve your diet matters. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet.  The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy and reduce the risk of cancer and disease. Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts.