The secret to winning with any plan for a healthy eating diet is to eat your favorites, but to not go overboard when it comes to the not-so-nutritious foods. Increasing the degree of your of health and fitness doesn't force you into a stern life of sacrifice and abstinence. However, it does require that you practice moderation. Fats, carbohydrates and proteins can be found in all types of foods belonging to the healthy diet family.
The USDA food pyramid has been revised to include these five major food groups: grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy, and meat and beans. Your choices from each these groups should be easy because they contain many selections. Certainly this will insure variety and stave off boredom, more importantly however, it will provide you with balanced nutrition. Additionally, popular micronutrients, such as vitamins A, D, C, and many macronutrients, like fats, proteins, fiber and water are common in these food group choices. Excellent health depends on micronutrients, even though they are such small quantities. This further supports the fact that good variety in your diet is really important.
While making your choices from the food groups, some are healthier and naturally better than others. Typically, a selection of skim or 2% milk rather than whole milk reduces both calories and fat. Lean meat or poultry are great ways to insure your daily protein requirements without the excessive calories, cholesterol and fat.
Typically, cereals and breads, with the whole grain label, are certainly healthier than those without. Correspondingly, with fruits and vegetables some choices are superior. Historically, peaches packed in heavy syrup add excess, unwanted sugar to our intake, while those packed in water or juice add only to good nutrition.
Lately, the preference is the addition of vitamin fortification, sometimes maximizing our nutrition. Usually, keep in mind, a healthy diet, not vitamin or health supplements, enhances good nutrition. Dairy products and leafy green vegetables usually are a better provider of you calcium needs, than is calcium fortified cereal.
Best Food Choices
Unfortunately, knowing all of this is only a part of your success. Making and following through with good choices within the groups can be the hardest part of your challenge: like selecting the leanest cuts of meat, choosing the freshest fruits and vegetables, using egg substitutes instead of whole eggs, etc.
Also, with vegetables and fruits, there are better choices to be made. Fruit favorites can be packed with calories and fat, like avocados. Usually you cannot assume all vegetables and fruits on balanced in their healthfulness, you must examine their nutritional makeup.
Normally, buying vegetables and fruits in season will minimize cost and maximize nutrition. They are generally fresher and cheaper than those that must be transported in from far away. Since you cannot always depend on local supply for all varieties, you will still need to be frugal, watch for specials and make your purchases accordingly. Clearly, it can be difficult making and practicing the right decisions for a healthy eating diet. But just as obviously, the benefits of good health and nutrition are just rewards.
Visit our Squidoo Lens for more information about your healthy eating diet. We have lots of tips and videos that will help your healthy eating diet. http://www.squidoo.com/fruits-vegetables-dominate-healthy-eating
Allen Harp is webmaster at [http://www.sleeknslim.com] providing articles for healthy eating, fitness and weight management
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