Nutrition

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Summary

Food provides the energy and nutrients you need to be healthy. Nutrients include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water.

Healthy eating is not hard. The key is to:

Eat a variety of foods, including vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain products
Eat lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, and low-fat dairy products
Drink lots of water
Limit salt, sugar, alcohol, saturated fat, and trans fat in your diet

Saturated fats are usually fats that come from animals. Look for trans fat on the labels of processed foods, margarines, and shortenings.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Department of Agriculture; Department of Health and Human Services)
Eat Healthy: Food Group Gallery (Department of Agriculture)
MyPlate Food Guide (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
MyPlate.gov (Department of Agriculture)
Nutrition.gov (Department of Agriculture)
Plan Your Plate: Shifting to a Healthy Eating Style (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
Start Simple with MyPlate App (Department of Agriculture)

Related Issues

4 Types of Foods that Boost Your Memory (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
Diet Choices to Prevent Cancer (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Diet in the News -- What to Believe? (Harvard School of Public Health)
Fast Food: Tips for Choosing Healthier Options (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Feeding Your Family on a Tight Budget (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Healthy Eating on a Budget (Department of Agriculture)
How Do I Change Recipes? (American Heart Association) - PDF
How Many Calories? Look at the Menu! (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
Making Healthy Choices at Fast Food Restaurants (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Overview of Food Ingredients, Additives and Colors (Food and Drug Administration)
Plants: Partners in Health? Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs, and You (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
Sample Menus to Eat Right and Lose Weight (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Specifics

5 Top Foods for Eye Health (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
Eat Healthy: Fruits (Department of Agriculture)
Eat Healthy: Vegetables (Department of Agriculture)
Eating Healthy Ethnic Food (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
FoodData Central: Caffeine (Department of Agriculture)
Healthy Recipes (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Make Better Beverage Choices (Department of Agriculture)
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Seafood (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
Nutrition Facts for Raw Fruits (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
Nutrition Facts for Raw Vegetables (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF

Health Check Tools

MyPlate Kitchen (Department of Agriculture)
MyPlate Quiz (Department of Agriculture)
Quizzes (Department of Agriculture)

Statistics and Research

FastStats: Diet/Nutrition (National Center for Health Statistics)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Nutrition (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Nutrition Disorders (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Nutritional Physiological Phenomena (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

Definitions of Health Terms: Nutrition (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
Find a Nutrition Expert (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
Food and Drug Administration
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Teenagers

Smarter snack ideas (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)

Men

Nutrition for Young Men (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)

Women

Healthy Eating for Women (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)

Patient Handouts

Calorie count - fast food (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Eating extra calories when you are sick - adults (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Eating out (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Fast food tips (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Healthy grocery shopping (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
How to read food labels (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Managing your weight with healthy eating (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Seafood (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
Nutrition Facts for Raw Fruits (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
Nutrition Facts for Raw Vegetables (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
Snacks for adults (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish