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Summary
Good nutrition is important in keeping people healthy throughout their lives - when they are babies, toddlers, children, adults, and then older adults. It can help people live longer and lower their risk of health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and more.
Good nutrition is about healthy eating. This means regularly choosing healthy foods and beverages. A healthy eating plan should give your body the energy and nutrients that you need every day. Nutrients include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. The plan should also take into account your preferences, cultural traditions, and budget.
Healthy eating does not mean that you have to follow a very strict diet or eat only a few specific types of food. It doesn't mean that you can never eat your favorite foods. You can eat a variety of foods, including less healthy favorites. But it's important not to eat too much of those foods or have them too often. You can balance those foods with healthier foods and regular physical activity.
The keys to a healthy eating plan include:
- Eating a variety of foods, including vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain products
- Eating lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, and low-fat dairy products
- Getting enough fiber
- Drinking lots of water
- Limiting salt, added sugars, alcohol, and saturated fat
- Making sure that you get enough nutrients, especially calcium, vitamin D, and potassium
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Related Issues
- Aim for a Healthy Weight: Menus (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Dejunking Your Diet: The Drawbacks of Ultra-Processed Foods (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
- 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)
- Feeding Your Family on a Tight Budget (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Food Ingredients & Packaging (Food and Drug Administration)
- Fresh Take on What "Healthy" Means on Food Packages (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
- Healthy Eating Linked to Better Brain Health
- Healthy Eating on a Budget (Department of Agriculture)
- How Do I Change Recipes? (American Heart Association) - PDF
- Is Food Safe if It Has Chemicals? (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
- Making Healthy Choices at Fast Food Restaurants (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Specifics
- Eat Healthy: Food Group Gallery (Department of Agriculture)
- Eat Healthy: Fruits (Department of Agriculture)
- Eat Healthy: Vegetables (Department of Agriculture)
- Foods for Eye Health (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
- Healthy Recipes (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Make Better Beverage Choices (Department of Agriculture)
- Milk and Plant-Based Milk Alternatives: Know the Nutrient Difference (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
- MyPlate Kitchen (Recipes) (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
- Tipsheet: Eating Healthy Ethnic Food (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Test Your Knowledge
- Are You Eating Enough Fruits and Vegetables? (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- MyPlate Quiz (Department of Agriculture)
- MyPlate Quizzes (Department of Agriculture)
- Test Your Knowledge About Healthy Eating (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
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
Men
- Eatright.org: For Men (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
Women
- Healthy Eating (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
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