Should i eat healthy

Try to eat at least two servings of fish each week, and choose plant-based foods more often. Dairy products are a great source of protein. Choose lower fat, unflavoured options.

Fill a quarter of your plate with protein foods. Limiting highly and ultra-processed foods Highly processed foods — often called ultra-processed — are foods that are changed from their original food source and have many added ingredients.

During processing, often important nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fiber are removed while salt and sugar are added. Examples of processed food include: fast foods, hot dogs, chips, cookies, frozen pizzas, deli meats, white rice and white bread.

Some minimally processed foods are okay. These are foods that are slightly changed in some way but contain few industrially made additives.

Minimally processed foods keep almost all of their essential nutrients. Some examples are: bagged salad, frozen vegetables and fruit, eggs, milk, cheese, flour, brown rice, oil and dried herbs. We are not referring to these minimally processed foods when we are advising you not to eat processed foods. Read more about it here. Making water your drink of choice Water supports health and promotes hydration without adding calories to the diet.

It is easy to drink empty calories without realizing, and this leads to weight gain. Although fruit juice has some of the benefits of the fruit vitamins, minerals , it has more sugar than the fruit and less fiber. Too much saturated fat can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases your risk of developing heart disease.

On average, men should have no more than 30g of saturated fat a day. On average, women should have no more than 20g of saturated fat a day. Children under the age of 11 should have less saturated fat than adults, but a low-fat diet is not suitable for children under 5. Try to cut down on your saturated fat intake and choose foods that contain unsaturated fats instead, such as vegetable oils and spreads, oily fish and avocados.

For a healthier choice, use a small amount of vegetable or olive oil, or reduced-fat spread instead of butter, lard or ghee. Regularly consuming foods and drinks high in sugar increases your risk of obesity and tooth decay. Sugary foods and drinks are often high in energy measured in kilojoules or calories , and if consumed too often can contribute to weight gain. They can also cause tooth decay, especially if eaten between meals.

Free sugars are any sugars added to foods or drinks, or found naturally in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit juices and smoothies. This is the type of sugar you should be cutting down on, rather than the sugar found in fruit and milk. Food labels can help. Use them to check how much sugar foods contain.

More than Get tips on cutting down on sugar in your diet. Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke. Even if you do not add salt to your food, you may still be eating too much. About three-quarters of the salt you eat is already in the food when you buy it, such as breakfast cereals, soups, breads and sauces. Use food labels to help you cut down. The Nutrition Source does not recommend or endorse any products.

Skip to content The Nutrition Source. Harvard T. The Nutrition Source Menu. Search for:. More about vitamin D How to manage your weight Eating a healthy diet that includes lots of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and a moderate amount of unsaturated fats, meat and dairy can help you maintain a steady weight. Last updated:. How can we improve this page? Email Address e. Message Maximum of characters. Send feedback.

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