A healthy, balanced diet is made up of:
The USDA MyPlate can help you understand how much you should be eating from each food group.
Limiting foods that have lots of calories, sugar, sodium and fat will also help you eat a healthier diet.
Most of our extra calories come from:
- food eaten away from home
- sweet and salty snacks
- sugar-sweetened drinks
- large servings of food
Calories from snacks and drinks can cause us to take in more calories than we need, making it hard to reach and stay at a healthy weight. Learn how to chooseand .
For most of us, snacks often act as an extra source of calories. Portion control is the key to a healthy snack. Right-size your snacks by dividing a big bag into smaller bags or containers, buying single servings packs with 100 calories or less, and avoiding eating straight from the bag.
Healthy options for snacks for both you and your kids are fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat cheese or yogurts, low-fat microwave popcorn, or a small serving of pretzels. Smart snacks when your family is on-the-go are cut-up fruits, a small box of raisins, whole-grain cereal and crackers, low-fat granola bars, baked chips, and rice cakes.
But before you pick up a snack, ask yourself if you are really hungry - if you aren't, skip it. When you do need to eat a snack, make a smart choice.
Smart Snack Tips
- Read nutrition labels: choose snacks with low amounts of calories, sugar, and fat
- Avoid snacks with a lot of sugar, salt, and fat - limit cakes, cookies, ice cream, chips, french fries, and candy
- Eat snacks at least 2 hours before meals so you still have an appetite
- Choose fruits and vegetables that are fresh, frozen, canned, or 100% fruit juice
- Make sure dairy products are low-fat or fat-free
- Serve nuts in small portions, paired with another healthy snack such as fruit
- Carry your favorite healthy snacks with you when you leave home for the day - that way you won't be tempted to buy less healthy snacks when you're out and about
Smart Snack Tips for Kids
- Do taste tests with your kids for trying new vegetables and fruits
- For children 6 years old and over, serve snacks at least 2 hours before meals so they still have an appetite
- For children between 2 and 5 years old, serve 2-3 snacks a day (about 1-2 hours before meal times)
- Don't use food as a reward for your kids - instead, do a fun activity!
Adults and children who drink one or more sugary drinks a day are more likely to be overweight or obese. Sugary drinks include sodas, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and blended teas and coffees.
Soda is the #1 source of added sugar in American diets today. There are about 17 teaspoons of sugar in every 20-ounce bottle of soda. It's easy to grab a beverage without realizing how many calories we're drinking. But reducing the number of sugary beverages a person drinks can lead to weight loss.
Choose lower-calorie drinks to keep you from drinking lots of calories during the day.
Smart Drink Tips
- Read nutrition labels. Choose drinks with no more than 25 calories per 8-ounce serving, and notice how many servings are in one drink
- Make sure juice is 100% fruit juice and limit to 8 ounces each day
- Choose plain, flavored, or carbonated water and diet drinks instead of regular sodas and fruit drinks as often as possible
- Carry a water bottle around with you during the day, to quench your thirst without adding on the calories
- Buy skim or low-fat milk
- Add a splash of 100% fruit juice (like cranberry juice) to plain sparkling water to make a low-calorie drink
- Sweeten coffee and tea with calorie-free sweeteners and low-fat or fat-free milk
- When you do go for a sugary drink, go for a smaller size (such as an 8-oz can or bottle of soda)
- Limit energy drinks- each drink contains between 16-18 teaspoons of sugar
- Only have sports drinks after intense physical activity, not as an everyday beverage
Smart Drink Tips for Kids
If you give your kids juice, make sure it is 100% fruit juice and limit it to a ½ cup each day.
Think vitamin waters, flavored coffee drinks, smoothies and energy drinks are a smarter choice? While they sound innocent enough, these drinks can contain an alarming amount of calories. Remember to check the Nutrition Facts Label.
This information is provided by the Department of Public Health.
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