Eat More Nutrient Rich Foods & Less “Junk”

The right number of calories to eat each day is based on your age and physical activity level and whether you’re trying to gain, lose or maintain your weight. You could use your daily allotment of calories on a few high-calorie foods and beverages, but you probably wouldn’t get the nutrients your body needs to be healthy. Limit foods and beverages high in calories but low in nutrients, and limit how much saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium. Read labels carefully – the Nutrition Facts panel will tell you how much of those nutrients each food or beverage contains.

As you make daily food choices, try these options:

Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without added saturated and trans fat.

Select fat-free, 1 percent fat, and Low-Fat dairy products.

Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet.

Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol. Aim to eat less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol each day.

Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars.

Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt. Aim to eat less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.

If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. That means one drink per day if you’re a woman and two drinks per day if you’re a man.

When you eat out, and keep an eye on your portion sizes, as always.