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5 Tips To Eat Healthier This Year

Date: 01/17/18

If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to eat healthier this year, you may be wondering how to start. Use these five tips to help you kick off a healthier diet for you and your family:

Tip 1: Know the food groups.

There are five food groups. Each food group offers important benefits to your health. How much of each food group you should eat depends on your weight, age and how much physical activity you do each day. The food groups are:

  • Grains: Examples are biscuits, cornbread, crackers, and muffins
  • Vegetables: Examples are broccoli, corn, cabbage, and peas
  • Fruits: Examples are apples, grapes, oranges, and peaches
  • Proteins: Examples are beef, chicken, eggs, and nuts
  • Dairy: Examples are milk, cheese, yogurt, and cottage cheese

Tip 2: Know how to read food labels.

Learning how to read food labels helps you make better choices about what you eat. Pay attention to serving sizes, calories, and nutrients. You should try to limit the amount of saturated fats and sodium, and try to avoid trans fat.

Tip 3: Know how to eat healthy, even when on the go.

It is possible to eat healthy on the run. For example, instead of choosing a fast food restaurant, stop at a grocery store for choices like yogurt and fresh fruit. If you have to stop at a fast food restaurant, make healthy choices like a salad and a baked potato instead of large hamburger and French fries.

Tip 4: Know how to get kids to get healthier.

Help your children adopt healthier eating habits. Try to stock your cabinets with healthy choices. Be sure to make their plates with healthy portion sizes, and encourage them to choose healthy snacks like fruit.

Tip 5: Know Your Options.

Eating a healthy diet does not mean you have to eat the same foods over and over. There are many different ways to cook healthy foods and lots of healthy snack options to choose from.