5 Tips to a Healthy Eating Plan

By Maggie McHugh, MS, RD, CDN

If eating better is your New Year’s Resolution, then here are 5 tips you and your family can follow all year round.

1. Go lean with protein. Choose lean meats and poultry. Bake it, broil it, or grill it. Vary your protein choices by including fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds.

2. Focus on fruits. Eat a variety of fruits—fresh, frozen, canned, or dried will do. For a 2,000-calorie diet, you will need 2 cups of fruit each day. One cup is equivalent to…

• 1 medium banana
  
• 1 cup of mixed fruit
  
• 1 medium apple
  
• ½ cup of dried apricots or peaches

3. Vary your veggies. Aim for 3 cups every day and eat more…

• Dark green veggies, such as broccoli, kale, and other dark leafy greens
  
• Orange veggies, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and winter squash
  
• Beans and peas, such as pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, split peas, and lentils

4. Make half your grains whole. Eat at least 3 ounces of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta every day. One ounce is equivalent to… 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of breakfast cereal, or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta. Read the ingredient list on the side of the food package, and make sure that grains such as wheat, rice, oats, or corn are referred to as “whole.”

5. Get your calcium-rich foods. Get 3 cups (4 cups for pregnant and breastfeeding women) of low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt and / or cheese every day (1 ½ ounces of cheese equals 1 cup of milk). If you do not or cannot drink milk, choose lactose-free milk products and / or calcium-fortified foods and beverages.