What Foods Do I Need to Eat Every Day to Keep Healthy?
The foods you need to stay healthy are easily available at your local market in the fresh produce, meat, dairy and bakery departments. Steer clear of processed foods, red meat, whole-milk items, and choose whole-grain foods, low-fat dairy items, and lean meat, poultry and fish instead. Nuts, seeds and legumes can also make healthy sources of protein.
Fresh Produce Foods
Pick fresh fruit and veggies instead of processed foods to get full nutrition and dietary fiber. You will get a good variety of vitamins and minerals by starting your shopping in the fresh produce section and choosing a variety of colors and types of fresh fruit and veggies. Avoid unneeded sodium, preservatives and sugars by choosing fresh instead of processed produce. You should eat about 2 cups worth of fruit and 3 cups of veggies each day.
Whole-grain Foods
Whole-grain foods use the entire kernel to provide dietary fiber, iron and B-complex vitamins for your diet. If you eat whole-grain breads, cereals and pastas, you will get the nutrition and fiber that would otherwise have been lost during milling as is the case with white bread, processed cereals and pastas. The complex carbs in whole grains give lasting energy because they take longer for your body to process. Try to eat about three slices of whole-grain bread or 1½ cups whole-grain cereals each day.
Low-fat Dairy Foods
You can get all the calcium you need for strong bones without unnecessary fat by picking low-fat dairy items instead of whole-milk products. Low-fat yogurt, frozen dairy desserts, and low-fat milk are all better choice. Flavored, low-fat yogurt can make a healthy dip for sliced veggies or fruit. Try to take in about 2 cups of low-fat milk products daily.
Lean Towards Fish
You will get the protein you need to build strong muscles without unneeded fat by choosing fish or poultry instead of beef for high protein foods. The Harvard School of Public Health says you will get almost as much protein from a salmon steak as a porterhouse steak with a quarter less of the fat. Other healthy choices you can pick include trout and herring, which contain beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Try eating about six ounces of fish, beans, or poultry daily.
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