Healthy Eating

What Does Healthy Eating Mean?

Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods that give you the nutrients you need to maintain your health, feel good, and have energy. These nutrients include protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals.

Nutrition is important for everyone. When combined with being physically active and maintaining a healthy weight, eating well is an excellent way to help your body stay strong and healthy. What you eat can affect your immune system, your mood, and your energy level.

Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate

The Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate provides a blueprint to help us make the best eating choices. So, you should follow these tips:

• The more veggies – and the greater the variety – the better.
• Potatoes and French fries don’t count as vegetables because of their negative impact on blood sugar.
• Eat plenty of fruits of all colors.
• Choose whole fruits or sliced fruits (rather than fruit juices; limit fruit juice to one small glass per day).
• Choose beans and peas, nuts, seeds, and other plant-based healthy protein options, as well as fish, eggs, and poultry.
• Limit red meat (beef, pork, lamb) and avoid processed meats (bacon, deli meats, hot dogs, sausages).
• Use healthy oils from plants like extra virgin olive, canola, corn, sunflower, and peanut oil in cooking, on salads and vegetables, and at the table.
• Limit butter to occasional use.
• Choose unflavored milk, plain yogurt, small amounts of cheese, and other unsweetened dairy foods.
• Milk and other dairy products are a convenient source of calcium and vitamin D, but the optimal intake of dairy products has yet to be determined and the research is still developing. For children consuming little or no milk, ask a doctor about possible calcium and vitamin D supplementation.
• Water is the best choice for quenching our thirst. It’s also sugar-free, and as easy to find as the nearest tap.