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Healthy Eating - Getting Started

Healthy eating is about balance, variety, and moderation.

1. Balance

Having a well-balanced diet means that you eat enough, but not too much, and that food gives you the nutrients you need to stay healthy.

An online food guide called MyPyramid can help you make your own well-balanced eating plan.

This food guide focuses on eating plenty of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and on limiting fat and sugar. It also can help you see how much you should eat, which will depend on your age, weight, and height, and on how active you are.

MyPyramid suggests that most people get the following amounts from the different food groups:

Food Group	Recommended minimum servings each day
Grains	At least 6 ounces of grains (half of those should be whole grains)
Vegetables	2 to 3 cups
Fruits	1½ to 2 cups
Milk and milk products	3 cups
Meat and Beans	5 to 6½ ounces

For more information about MyPyramid, see:

You can get more information from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines provide tips for eating well to stay healthy and lower your risk of diseases such as heart attack and stroke.

Calories

Calories, the energy in food, are another part of balance. The more active you are, the more calories you need. When you are less active, you need fewer calories.

How many calories you need each day also depends on your age, whether you are male or female, and activity level.¹ Some life situations, such as being pregnant or breast-feeding, can also influence calorie needs. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest:

Less active women and older adults need 1,600 to 2,000 calories each day.
Active women and less active men need 2,000 to 2,400 calories each day.
Active men need 2,400 to 3,000 calories each day.

But knowing how many calories you need each day is just one part of healthy eating. Eating when you're hungry and knowing when you're full are also important.

Listening to your body

Young children are good at listening to their bodies. They eat when they're hungry. They stop when they're full.

But adults may ignore these signals. They may keep eating after they're full, or they may eat because they're bored or upset. If you ignore your body's signals for a long time (such as by dieting or overeating) you may lose your ability to notice them. You get out of practice. Other factors may influence what you eat.

Your body uses these signals to tell you when and how much to eat:

Hunger makes you want to eat. Your body tells your brain that your stomach is empty and your blood sugar is low. This makes your stomach growl and gives you hunger pangs. You can ignore hunger for a while, but then you reach a point where you will think only of food.
Fullness is the feeling of being satisfied. Your stomach tells your brain that you're full, and you won't be hungry for a few hours.
Appetite is the desire for the taste of food and the pleasure we get from food. It’s usually linked to the sight, smell, or thought of food. Appetite can override hunger and fullness, such as when you keep eating after you're full.

Healthy Eating: Recognizing Your Hunger Signals

2. Variety

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WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated: October 12, 2009

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information.