Healthy Eating Pyramids

1. Start with exercise. A healthy diet is built on a base of regular exercise, which keeps calories in balance and weight, in check. Read five quick tips fof staying healthy and getting to your healthy weight, and a dozen ideas for fitting exercise into your life.

2. Focus on food, not grams. The healthy eating pyramid doesn’t worry about specific servings or grams of food, so neither should you. It’s a simple, general guide to how you should eat when you eat.

3. Go with plants. Eating a plant-based diet is healthiest.  Choose plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats, like olive and canola oil. Check out these delicious healthy recipes that bring the Healthy Eating Pyramid into your kitchen.

4. Cut way back on American staples. Red meat and processed meat, refined grains, potatoes, sugary drinks, and salty snacks are part of American culture, but they’re also really unhealthy. Go for a plant-based diet rich in non-starchy vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. And if you eat meat, fish  and poultry are the best choices.

5. Take a multivitamin, and maybe have a drink. Taking a multivitamin can be a good nutrition insurance policy. Moderate drinking  for many people can have real health benefits, but it's not for everyone. Those who don’t drink shouldn’t feel that they need to start. Read about balancing alcohol's risks and benefits.