Quick Tips: Making Healthier Food Choices
Getting Started
Eating a variety of foods can help you get all the nutrients you need. Most days, eat from each food group—vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods, and protein foods.
Moderation is your key to healthy, balanced eating. If your favourite foods are high in fat, salt, sugar, or calories, limit how often you eat them. Eat smaller servings, or look for healthy substitutes.
Use this chart as a guide for making healthier choices.
Healthier food choicesFoods | Instead of: | Choose: |
|---|
Meat, poultry, and fish | - Regular ground beef
- Fatty or highly marbled cuts, spare ribs, organ meat
- Poultry with skin, fried chicken
- Fried fish, fried shellfish
- Lunch meat, bologna, salami, sausage, hot dogs
| - Extra-lean ground beef (97% lean), ground turkey breast (Make sure there's no skin included.)
- Meats with fat trimmed
- Skinless chicken, baked or broiled chicken
- Baked, broiled, or poached fish or shellfish
- Low-fat or fat-free lunch meats
|
|---|
Dairy products | - Whole milk, 2% milk, cream, non-dairy creamer, half-and-half, whipping cream, whipped topping
- Whole-milk yogurt, sour cream, ice cream
- Most cheeses, cottage and cream cheese, sour cream, ice cream
| - Low-fat (1%) or skim milk
- Low-fat or fat-free yogurt
- Cheese with 15-20% milk fat or less
|
|---|
Fats and oils | - Coconut or palm oil
- Butter, hard margarine, lard, shortening, bacon and bacon fat
| - Canola, olive, or peanut oil
- Soft margarines without trans fats
|
|---|
Breads and cereals | - Breads with fat or butter as a major ingredient
- High-sugar cereals; most granolas (These are usually high in fat.)
- High-fat crackers
| - Whole grain breads and pasta; rice, corn tortillas
- Cereals with whole grain as the first ingredient; low-fat or fat-free granola
- Low-fat crackers
|
|---|
Fruits and vegetables | - Fried vegetables; coconut; vegetables cooked with butter, cheese, or cream sauce
| - All fruits and vegetables that do not have added sugar or fat
|
|---|
Sweets and desserts | - Ice cream, milk chocolate
- Baked goods made with coconut oil, palm oil, or hydrogenated oil
| - Frozen yogurt, fruit
- Baked goods made with unsaturated fats
|
|---|
Credits
Current as of: February 28, 2023
Author: Healthwise Staff
Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
Current as of: February 28, 2023
Author: Healthwise Staff
Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
