Eating Healthy Foods: Care Instructions
With every meal, you can make healthy food choices. Try to eat a variety of vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods, and protein foods. This can help you get the right balance of nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. Small changes add up over time. You can start by adding one healthy food to your meals each day.
Try to make half your plate vegetables and fruits, one-fourth whole grain foods, and one-fourth protein foods. Make water your drink of choice.
Eat more vegetables and fruits. Try to have them with most meals and snacks.
Foods for healthy eating
Vegetables
- These can be fresh, frozen, canned, or dried.
- Try broccoli, carrots, cabbage and leafy greens.
- Eat a variety of colours.
Fruits
- These can be fresh, frozen, canned, or dried.
- Try to choose whole fruit rather than fruit juice.
- Eat a variety of colours.
Whole grain foods
- Choose whole grain breads, oatmeal, and pasta.
- Try brown rice, wild rice, or quinoa.
Protein foods
- These can include lean meat, poultry, fish, and eggs.
- You can also choose tofu, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, and seeds.
- Try low-fat dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese.
- Try fortified plant-based beverages, such as soy beverage.
- If you need to, use lactose-free milk.
Water
- Make water your drink of choice.
- Limit sugar-sweetened drinks, including soda, fruit drinks, and sports drinks.
Where can you learn more?
Go to https://www.healthwise.net/patientEd
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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.
