Goals to Eat Healthy
To eat healthy, follows these guidelines from the American Heart Association.
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Keep a healthy body weight.
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Balance the calories you eat with physical activity.
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When eating out, pay attention to portions and calories.
Fruits and vegetables
Eat at least 4½ cups of fruits and/or vegetables a day:
Fish
Eat at least 2 servings (3 ½ ounces each) per week. Fatty fish is a better choice. These include salmon, tuna, herring, trout, Lake Superior whitefish, halibut, and sardines.
Fiber-rich whole grains
Eat at least 3 (1 ounce) servings per day.
Examples are:
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Whole grain cereal: Choose cereals with at least 5 grams of fiber and less than 10 grams of sugar. A serving of cereal may be ½ cup to 1 cup depending on the type.
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1 slice of whole grain or multigrain bread that has at least 2 grams of fiber.
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½ cup of whole wheat pasta
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½ cup of brown rice
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1 ounce serving of whole grain crackers that have a least 2 grams of fiber
Sugar
Limit added sugars.
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12 ounces of regular pop can have up to 12 teaspoons of added sugar.
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Men - Eat no more than 9 tsp or 36 grams of added sugar a day.
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Women - Eat no more than 6 tsp or 24 grams of added sugar a day.
Sodium
Eat 1500 mg to 2300 mg per day.
Here are ways to reduce your sodium:
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Stay away from processed foods. Rice a Roni may have up to 1,000 mg of sodium per cup.
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Compare labels for sodium. Regular tomato sauce can have up to 1400 mg of sodium per 8-ounce can. No-Salt-Added tomato sauce has about 70 mg of sodium.
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Choose fresh. Fresh fruit and vegetables and fresh meats are low in sodium.
Beans, peas, lentils, seeds and nuts
Eat at least 4 servings per week.
Saturated fat and trans fats
This kind of fat should be less than 5% to 6% of your total calories. This would be 8 to 14 grams for most women and 12 to 20 grams for men.