Nutrition/Diet

Eating a healthy balance of different types of foods, vitamins, and minerals can be the basis of good health. Your body needs the right fuels to make it run. Without the right fuels, you may not feel as strong, energetic, or alert as you could. In fact, eating right can also help prevent illness and some diseases.

Healthy eating is not just about weight loss. Everyone can benefit by making good food choices. And the good news is that your local grocery has all the food you need for a well-balanced diet. The information here can help you find out what choices are right for you. All you need is a little know-how and a few easy skills, and you'll soon be on your way to a delicious way of eating.

The Basics

• Basic dietary guidelines and the Food Pyramid
  • Basic dietary guidelines for Americans: An overview
  • Where do your favorite foods fit? An introduction to the Food Pyramid  
• Portion size: Be informed
• About Nutrition from A to Z
• Disease and Nutrition
  • Preventing diabetes through good nutrition
  • Nutrition and cancer
  • A heart-healthy diet
  • Food Safety: Questions and answers
• Fruits, grains and fibers
• Don't know much about grains . . .  
• The Soy Information page and food finder
• Fruits and vegetables: Eat 5-a-day the 'Color Way'
• Fruits and vegetables: What's a serving?
• Fruit and Vegetables of the Month from the CDC
• Vitamins and Minerals
• All about vitamins and minerals
• Take the vitamin quiz!
• How to pick a multivitamin supplement
• Salt, Fat, and Sugar Facts
• Salt and Health
• Fats: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
• Sugar content of some popular foods
• For kids:
• Check out Coolfood for kids!
• Learn about '5-a-day' fruits and veggies!
• Learn about vitamins and minerals
• For Parents:

• Healthy Children, Healthy Choices

• For Teens:
• Learn about nutrition and diet at TeensHealth
• Good News about Good Nutrition
• Nutrition and Fitness FAQs for Teen Girls
• For Seniors:
• Senior Nutrition
• Food Safety

Taking Action

• Action guide to healthy eating
• Reading the food label
• Cut down on fat, salt, and sodium
  • Cut down on Fat—Not on Taste (In English and Spanish, Alternating pages)
  • Cut down on salt and Sodium (In English and Spanish, Alternating pages)
• Fast and conveniece foods:

• Fast food frenzy: an overview of healthier fast food eating

• Living in the fast lane: Including fast and convenience foods in a healthy diet
• Recipe makeovers
• Recipe makeover basics
• Healthy substitutions
• Food for disease prevention:
• Nutrition and cancer prevention
• Heart-healthy nutrition
• Recipes for cooking the heart-healthy way
• Eating for a healthy heart
• Fiber: How to Increase the Amount in Your Diet

• Food Safety in the home: From start to finish

• Nutritious eating on a budget:
• Healthy eating on a budget:an entire mini-course
• Saving Money on Meals
• For Parents:
• Healthy snacks for kids
• Homemade baby food  
• For Seniors:
• Healthy eating for older adults  
• Eating well as we age
• Nutrition guides for teen girls

Tips

• Quick, easy tips to "5 a day" (with links to other tips!)  
• Tips on portion size
• Tips for heart-healthy eating
  • 10 tips for a heart-healthy refrigerator
  • Shopping list for a heart heathy diet
  • Complete supermarket shopping tips from the American Heart Association
• Tips to cut your sugar intake
• Tips to reduce salt
  • Tips for reducing sodium
  • Tips for flavoring without salt
• Tips to reduce fats
  • Tips on fats and oils to choose
• Restaurant/Fast Food tips
  • Tips for eating out
  • Fast food tips for specific restaurants
• Snacking tips for the winter months (or anytime!)
• Tips for parents: How to get 'em eating fruits and veggies
• Nutrition tips for busy students

Tools

• Nutrition Tools and Calculators
• Nutrition Analysis Tool
• Fruits and Vegetables
• Fruit and vegetable nutrition chart
• Fruit and vegetable reference center (charts, facts, recommendations)
• Fruits and Vegetables Personal Trainer
• Fruit and Vegetable Recipe Locator
• Quizzes: Learn while you test yourself
• Take the healthy cooking quiz
• Test your food label knowledge
• The cholesterol quiz: Is your diet hurting your heart?
• Know about folic acid? Try this quiz
• Nutrition Quizzes for teen girls
• For men: Find out about your health habits
• For kids:
• The Food Safety Coloring Book: Learn how to keep your food safe
• Take the food safety quiz!
• Play the games at Nutrition Cafe

Communicate With Others Like You

• Discuss Nutritional topics at the Discussion Forums at Health Castle

More Resources

• Recipes for weight loss and nutrition-Print out a recipe collection pamphlets for thrifty cooking, cooking with beans, Latino cooking, healthy recipes in Spanish, heart-healthy cooking, and more!
• Heart-healthy Latino recipes
• Heart-healthy home cooking, African American style

• Food safety : an entire government website devoted to food safety. Includes purchasing wisely, sanitary preparation, safe cooking, safe storage, how to ensure food safety during a disaster, and more.

• Food assistance programs:
• United Way's First Call For Help
• The WIC assistance program for nutritional need
• School lunch and other food assistance programs

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