Everyone can benefit from eating healthy foods, but not everyone has the same nutritional needs. Pregnant women, growing children, and older adults will have different needs for certain nutrients. People who have high blood pressure need to watch how much salt they eat. Those who have high cholesterol may be on a cholesterol-lowering diet that restricts saturated and trans fats and cholesterol. And people who have diabetes will need to spread the carbohydrate that they eat throughout the day.

If you are generally healthy and don't have health issues that require a special diet, it's still wise to watch how much salt, fat, and added sugar you eat, in order to prevent diseases such as heart disease and high blood pressure.

Healthy eating means choosing a variety of foods from the basic food groups : meat and meat substitutes; dairy; fruits and vegetables; grains, such as breads and pasta; and a limited amount of fats and sweets. As simple as this sounds, it’s not always easy to get the nutrition you need. You may eat more of your favorite foods from only one food group, and as a result, get less of other food groups. Or perhaps you opt for convenience over quality when you are hungry. Healthy eating requires some planning and purpose and an effort to include a variety of foods in your meals.

March 2010
Resources: Healthwise and Health Day

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