Peter Butler

If you have decided to start a healthy eating plan, congratulations! Making that decision is an important step in becoming a healthier person.

Keep these key points in mind:

• When you’re trying to develop new habits—whether it’s healthy eating, getting more exercise, or quitting smoking—you have a better chance of success if you make a plan ahead of time.
• Knowing why you want to eat healthier can help you make changes in your eating habits. And writing down your reasons will be a good reminder later on if you get discouraged.
• A plan for forming new habits includes long-term and short-term goals as well as ideas for getting past barriers—things that might get in the way of your success.
• Start with small, short-term goals that you can reach pretty easily. It’s easier to stay with something new when you have early, frequent successes.
• Support from family and friends can go a long way toward helping you find success in eating healthier. Don’t be afraid to let them know what you’re trying to do—and ask for their help.

Sugars are a type of carbohydrate that occurs naturally or that is added to a food.

Foods such as milk and fruits have naturally occurring sugars. The sugar in fruit is called fructose. The sugar in milk and yogurt is called lactose.

Added sugars are those that do not occur naturally in a food or drink but are added during processing or preparation. Added sugars add calories but little nutrition. They can cause weight gain and prevent you from eating more nutritious foods. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans strongly recommend you limit foods and drinks that contain added sugars.

Lots of drinks have added sugar, such as regular soda, fruit juice, sports drinks, and energy drinks. And lots of foods have added sugar, such as cakes, cookies, pies, ice cream, and candy.

Added sugars can be found in less obvious foods too. Bread, yogurt, baked beans, ketchup, and salad dressing can have a lot of added sugar. Also, foods that have reduced sodium (salt) and/or fat often have more sugar, which is used to boost the flavor.

And don’t be fooled by “health foods” that may be low in saturated fat and salt but that have a lot of sugar. For example, look out for sugar in processed foods like cereal, granola, crackers, nutrition bars, drinks, and even tomato sauce. Fat-free cookies, candies, chips, and frozen treats can still be high in sugar and calories.

The best way to know the amount of added sugar is to look at the ingredients list. Ingredient lists are ordered by weight, so if you see sugar or another name for sugar listed early in the ingredients list, that food has more sugar in it compared to the ingredients that follow it.

The nutrition facts on food labels list the total amount of sugar in the food, not just the added sugar. But it is still a good way to know how much sugar you are eating.

Because added sugars are not always called “sugar,” it can be hard to identify them in foods. Look for these words in the ingredients:

• Brown sugar
• Corn sweetener
• Corn syrup
• Evaporated cane juice
• Fruit juice concentrate
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Honey
• Invert sugar
• Molasses
• Raw sugar
• Syrup
• Table sugar
• Dextrose
• Fructose
• Glucose
• Lactose
• Maltose
• Sucrose

Healthy eating is about balance, variety, and moderation.

Balance

Having a well-balanced diet means that you eat enough, but not too much, and that food gives you the nutrients you need to stay healthy.

These guidelines provide tips for eating well to stay healthy and lower your risk of diseases such as heart attack and stroke.

Calories

Calories, the energy in food, are another part of balance. The more active you are, the more calories you need. When you are less active, you need fewer calories.

How many calories you need each day also depends on your age, whether you are male or female, and activity level. Some life situations, such as being pregnant or breast-feeding, can also influence calorie needs.

Fun Facts About Fruits and Vegetables

• Less active women and older adults need 1,600 to 2,000 calories each day.
• Active women and less active men need 2,000 to 2,400 calories each day.
• Active men need 2,400 to 3,000 calories each day.

But knowing how many calories you need each day is just one part of healthy eating. Eating when you’re hungry and knowing when you’re full are also important.

Listening to your body

Young children are good at listening to their bodies. They eat when they’re hungry. They stop when they’re full.

But adults may ignore these signals. They may keep eating after they’re full, or they may eat because they’re bored or upset. If you ignore your body’s signals for a long time (such as by dieting or overeating) you may lose your ability to notice them. You get out of practice. Other factors may influence what you eat.

Your body uses these signals to tell you when and how much to eat:

• Hunger makes you want to eat. Your body tells your brain that your stomach is empty and your blood sugar is low. This makes your stomach growl and gives you hunger pangs. You can ignore hunger for a while, but then you reach a point where you will think only of food.
• Fullness is the feeling of being satisfied. Your stomach tells your brain that you’re full, and you won’t be hungry for a few hours.
• Appetite is the desire for the taste of food and the pleasure we get from food. It’s usually linked to the sight, smell, or thought of food. Appetite can override hunger and fullness, such as when you keep eating after you’re full.