Nutrition Guidelines: Getting Started

With so many diets and quick weight-loss promises on the market today, it's hard to remember what a healthy diet really looks like. Start over again with the basics of good nutrition.
 
Diet pills, fad diets, foods to boycott, foods to eat exclusively. With all the crazy diet advice out there, do you even remember the basics of healthy eating? Get rid of the clutter when it comes to diets, and use basic good nutrition guidelines and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Pyramid as your framework for healthy eating.
 
Food Groups and Healthy Nutrition: Today’s Food Pyramid
 
So how do we know what healthy meals should look like? The USDA is responsible for publishing nutritional guidelines for healthy eating based on ongoing research. While most of the general recommendations haven't changed over the years, there have been a few adjustments.
 
One change is a slight increase in the recommended number of fruits and vegetables. Women need at least seven servings of fruits and vegetables each day, while men need at least nine. "We just know there's so much good stuff in fruits and vegetables," including essential nutrients and fiber, says Sandra Meyerowitz, MPH, RD, a nutritionist and owner of Nutrition Works in Louisville, Ky. Carbohydrates are also an important part of a healthy diet, contrary to many popular fad diets being touted today.