Quick Tips: Making Healthier Food Choices

Getting Started

Eating a variety of foods can help you get all the nutrients you need. Most days, eat from each food group—grains, protein foods, vegetables and fruits, and dairy.

Moderation is your key to healthy, balanced eating. If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt, sugar, or calories, limit how often you eat them. Eat smaller servings, or look for healthy substitutes.

Use this chart as a guide for making healthier choices.

Healthier food choices

Food groups	Instead of:	Choose:
Meat, poultry, and fish	Regular ground beef Fatty or highly marbled cuts, spare ribs, organ meat Poultry with skin, fried chicken Fried fish, fried shellfish Lunch meat, bologna, salami, sausage, hot dogs	Extra-lean ground beef (97% lean), ground turkey breast (Make sure there's no skin included.) Meats with fat trimmed Skinless chicken, baked or broiled chicken Baked, broiled, or poached fish or shellfish Low-fat or fat-free lunch meats
Dairy products	Whole milk, 2% milk, cream, nondairy creamer, half-and-half, whipping cream, whipped topping Whole-milk yogurt, sour cream, ice cream Most cheeses, cottage and cream cheese, sour cream, ice cream	Low-fat (1%) or fat-free milk Low-fat or fat-free yogurt Cheese with 15-20% milk fat or less
Fats and oils	Coconut or palm oil Butter, stick margarine, lard, shortening, bacon and bacon fat	Canola, olive, or peanut oil Soft margarines without trans fats
Breads and cereals	Breads with fat or butter as a major ingredient High-sugar cereals; most granolas (These are usually high in fat.) High-fat crackers	Whole-grain breads and pasta; rice, corn tortillas Cereals with whole grain as the first ingredient; low-fat or fat-free granola Low-fat crackers
Fruits and vegetables	Fried vegetables; coconut; vegetables cooked with butter, cheese, or cream sauce	All fruits and vegetables that do not have added sugar or fat
Sweets and desserts	Ice cream, milk chocolate Baked goods made with coconut oil, palm oil, or hydrogenated oil	Frozen yogurt, fruit Baked goods made with unsaturated fats