Make it a habit to eat vegetables, fruits, whole grains and protein foods (2024)

Healthy eating is a habit. Eat vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods and protein foods as part of a healthy eating pattern to maintain your health.

On this page

  • Benefits of healthy eating patterns
  • How to follow a healthy eating pattern

Benefits of healthy eating patterns

Making healthy food choices can help you develop a healthyeating pattern. A healthy eating pattern helps you improve your overall health.

The term eating pattern refers to what you eat and drink on a regular basis. In a healthy eating pattern, all the foods and drinks work together to:

  • help you feel good
  • maintain your health
  • meet your nutritional needs

Many of the well-studied healthy eating patterns include mostly plant-based foods.

Plant-based foods can include:

  • vegetables and fruits
  • whole grain foods
  • plant-based protein foods

Eating plant-based foods regularly can mean eating more fibre and less saturated fat. This can have a positive effect on health, including a lowered risk of:

  • cancer
  • heart disease
  • type 2 diabetes

Most healthy eating patterns include few or nohighly processed foods.

How to develop a healthy eating pattern

You can develop a healthy eating pattern by:

  • Eating more vegetables and fruits, especially those that are:
    • dark green such as broccoli and bok choy
    • orange such as carrots and sweet potato
  • Selecting whole grain varieties of grain foods such as:
    • whole grain pasta
    • whole grain bread
    • whole oats or oatmeal
    • whole grain brown or wild rice
  • Replacing dairy products that are higher in saturated fat, sodium, and sugars with healthier varieties such as:
    • lower fat unsweetened yogurt
    • lower fat and lower sodium cheeses
    • lower fat white milk and unsweetened plant-based beverages
  • Replacing meats higher in saturated fat with leaner varieties such as:
    • eggs
    • wild game
    • skinless poultry
    • fish and shellfish
  • Replacing some of the meat in your meals with plant-based protein foods such as:
    • tofu
    • nuts
    • seeds
    • legumes
  • Limiting highly processed foods such as:
    • preserves like jams and jellies
    • desserts like ice cream and chocolates
    • salty snacks like potato chips and pretzels
    • processed meats like bacon and sausages
    • sugars and syrups like honey and molasses
    • bakery products like cookies and croissants
    • sauces, dressings, dips, gravies and condiments
    • sugary drinks like juice and sweetened coffee and tea

The best healthy eating patterns include foods that reflect your food choices related to:

  • taste
  • culture
  • budget
  • lifestyle

Make a healthy choice

What you eat on a regular basis matters for your health.

  • Choose foods that have little to no added sodium, sugars or saturated fat.
  • Compare the nutrition facts table on foods to choose products that are lower in sodium, sugars or saturated fat.
Make it a habit to eat vegetables, fruits, whole grains and protein foods (2024)

FAQs

What is the Harvard diet? ›

What is the 'Harvard diet'?
  • Vegetables and fruits should be prominent in most meals (1/2 of your plate) ...
  • Add in whole grains (1/4 of your plate) ...
  • Get some healthy protein (1/4 of your plate) ...
  • Cook with healthy oils (in moderation) ...
  • Go for water, tea and coffee over milk. ...
  • Move your body.
Mar 19, 2023

How can you make it a habit to eat a variety of healthy foods each day? ›

Make it a habit to eat a variety of healthy foods each day. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grain and protein foods. Choose protein foods that come from plants more often and make water your drink of choice. Use food labels.

What diet focuses on eating plenty of vegetables and whole grains? ›

The Mediterranean Diet emphasizes plant-based foods and healthy fats. You eat mostly veggies, fruits and whole grains.

How do you make a habit of eating vegetables? ›

Start small. Break down your big goal of eating more vegetables into smaller, less intimidating steps. Instead of trying to pack your breakfast, lunch, and dinner with vegetables right away, you can focus on one meal a day to start or choose to swap a routine snack with a healthy alternative.

What diet was Beyonce on? ›

Netflix's Homecoming documentary chronicled the celeb's prep for her epic 2018 Coachella performance, which included hours of strenuous workouts, dance rehearsals and a 44-day vegan diet following Marco Borges' 22-Day Nutrition program.

What was Cher's diet? ›

Choosing healthier foods: Cher opted for brown rice over white rice. She also satisfied her sweet tooth with fruit like bananas, papaya and nectarines. Her meals often included vegetables, pastas and legumes like lentils, pinto, lima and kidney beans.

How to start a healthy eating habit? ›

8 tips for healthy eating
  1. Base your meals on higher fibre starchy carbohydrates. ...
  2. Eat lots of fruit and veg. ...
  3. Eat more fish, including a portion of oily fish. ...
  4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar. ...
  5. Eat less salt: no more than 6g a day for adults. ...
  6. Get active and be a healthy weight. ...
  7. Do not get thirsty. ...
  8. Do not skip breakfast.

What are some unhealthy eating habits? ›

Those situations will affect the way we eat, and at times, will push us to pick up bad eating habits. These can include eating close to bedtime, skipping meals, eating too fast, mindless eating, or stress eating.

What are the best habits for a healthy lifestyle? ›

13 healthy habits to start today
  • Get some exercise. We all know exercise is awesome for health, from fighting obesity to boosting energy. ...
  • Eat a balanced diet. ...
  • Get sufficient sleep. ...
  • Stay hydrated. ...
  • Limit screen time (or at least be mindful of it) ...
  • Socialize with friends and family. ...
  • Adopt a growth mindset. ...
  • Spend time in nature.
Sep 6, 2023

What is the number one fruit to lower blood pressure? ›

The top fruits for lowering blood pressure include bananas, apples, pears, apricots, grapes, raisins, kiwis, mangoes, watermelon, pomegranate, plums, prunes, avocado, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, tomatoes, citrus fruit, berries, and more.

What are the 4 whole grains you should be eating? ›

Some whole-grain examples are whole-wheat flour, bulgur (cracked wheat), oatmeal, and brown rice. Refined grains have been milled, a process that removes the bran and germ. This is done to give grains a finer texture and improve their shelf life.

How to get all nutrients in one meal? ›

You can follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate guidelines to build a nutritionally balanced meal — vegetables, fruit, grains, and protein should each comprise about a quarter of your plate. Incorporate one serving of dairy if you wish.

How do I train my body to like vegetables? ›

Pair with foods you already like: Start by adding a slice of tomato to a beloved hamburger or mushrooms into an omelette. Play with texture: If you hate mushy vegetables, try raw, shredded, roasted or stir-fried versions instead. Love crunchy foods? Try baked kale or beet “chips.”

Which vegetables are the healthiest? ›

In this article, we look at 15 of the most healthful vegetables and suggest ways to enjoy them as part of a balanced diet.
  1. Spinach. Share on Pinterest Aleksandr Zubkov/Getty Images. ...
  2. Kale. ...
  3. Broccoli. ...
  4. Peas. ...
  5. Sweet potatoes. ...
  6. Beets. ...
  7. Carrots. ...
  8. Fermented vegetables.

What is the Harvard Index diet? ›

The Harvard Diet Plan was developed by nutrition scientist Dr Walter Willett, and can be described as more of a 'guide' than a diet, encouraging users to increase their consumption of fresh foods high in nutrients, as well as actively avoid such nasties as sugary drinks and processed meat.

How many eggs can I safely eat Harvard? ›

The evidence that cholesterol in one egg a day is safe for most people comes from huge studies — many conducted here at Harvard Medical School — that have followed hundreds of thousands of people over decades.

What is the Harvard protein diet? ›

Limit protein to a quarter of your plate and choose healthy proteins. Fish, poultry, beans and nuts are all healthy protein sources—they can be mixed into salads and pair well with vegetables on a plate. Limit red meat and avoid processed meats such as bacon and sausage.

What is the 5:2 diet Harvard? ›

"One pattern that has become a bit popular is the so-called 5:2 diet," says Dr. Frank Hu, chair of the department of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. With this system, you eat normally for five days of the week, but restrict food intake to just 500 to 600 calories on the two fasting days.

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