How to Have Healthier Meals and Snacks

At home

Planning meals to prepare at home is a good way to improve your food choices. Planning can also help you avoid less healthy drive-thru meals.

A good place to start is the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines outline daily food group targets for good nutrition and healthy eating.

Once you've planned your meals, make a grocery list. While shopping, stick to the list and choose healthier ingredients for the meals you will prepare at home. Here are some ways to make smart choices:

• Use low-sodium soups.
• Reduce the amount of cheese in a recipe.
• Sauté with a little olive oil or non-stick cooking spray.
• Check out fresh or frozen vegetable side dishes without added salt or cheese.
• Substitute whole fruits without added sugars for higher calorie desserts.
• If trying to reduce saturated fat intake:
  • Try using a lower fat ground beef and drain excess fat after you brown it.
  • Substitute skinless ground turkey breast for beef.

Here are some ideas to make healthy additions to dishes you cook:

• Add beans to vegetable soups and chilis to increase the nutritional value.
• If you are making enchiladas, rinse a can of black beans and add them to the ground meat.

When you eat, pay attention to portion size. This includes the portion of condiments, such as butter or salad dressing.

Additionally, serving food on individual plates instead of putting serving dishes on the table may discourage second and third helpings.

Over time, you will figure out what nutrient-dense substitutions and additions you like. As you learn this, it will become easier to make healthy meals at home.

In restaurants

Before you go to a restaurant, look at the restaurant menu online. Identify healthy choices ahead of time rather than trying to choose at the restaurant.

Many restaurants serve more food than one person needs at one meal. Consider splitting an entrée with a friend. Or ask for a "to-go" box and set aside half your meal as soon as it arrives at the table.

For snacks

Stock up on nutritious snacks at home or work so you have a healthy option to choose when you are hungry between meals.

Consider:

• Washed and chopped celery, carrots, and cucumbers.
• Canned fruit without added sugars.
• Proteins, such as nuts and seeds.
• Yogurt without added sugars.
• Whole-grain crackers and breads.
  

To avoid consuming too much of a less healthy snack, do not eat straight from the package. Instead, put the amount of food that you plan to eat into a bowl or container. Also, store less healthy foods out of sight, such as on a high shelf or at the back of the freezer. Move the healthier food to the front at eye level.

Resources

National Institutes of Health offers heart-healthy recipes with information about serving size, number of servings, calories, and other nutrients.

Eat More, Weigh Less teaches you the best way to manage weight loss without being hungry.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans detail real food recommendations for healthy eating.

Daily Servings by Calorie Level lists recommended serving sizes of nutrient-dense foods according to daily calorie intake.

USDA Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) Calculator provides personalized nutrient recommendations based on individual information.