What Should I Eat? (2024)

The Nutrition Source

What Should I Eat? (1)

Using Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate as a guide, we recommend eating mostly vegetables, fruit, and whole grains, healthy fats, and healthy proteins. We suggest drinking water instead of sugary beverages, and we also address common dietary concerns such as salt and sodium, vitamins, and alcohol. It’s also important to stay active and maintain a healthy weight.

The main message: Focus on diet quality

  • The type of carbohydrate in the diet is more important than the amount of carbohydrate in the diet, because some sources of carbohydrate—like vegetables (other than potatoes), fruits, whole grains, and beans—are healthier than others.
  • The Healthy Eating Plate also advises consumers to avoid sugary beverages, a major source of calories—usually with little nutritional value—in the American diet.
  • The Healthy Eating Plate encourages consumers to use healthy oils, and it does not set a maximum on the percentage of calories people should get each day from healthy sources of fat. In this way, the Healthy Eating Plate recommends the opposite of the low-fat message promoted for decades by the USDA.

The Healthy Eating Plate summarizes the best evidence-based dietary information available today. As nutrition researchers are continually discovering valuable information, The Healthy Eating Plate will be updated to reflect new findings.

Want to learn more? Use the Healthy Eating Plate & Healthy Eating Pyramid, both created by the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, as your guides for choosing a healthy diet and creating healthy meals. To get started, here are 10 tips for healthy eating!

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What Should I Eat? (2024)

FAQs

What Should I Eat? ›

Using Harvard's Healthy Eating Plate

Healthy Eating Plate
Make most of your meal vegetables and fruits – ½ of your plate. Aim for color and variety, and remember that potatoes don't count as vegetables on the Healthy Eating Plate because of their negative impact on blood sugar. Go for whole grains – ¼ of your plate.
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu › healthy-eating-plate
as a guide, we recommend eating mostly vegetables, fruit, and whole grains, healthy fats, and healthy proteins. We suggest drinking water instead of sugary beverages, and we also address common dietary concerns such as salt and sodium, vitamins, and alcohol.

How do I figure out what I want to eat? ›

The Key Questions to Ask Yourself
  1. Do I want something hot or cold?
  2. Do I feel like cooking, or do I need something that's ready to eat?
  3. Sweet or salty? Or both?
  4. Do I want food from a certain country or culture?
  5. Do I want to try something new or go back to a familiar staple?
Aug 2, 2022

How to pick what to eat? ›

Struggling to Decide What to Eat? These Tips that Help
  1. LISTEN TO YOUR GUT FEELING. Allow yourself to gravitate towards the dishes that instantly have your attention as they scroll by you at the restaurant or online in the restaurant's photo gallery. ...
  2. SEARCH FOR SEASONAL ITEMS. ...
  3. GET RECOMMENDATIONS.
May 29, 2023

What foods are good for Crohn's flare ups? ›

Crohn's Disease Diet: What to Eat During a Flare-Up
  • Low-fiber Cereal. High-fiber foods simply worsen your intestinal irritation. ...
  • Yogurt. This tasty treat is chock-full of probiotics that provide you with multiple health benefits. ...
  • Fatty Fish. ...
  • Bananas. ...
  • Potatoes. ...
  • Water. ...
  • High-calorie Liquids. ...
  • Vitamin Supplements.

Should I eat if I'm not hungry? ›

Although there are many reasons why you may not have an appetite, eating is still important. You get essential calories, vitamins, and minerals from the foods you eat and beverages you drink. These provide key energy and nutrients that your body needs every day.

Should I eat if I'm hungry late at night? ›

What Experts Say About Late-Night Snacking. "If you're hungry at night, you should eat something," says Sarah Pflugradt, M.S., RD, a family nutrition expert. "Eating at night will not slow down your metabolism, and if you're smart about snacking, you won't gain weight either.

Why am I hungry but I don't want to eat? ›

Depression. Depression, or prolonged and severe sadness, can lead to a persistent "hungry but lack of appetite" feeling. Depression can be a serious illness, so if you are consistently feeling down, it can be vital to speak with your doctor as soon as possible.

Why is it so hard to decide what to eat? ›

Why is it so hard to choose what to eat? Economics can help to explain why we face such difficulties. Because you only have a handful of resources to allocate (perhaps a modest lunch budget and a limited lunch break), you have to make a choice.

Why am I hungry but nothing sounds good? ›

Feeling hungry but not knowing what to eat can be a frustrating experience. That aimless wandering through the kitchen can be caused by a wide variety of factors including stress, medications, rigid food rules, and even nutrient deficiencies.

What foods trigger colitis? ›

The Worst Foods For Those With Ulcerative Colitis
  • Watch Out For Fiber. Whole grain cereals and breads are difficult to digest and lead to flare ups if you have UC. ...
  • Nuts And Seeds. These foods are difficult to digest and aggravate the symptoms. ...
  • Dairy. ...
  • Unhealthy Fats. ...
  • Caffeine. ...
  • Alcohol. ...
  • Certain Vegetables. ...
  • Spicy Foods.
May 5, 2020

How to calm inflamed intestines? ›

Lifestyle and home remedies
  1. Limit dairy products. Many people with inflammatory bowel disease find that problems such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and gas improve by limiting or eliminating dairy products. ...
  2. Eat small meals. ...
  3. Drink plenty of liquids. ...
  4. Consider multivitamins. ...
  5. Talk to a dietitian.
Sep 3, 2022

What are the top 10 low fiber foods? ›

Choose these foods:
  • Tender meat, fish and poultry, ham, bacon, shellfish, and lunch meat.
  • Eggs, tofu and creamy peanut butter.
  • Dairy products if tolerated.
  • White rice and pasta.
  • Baked goods made with refined wheat or rye flour, such as bread, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, bagels, saltines and graham crackers.

How do you calculate what you need to eat? ›

Step 2: Calculate Your AMR
  1. Sedentary (little or no exercise): AMR = BMR x 1.2.
  2. Lightly active (exercise 1–3 days/week): AMR = BMR x 1.375.
  3. Moderately active (exercise 3–5 days/week): AMR = BMR x 1.55.
  4. Active (exercise 6–7 days/week): AMR = BMR x 1.725.
  5. Very active (hard exercise 6–7 days/week): AMR = BMR x 1.9.
Mar 22, 2023

Why don't I know what I like to eat? ›

Conditions like anxiety, depression, hypothyroidism, zinc deficiency or morning sickness can impact taste buds and the desire to eat. As well as some more short-lived illnesses like food poisoning, a cold or the flu. Certain prescribed medications may also affect your appetite or the way you feel hunger in the body.

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