KIDS - Healthy Eating Basics

This information was provided by the Office on Women's Health. www.girlshealth.gov

You may be confused about what you should and shouldn't eat to stay healthy. In fact, making healthy food choices isn't hard at all. To help prevent heart disease and some other diseases, you should eat mainly:

  • * Fruits and vegetables
  • * Grains (at least half of your grains should be whole grains, such as whole wheat, oatmeal, and brown rice)
  • * Fat-free or low-fat versions of milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products
  • * Fish, skinless poultry, lean red meats, dry beans, eggs, and nuts
  • * Unsaturated fats (Example: found in olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, nuts, and avocados. "Fatty" fish — such as salmon, herring, and mackerel — are also a source of unsaturated fats.)


Also, you should limit the amount of foods you eat that contain:

  • * Saturated fat (Example: found in red meats (such as beef, pork, and lamb) and animal products (such as butter, cheese, and all milk except skim). Saturated fats are also in palm and coconut oils. These oils are often used in ready-made cakes and cookies, as well as crackers.)
  • * Trans fat (Example: found in stick margarine and in fried foods, such as doughnuts and french fries. Like saturated fats, trans fats are often found in ready-made cakes and cookies, as well as crackers. When you see the words "hydrogenated” or "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredients list on the package, it means that the food contains trans fats.
  • * Sodium
  • * Added sugars

This information was provided by the Office on Women's Health. www.girlshealth.gov