With the latest food trends and mesmerizing social media baking videos, healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring. Healthy snacks and meals can be quick, easy and budget-friendly. Plus, eating well can help you feel better and have more energy. It can even help prevent or manage many common chronic conditions. Small improvements every day can make a lasting impact for you and generations to come!
Click on the resources below to learn more about healthy eating. It is important to talk kindly to yourself as you are making changes to your diet or eating patterns. Food is complicated and linked to memories, feelings, community, culture, societal trends, and even how we cope with stress. Start with small changes. Don’t fixate on the scale. Focus on how you feel not how you look. People can be strong, healthy, fit, and happy at any size. Making healthy eating choices can be easier if you do it with a friend/roommate or partner.
Not sure where to begin? Read these eight healthy eating goals.
- MyPlate offers personalized eating plans based on the dietary guidelines for Americans. There are interactive tools to personalize recommendations based on what you need.
- Fooducate is a free app that lets you scan product barcodes so you can shop, compare, and select healthy items while grocery shopping.
- ChooseMyPlate helps you make smart choices with your grocery budget in mind. This includes ways to plan weekly meals and tips for every aisle.
- Eating Well, Tasty, and Delish create short videos that show how to make healthy recipes with simple ingredients. Easy to follow and share!
- Minimalist Baker shares recipes that require 10 ingredients or less, 1 bowl, or 30 minutes or less to prepare.
- Learn about on this Purdue University nutrition website on nutrition basics. Remember the food groups and to eat the rainbow! You’ll find in-depth CDC recommendations and tips for planning, buying, storing, and eating healthy foods.
Don’t forget hydration! Drink plenty of water to feel well. Dehydration can lead to unclear thinking, mood change, constipation and other troubles. The CDC website on hydration has some good facts about drinking water. We talk about how important water and staying hydrated are to your overall health and wellbeing.
Interested in Getting Pregnant? Focus on eating a variety of foods to get as many nutrients and vitamins as possible. Talk with your provider about your nutrition. If you are thinking of starting a family within the year, click to learn why you should be supplementing your diet with Folic Acid.
Everyone deserves to have affordable, delicious, and nutritious food. But finding fresh food and grocery stores can be hard in low-income, rural, and/or neighborhoods of color. This can result in food insecurity and diet-related illnesses like malnourishment or diabetes. Local food banks are helpful and some communities have new efforts to bring healthier products to people. Get involved if you can. Learn more at this Foodprint website.
Everyone deserves access to clean and safe drinking water from their kitchen tap. This isn’t true everywhere in the U.S. Here’s a 2020 report from the National Resources Defense Council with more information. Search your city to see what contaminants are or are not filtered out in your tap water using this Tap Water Database. Click through this interactive water injustice website highlighting communities impacted by this issue.
Tip: If your water isn’t safe you can consider using a water filter and/or filling up your water bottle at work or school if there is a water cooler or safe water. No amount of lead is safe for children or really anyone to drink.
There are debates whether body mass index (BMI) is a good way to measure body and physical fitness. If you’re interested in discovering your own Body Mass Index (BMI) use this calculator. BMI measures body fat based off height and weight.
Your body is strong and capable of so many things! This resource provides a daily calorie recommendation based on gender, age, height, current weight and individual activity level. Remember, these are simply general guidelines, not strict numbers to follow. Be kind to your body and fuel it well.
Generally, we consider BMI within the following categories:
- Underweight < 18.8
- Normal weight = 18.5 – 24.9
- Overweight = 25-29.9
- Obesity = 30 or greater
Your BMI is simply an indicator and potential benchmark that can be helpful. Remember that everyBODY is different and body diversity deserves to be celebrated. Everyone deserves the same level of respect and self-care. Take care of yourself with compassion and gentleness. Numbers do not have power over you, you are worthy!