Healthy Eating

	Overview
	Health Tools
	Frequently Asked Questions
	How Do I Start Eating Healthier?
	How Do I Stick to a Healthy Diet?
	Preparing Healthy Meals
	Why Is Healthy Eating Important?
	Vegetarian Diets and Organic Foods
	Other Places To Get Help
	Related Information
	References
	Credits

How can I start eating a healthier diet?

A healthy diet includes eating a variety of foods from the basic food groups: protein, such as meat, eggs, and legumes; dairy; fruits and vegetables; grains, such as breads and pasta; and fats and sweets. As simple as this sounds, it’s not always easy to get the nutrition you need. You may eat more of your favorite foods from only one food group, and as a result, avoid others. Or perhaps you opt for convenience over quality when you are hungry.

A healthy diet requires some planning and purpose and an effort to include a variety of foods in your meals. If you look closely at how you eat, you might find you aren't getting enough nutrients because you don't get the recommended number of servings from each food group .

So, not only is it important to pay attention to what you eat but also to what you are missing from your diet. To accomplish this, keep a food diary of everything you eat and drink for 1 week. Pay attention to serving sizes, and check to see if you are eating a variety of foods from each of the food groups. You don't need to meet the minimum number every day, but try to get the recommended intake on average over a week. You might find that making a few small changes will ensure that you're eating a healthy, balanced diet. Or, you may find that you are missing many important nutrients.

Do I have to make dramatic changes in how I eat?

Once you are aware of nutrients that you may be missing in your diet or other ways that your eating is out of balance, you can begin to make a few small changes toward a more healthful diet. For example, simply adding a yogurt as a snack might be enough to meet your milk servings. Adding a sliced banana to your cereal will take care of a fruit serving.

Paying attention to serving sizes is also important. You may not know that a serving size of cereal is only 1 ounce (28 grams), which is 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup for most cereals. That means a typical bowl full of cereal is usually far more than a serving. So instead of a big bowl of cereal and milk for breakfast, have one serving (1 ounce) of cereal, and add a sliced banana and a small glass (1/2 cup) of juice. Use skim or soy milk instead of whole milk to reduce the amount of fat you take in.

If you find that you rarely eat fresh fruits or vegetables, make it a goal to include a serving or two at each meal. Only 1/2 cup of a cooked vegetable or 1 cup of salad greens counts as one serving. Drinking a small can of tomato juice, adding lettuce or bean sprouts to your sandwich, putting tomato sauce on your pasta—these are small ways to boost your vegetable servings. The new dietary guidelines recommend 2 cups of fruit and 2 and 1/2 cups of vegetables per day.

As you make changes, continue with your food diary. Set a weekly goal as you add or change what you are eating. For example, this week make it your goal to order a salad instead of french fries, add vegetables to your pizza, or bring a yogurt to work every day.

Just remember, food is one of life's greatest pleasures. All foods, if eaten in moderation, can be a part of a healthy diet. If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt, sugar, and calories, limit how often you eat them, eat smaller servings, or look for healthy substitutes. Your key to a healthy, balanced diet is moderation. Eat a wide variety of foods, especially those high in nutrients, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, fish, lean meats, and poultry.

Can eating healthier protect me from diseases?

A healthy diet can actually help you lower your risk for disease.

To avoid disease, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nonfat dairy products. The guidelines also emphasize watching calories to prevent weight gain, limiting alcohol, and cutting back on foods high in salt, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and added sugar. Activity is also an important part of the picture. The guidelines suggest 30 to 90 minutes of activity per day.¹

Specifically, a healthy diet may help in the following ways:

• Eating a low-fat diet that includes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products can lower your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes. It may also prevent certain types of cancer.
• Limiting saturated fats, which are found in animal products such as fatty meats, cheese, cream, and butter, can reduce your cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.
• Replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated fats, such as olive and canola oils, can help you lower "bad" (LDL) cholesterol.
• Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids found in polyunsaturated fats (in foods such as fish, nuts, soybeans, and flaxseeds) may have a protective effect against heart disease.
• Eliminating or reducing trans-fatty acids found in hydrogenated oils (for example, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil) may help you lower cholesterol.
• Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables provides antioxidants (such as beta-carotene and vitamins E and C), which protect the body from damage caused by oxygen free radicals and lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure.

Should I be eating a low-salt, low-carbohydrate, or low-fat diet?

Everyone can benefit from eating healthy foods, but not everyone has the same nutritional needs. Pregnant women, growing children, and older adults will have different needs for certain nutrients. People who have high blood pressure need to watch how much salt they eat. Those who have high cholesterol may be on a cholesterol-lowering diet that restricts saturated and trans fats and cholesterol. And people who have diabetes will need to spread the carbohydrate that they eat throughout the day.

If you are generally healthy and don't have health issues that require a special diet, it's still wise to watch how much salt, fat, and added sugar you eat in order to prevent diseases such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Limit salt in your diet by eating as many fresh foods as possible. Prepared foods, such as soups, snack foods, and canned foods, are extremely high in salt (sodium). Also watch the amount of fat you eat. Replace saturated and trans fats with monounsaturated fats such as olive and canola oils. Include healthy omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, walnuts, flaxseed and canola oils, and soybeans.

Low-carbohydrate diets may help some people lose weight initially, but they may not be healthy over a long period of time. Low-carb diets are high in total fat and saturated fat and are low in fiber. They also restrict grains, fruits, and vegetables, which protect against disease and provide important nutrients.

If you're concerned about carbohydrate, choose complex carbohydrate such as that found in whole grains, vegetables, and beans, because these provide a large variety of nutrients and fiber. Simple carbohydrate, such as in sweets and soda, is high in calories and provides few nutrients and no fiber.

Does eating healthier mean I have to go on a diet?

No, eating healthy is not about dieting; it is a way to improve your health. Consistently eating a balanced diet that is low in saturated fats and trans fats and includes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and good fats (such as olive oil) will lower your risk for disease.

Being physically active along with eating a healthy diet will improve your health even further. Regular physical activity significantly reduces the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, anxiety, depression, and cancers of the breast, colon, and female reproductive system.²

Health tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health.

	Actionsets are designed to help people take an active role in managing a health condition.
	Tips for following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet

Step 1: Look at how you eat

To eat healthier, you first need to know what makes up a balanced diet. A nutritional guideline such as the food guide pyramid or the DASH Eating Plan will show you how many servings of each food group you need for a healthy, balanced diet. The food guide pyramid emphasizes whole grains and fruits and vegetables in your diet while limiting fat and sugar. Once you know what foods make up a balanced diet, you can determine what changes you need to make.

Keep a food diary for a week or two and record everything you eat or drink. Make sure to track the number of servings you get from each food group.

You need:

• 6 to 11 servings of a variety of whole grains (rice, bread, pasta, cereal).
• 2 to 4 servings of a variety of fruits.
• 3 to 5 servings of a variety of vegetables.
• 2 to 3 servings of milk, yogurt, or cheese.
• 2 to 3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, nuts, or eggs.
• A small amount of fats, oils, and sweets.

Click here for information on serving sizes.

After the first week, review your food diary. Ask yourself a few questions: Are you getting the minimum number of servings from each food group on the average? Do you get plenty of fruits and vegetables throughout the day? Are most of the foods you eat high in fat, sugar, and salt? Do you prepare meals at home, or do you eat more fast foods or convenience foods? Do you drink beverages that contain a lot of sugar? Do you drink plenty of water?

The number of calories you need each day depends on your age, gender, and activity level. In general:

• Less active women and older adults need about 1,600 calories per day.
• Active women and most less active men need about 2,200 calories per day.
• Active men need about 2,800 calories per day.

Step 2: Start thinking about changes

Look over your food diary (What is a PDF document?).

Do you find that you eat out a lot? If so, you may be getting more fat, salt, and calories than you need, and your diet may not be balanced. Do you eat a lot of meat but not many vegetables? Your diet may be too high in saturated fats and low in fiber. Do you rely on packaged convenience foods for a lot of your meals? If so, you may be getting more salt and sugar than are healthy.

Start reading labels on convenience foods that you eat to see the amount of nutrients they contain. Fast-food and convenience-food meals often contain few or no fruits or vegetables, so making sure you have some fruits and vegetables on the side will make the meal more nutritious.

Guidelines, such as the new 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, provide tips for eating well to prevent diseases, such as heart attack and stroke.

Step 3: Start small

Don't try to make dramatic changes to your diet all at once. You would likely feel overwhelmed and deprived of your favorite foods and, therefore, would be more likely to fail. Start slowly, and gradually change your habits. Try any of the following:

• Use whole-wheat bread instead of white bread.
• Eat brown rice instead of white rice.
• Try whole-wheat pasta instead of pasta made with white flour. Or try a mixture of the two.
• Use skim or 1% (low-fat) milk instead of whole milk or 2% milk.
• Try low-fat cheeses and low-fat yogurt.
• Add more fruits and vegetables to meals and have them for snacks.
• Add lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and onion to sandwiches.
• Add fruit to cereal.

Step 4: Know your ingredients

To make healthy choices, you need to know how certain foods affect your body.

• Fat: Recognize the difference between fats. Saturated and hydrogenated (trans) fats can raise cholesterol levels. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids may reduce your risk of developing coronary artery disease.³ Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish, such as trout, tuna, and salmon, as well as in plant foods, such as flaxseed, canola oil, walnuts, wheat germ, and soy. They may also help lower blood pressure and triglycerides.
• Carbohydrate: Learn the differences between types of carbohydrate. Choose whole-grain sources of carbohydrate found in unprocessed cereal grains, such as brown rice instead of white rice and whole-wheat bread instead of white bread. Whole-grain sources of carbohydrate add fiber to your diet and reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
• Sugar: Milk and fruits contain naturally occurring simple sugars, but they also contain many other vitamins and minerals. Added sugars, such as in granola bars and fruit drinks without 100% real fruit juice, have been refined so that all the other nutrients in the sugar are removed. Used sparingly, added sugars can enhance the taste of food. But too much sugar can fill you up and displace other more nutritious foods, contributing to excess calories and weight gain.

Learn how to read food labels and how to understand health claims that can legally appear on food packaging.

Enjoy food and practice moderation

Food is one of life's greatest pleasures. All foods, if eaten in moderation, can be a part of a healthy diet. If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt, sugar, and calories, limit how often you eat them, but don't cut them out entirely. Eat smaller servings, eat them less often, or look for healthy substitutes. The key to a healthy, balanced diet is moderation. Eat a wide variety of foods, especially those high in nutrients, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, fish, lean meats, and poultry.

Find creative ways to add fruits and vegetables to meals

• Add apple chunks, pineapple, and raisins to tuna salad.
• Add lots of colorful vegetables, such as red cabbage, carrots, and spinach, to green salads. Top with orange, nectarine, or grapefruit slices.
• Add green, red, or yellow pepper strips, carrots, cucumber, and broccoli to a pasta or potato salad.
• Add vegetables to pizza and sandwiches, and add fruits to yogurt and cereals.

Make healthy choices when eating out

There are usually healthy options at every restaurant, even at fast-food places. The type of restaurant you choose can help you make healthy choices. Ethnic restaurants, such as Indian, Thai, or Japanese, have lots of healthy dishes on the menu. A vegetarian restaurant will obviously have more vegetable choices than a drive-through burger stand. However, most fast-food chains are now offering more low-fat or healthier choices on the menu.

If you eat out a lot, try the following:

• Order a veggie pizza with a whole-wheat crust or add lots of veggies to your pepperoni. Order a veggie pizza with grilled chicken instead of sausage or pepperoni. Ask for less cheese on your pizza.
• Order a pasta with roasted vegetables, grilled chicken, or marinara sauce. Avoid cream-based sauces.
• Order a vegetable or grilled chicken wrap.
• Order vegetable soup if available.
• Choose a variety of vegetables from a salad bar.
• Order foods that are broiled or poached rather than fried or breaded.
• Cut back on butter or margarine used on bread. Better yet: dip bread in olive oil instead.
• Order sauces, gravies, and salad dressings on the side so you can control how much you use.
• Share appetizers, desserts, and even entrées with your dining partner.
• Ask for salsa with a baked potato instead of sour cream, butter, cheese, or bacon.
• Order a child's portion or take half of your meal home.
• Order the smallest portions at fast-food restaurants (don't be tempted to take the big meal at a reduced price); opt for salads or a broiled chicken sandwich (skip the mayonnaise and cheese).

What if I don't have time to cook?

Eating healthy doesn't have to take a lot of time. You can prepare a healthy meal just as quickly as an unhealthy one. It's just a matter of planning ahead, having the right foods on hand, and learning how to cook quick, healthy meals.

Ask friends or coworkers who eat healthfully how they manage to find time. Get family members involved and ask them to help prepare meals or do other tasks. Find a cookbook or collect recipes that feature time-saving ideas.

To make preparing meals more fun, take a cooking class with a friend or loved one. Learn to prepare healthy ethnic dishes, such as Mediterranean, Indian, and Japanese foods, that you can share with your family and friends.

Try following these tips for making fast, healthy meals and snacks:

• Buy packaged, prewashed, ready-to-eat fresh vegetables, such as baby carrots, salad mixes, and chopped or shredded broccoli and cauliflower.
• Buy packaged, presliced fruits, such as melon or pineapple.
• Find recipes using foods that don't require a lot of cleaning and preparation, such as baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, or grapes.
• Drink 100% fruit or vegetable juice as a snack.
• Blend low-fat yogurt, fruit juice, and canned or frozen fruit to make a smoothie for breakfast or a snack.
• Use frozen vegetables to make a stir fry with skinless chicken. Serve on top of a quick brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.
• Add frozen vegetables to a jar of marinara spaghetti sauce and serve on whole-wheat pasta.
• Cook potatoes or other vegetables in a microwave.
• Cook vegetables and fruits over the grill. Drizzle them with olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil. Or put them on a skewer and cook directly on the grill.
• Make a fast fruit salad with sliced bananas, apples, blueberries, and a can of mandarin oranges.

Click here for more meal planning tips (What is a PDF document?).

Eating a healthy diet is important for many reasons.

A. Healthy foods supply nutrients.

A healthy, balanced diet provides nutrients to your body. Nutrients give you energy and keep your heart beating, your brain active, and your muscles working. Nutrients help build and strengthen bones, muscles, and tendons and also regulate body processes, such as blood pressure.

As you plan for a healthier diet, keep these three points in mind:

• Balance: A balanced diet helps ensure that you get all the nutrients you need. Use the USDA food guide to learn how.
• Variety: Eat a wide variety of foods. No one food provides all the nutrients you need. Choose a wide variety among and within the food groups.
• Moderation: Use moderation as your guide for everything, including the calories you eat each day, your exercise and other activities, desserts, sweets, and even restriction. Moderation lets you eat all foods as long as you don't overdo it.

Three essential nutrients (macronutrients) are protein, carbohydrate, and fat. They provide energy (as measured in calories) to the body.

Vitamins and minerals are known as micronutrients. They play many important roles in the structure and function of your body, such as making new cells and promoting wound healing. See a table of vitamins and their functions and sources. See a table of minerals and their functions and sources.

In addition to the essential nutrients, foods also contain nonnutrients that can affect your body. These include fiber and phytochemicals (found in plants), many of which are protective against disease. Some of these compounds act as antioxidants, which protect the body's cells from damage.

B. A healthy diet lowers your risk for disease.

Healthy foods can help you prevent and treat disease. Eating more fruits and vegetables can help lower blood pressure and may lower your risk of lung, oral, esophageal, stomach, and colon cancer.⁴ Eating less saturated fat may also lower your risk for cancer and heart disease.

A healthy diet also reduces the risk of:

• Heart attack and stroke. One study found that men and women who closely followed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) dietary guidelines had a 28% reduction in heart attack and a 14% risk reduction in stroke compared with those who did not follow the guidelines as well.^{5, 6}
• High cholesterol. Reducing saturated and trans fats and cholesterol in your diet can lower your risk of high cholesterol and coronary artery disease (CAD). For more information, see the topics High Cholesterol and Coronary Artery Disease.
• High blood pressure. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables (8 to 10 servings per day), following a low-fat diet, and eating low-fat dairy products (3 servings per day) can lower high blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. See the DASH Eating Plan for more information.
• Osteoporosis. Getting enough calcium will help protect you from osteoporosis. Calcium is found in dairy products and certain leafy, green vegetables and in many foods that are calcium-enriched. For more information, see the topic Osteoporosis.
• Spina bifida. Pregnant women should eat foods that contain folate or folic acid (such as leafy, green vegetables or folic acid-enriched grains) before and during pregnancy to help protect babies from this birth defect. Women of child-bearing age should consider taking a supplement containing 400 micrograms (0.4 mg) of folic acid per day.

C. A healthy diet can help manage certain diseases.

Diabetes

A healthy diet is important to treat diabetes. If you have diabetes, you must balance the carbohydrate you eat throughout the day to have good blood sugar control. For more information on the role of nutrition in treating diabetes, see the topics Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes.

High cholesterol

You may be able to lower your cholesterol levels by eating foods low in saturated and trans fats and cholesterol and high in soluble fiber. For more information about nutrition's effect on cholesterol and heart disease, see the topic High Cholesterol.

High blood pressure

Making changes in your diet may help lower blood pressure.

• Eat 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
• Eat 3 servings of low-fat dairy products per day.
• Eat a diet low in total fat and saturated fat.
• Lose weight if you are overweight; even as little as 10 lb (4.5 kg) can make a difference.
• Reduce salt in your diet.

For more information, see the topic High Blood Pressure.

Vegetarianism

Some people choose to follow a vegetarian diet, which means they eat mostly plant-based foods (grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds). However, there are several different forms of vegetarian diets:

• Vegans, or total vegetarians, eat only plant foods and do not eat meat, milk, eggs, or animal foods.
• Lacto-vegetarians drink milk and eat milk products, such as cheese and yogurt.
• Lacto-ovo vegetarians include eggs and milk products in their diets.
• Semi-vegetarians may include fish and/or chicken in their diets, but they do not eat red meat.
• Macrobiotic vegetarians emphasize whole grains, especially brown rice, in their diets and include vegetables, soy, legumes, and fruits. White-meat fish may be included. This diet avoids meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy.

If properly planned, vegetarian diets are healthy and can provide all the nutrients a person needs.⁷ As a group, vegetarians are less likely to:⁷

• Develop high cholesterol.
• Die because of coronary artery disease (CAD).
• Develop high blood pressure.
• Develop prostate or colorectal cancer.
• Develop type 2 diabetes.
• Be overweight.

When considering a vegetarian diet, many people are concerned that they will not get enough protein. This nutrient is made of building blocks called amino acids. Although the human body can make some of these amino acids, nine of them (the essential amino acids) must be obtained from food. Animal sources of protein (milk, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, and seafood) contain all the essential amino acids in the amounts our bodies need.

Plant foods contain the essential amino acids in varying amounts, so vegetarians need to eat a variety of plant foods to make sure they get enough of all nine essential amino acids. For example, legumes (cooked dried beans, dried peas, and lentils) are low in sulfur-containing amino acids (such as methionine), but they are high in another amino acid called lysine. Grains are just the opposite, so when grains and legumes are eaten together, the amino acid patterns "complement" one another. By eating both foods, vegetarians improve the overall protein quality of what they eat.

Some typical examples of foods that contain complementary proteins are:

• Beans and tortillas.
• Black beans and rice.
• Chili and corn bread.
• Pita bread with hummus (ground garbanzo beans and sesame seed paste).

You do not need to consciously combine these foods at every meal. Eating them throughout the course of a day will provide your body with adequate protein.

Protein is not the only nutrient of concern in a vegetarian diet. Vegetarians also need to make sure they are getting the following nutrients in their diets:

• Vitamin B₁₂. Vitamin B₁₂ is found only in foods from animal sources, such as milk, eggs, and meat. Vegans either need to eat foods fortified with vitamin B₁₂ (such as fortified soy milk) or take a supplement that contains vitamin B₁₂.
• Iron. Iron from plant foods is not absorbed as well as iron from meats. It is important to use legumes and leafy, green vegetables in the diet and not to rely too heavily on cheese (a very poor source of iron) for protein. Eating foods that contain vitamin C will improve the absorption of iron from a meal.
• Calcium. Vegetarians who do not use milk or milk products need to get calcium from other sources. Soy milk fortified with calcium is a good source. There are also other good nonmilk sources of calcium, such as seeds and nuts, and certain green vegetables.
• Zinc. Zinc from plant foods is poorly absorbed, and vegetarians should take care to get enough zinc in their diets. Good sources of zinc include leavened whole grains (such as whole-wheat bread), legumes (beans and lentils), soy foods, and vegetables.
• Vitamin D. Vegetarians who do not use milk or milk products may not get enough vitamin D. However, soy milk is often fortified with vitamin D, as are some cereals. Your body can also make vitamin D when exposed to sunlight on a regular basis. Supplements may be necessary if you don't consume a source of vitamin D and don't get adequate sunlight.

As a vegetarian, you can still use the food guide pyramid to plan your diet. Use the following guidelines:

• In the meat and meat substitutes group, use the following as a substitute for 1 oz (28 g) of meat [a serving is 2 oz (57 g) to 3 oz (85 g)]:
  • 0.5 cups (118 mL) cooked dry beans
  • 1 egg or 2 egg whites
  • 2 Tbsp (30 mL) nuts or seeds
  • 4 oz (113 g) tofu or tempeh
  • 2 Tbsp (30 mL) peanut butter
• In the milk and milk products group, use the serving sizes listed in the food guide pyramid. If you do not use milk, use soy milk fortified with calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B₁₂. Count 1 cup (237 mL) as one serving. Fortified soy cheese also may be used.

Eat according to the pyramid for the other food groups. Use whole grains as much as possible, and eat at least 1 cup of dark green vegetables each day to help meet your iron needs.

You can fit a vegetarian diet into the dietary guidelines quite easily:

• Eat a variety of foods. Include whole grains and a wide variety of vegetables and fruits; eat legumes, nuts, and seeds to replace meat and, if desired, dairy products and eggs.
• Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables, and fruits. Use foods closest to their natural state, fresh and unprocessed, and minimize your intake of heavily processed foods.
• Choose a diet moderate in fat and low in saturated fat and cholesterol. If you eat animal foods, such as dairy products and eggs, choose lower-fat versions of these foods. Limit cheeses and other high-fat dairy foods and eggs in your diet because they have a high saturated-fat content. Don't use these foods as your main sources of protein because they may replace plant sources of protein in your diet, such as legumes, nuts, and seeds, which contribute needed iron.
• Do not restrict dietary fat in children younger than 2 years old. For older children, include some foods that are higher in unsaturated fats (such as nuts, seeds, nut and seed butters, avocado, and vegetable oils, and milk products and eggs, if desired) to help meet their nutrient and energy needs.
• Choose beverages and foods that limit your sugar intake. Minimize your intake of highly sweetened and heavily processed foods.

Vegans should include a source of vitamin B₁₂ (fortified foods or a supplement) in their diets. They also should include a source of vitamin D if their exposure to sunlight is limited.

If you are raising an infant or child to eat a vegetarian diet, consider the following:

• Infants who are consuming only breast milk should have supplements of iron after the age of 4 to 6 months. (This is not necessary if you add iron-fortified infant cereal to the child's diet at this age.)
• If your child does not get much sun exposure, you should add a food source or a supplement of vitamin D to the child's diet.
• Breast-fed infants of vegan mothers should have vitamin B₁₂ supplements if the mother's diet is not fortified.⁷

Organic foods

Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that eat organically grown feed, and they are not given antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides, genetic engineering, or radiation, and its production emphasizes using renewable resources and conserving soil and water.

Organic foods, however, are not free of pesticide residues, but they do contain smaller amounts than found in nonorganic foods. They are an alternative source of foods for those who are concerned about pesticides in foods. Organic farming is also better for the environment.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sets guidelines for the production of organic foods and for when the organic-food label can be used.

There is debate over whether organic foods are more nutritious than conventionally produced food, and the USDA makes no claims that organic foods are safer or more nutritious.

Vitamin and mineral supplements

Certain groups of people need specific nutrients, including:

• Infants and children, who may need supplements such as iron, vitamin D and fluoride.
• Girls and women, who many need calcium and folic acid supplements, for example.
• People who are recovering from an accident or an illness, have a chronic disease, or are unable to eat a variety of foods.
• People older than 50. Because people older than 50 tend to have trouble absorbing enough vitamin B₁₂ and calcium from their diets, it is recommended that they take a supplement or eat more of the foods that contain these nutrients.

Dietary supplements can't make up for a poor diet. They don't contain all the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals found in food. For most healthy people, a balanced diet can provide all the nutrients needed for good health, and supplements are not necessary. Ask a registered dietitian or other health professional whether you need to take vitamin or mineral supplements.

For more information on vitamin and mineral supplements, see:

• How to choose a vitamin and mineral supplement.
• How to decide whether vitamin and mineral supplement claims are true.
• Vitamin and mineral supplements for active people.

Special diets

Conditions in which nutrition plays an important part in treatment include:

• High cholesterol.
• Diabetes.
• Heart failure.
• Coronary artery disease.
• Kidney disease.
• Ulcerative colitis.
• Cystic fibrosis.
• Hypertension (high blood pressure).
• Osteoporosis.
• Food allergies.
• Food intolerances (including lactose intolerance).
• Celiac sprue/gluten intolerance.
• Cancer.

You may get more information about diets for these conditions by contacting a registered dietitian in your area.

Online Resources

• Coronary Artery Disease
• High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
• Obesity
• Osteoporosis

Citations

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture (2005). Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005, 6th ed. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Also available online: http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines/.

2. Simon HB (2003). Diet and exercise. In DC Dale, DD Federman, eds., Scientific American Medicine, Clinical Essentials, chap. 4. New York: