Between the misleading marketing claims, the seemingly constant stream of new fad diets, and the mapping of morals to food (think “good” vs. “bad”), it can feel almost impossible to develop an accurate understanding of nutrition and healthy eating. Plus, there’s an overall lack of accessible education on the subject, with U.S. students receiving fewer than eight hours of nutrition classes each year when it takes 40 to 50 hours to effect behavior change, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . And if you’ve ever learned anything about nutrition in school – the CDC notes that the percentage of schools that required nutrition classes fell from around 85 percent in 2000 to 74 percent in 2014. With all of these factors in mind, it is not surprising that many people don’t know the first how to care for the basic needs of their body, let alone how to propel it for optimal performance.
But learning the basics of nutrition and how to optimize your diet for your wellbeing should be available to everyone. Diet is not one size fits all, and learning to eat healthy doesn’t have to take away from the joy of eating. This is where this nutritional guide comes in.
Whether you need general healthy eating training or just looking for a macronutrient refresher course, this guide has it all. It will first help you lay the foundations for a thorough understanding of healthy eating and then guide you through implementing these principles in your daily life – alone or with the help of an expert. Once you feel equipped with the tools necessary to maintain a healthy diet, you can also expand your knowledge of the mental, emotional, and cultural meanings of the foods you consume.
Bottom Line: This nutrition guide gives you the education, tools, and confidence to figure out how to eat healthily in the ways that are best for you. Hopefully this handy guide will help you understand what healthy eating and good nutrition looks like and tastes like for you today, tomorrow, and for your life. Keep scrolling to begin your healthy eating journey.
Think of this as your freshman seminar on nutrition. Here, you will learn the concepts and principles that will help you develop a solid basic understanding of nutrition on which to build sustainable healthy eating habits. Learn about the undisputed basic healthy eating guidelines backed by experts and scholars, the top healthy eating habits to adopt before trying anything else, and the biggest nutritional mistakes to avoid, according to professionals.
A closer look at the nutritional information
You’ve laid the groundwork and built a general understanding of the foods you eat. Now is the time to delve deeper into the specific components of foods that are worth learning about (e.g., calories, fat, protein, and carbohydrates). You might be tempted to skip this section thinking you already have these facts under control – but I’m sorry, knowing that bread is a type of carbohydrate is not enough.
You see, when it comes to eating healthy foods, you need to know a little bit more about what it means to eat a balanced diet. This section will not only strengthen your general nutritional knowledge, but also aid your ability to maintain healthy eating habits in the future. Here you will learn the benefits of the six essential nutrients, find out how to read a nutrition label correctly, and learn the answers to questions like “What are micronutrients really?” and so much more.
Ready to use your advanced nutritional knowledge? This next section is about helping you realistically incorporate healthier eating habits into your everyday life.
That means understanding proper hydration and figuring out how to get the right amount of essential nutrients every day. Don’t worry, you don’t have to chase every bite or stress level to find the perfect balance with every single meal. It is important that you know the generally recommended daily amounts of essential nutrients – and what they might look like in the foods on your plate – so that you can achieve them regularly and with little effort.
Reminder: You are human and life happens. While you may meet those protein goals on Monday, on Wednesday you will be too overwhelmed at work to have a balanced lunch. And, hey, that’s fine. After all, your diet and overall nutritional wellbeing are in line with the average of what you generally eat – your eating habits one day won’t “ruin” anything.
Partnership with a healthy eating professional
Whether you need help setting up your healthy eating routine or just want to learn more about the support options available, this section serves as a guide to finding a nutritionist or dietitian and what each can do.
Once you have a better idea of how an expert can assist you on your healthy eating journey, you can determine whether it might be worthwhile to work with an expert. Nutritionists can assist you in a variety of ways, from teaching you how to tailor your diet to specific goals, to providing advice on your relationship with food. And even if you feel like you have already broken the game of healthy eating, you can still reap the benefits of consulting a professional. You may be trying to get pregnant or considering adding a new supplement to your routine. As you will learn here, these and many other good reasons to see a nutritionist are no matter how many vegetables you eat on a regular basis.
Look beyond the nutrition label
Hopefully by now you are confident in your understanding of nutrition and in your ability to make healthier eating choices on a daily basis. But if you want to figure out how to eat healthy forever, being able to identify and evaluate foods beyond their nutritional value is just as important.
To round off this nutritional guide, this section gives you the opportunity to consider the emotional, mental, and cultural factors of healthy eating and their importance. You will also find tangible ways to keep track of these things as you move forward with your healthy diet.
Produced by Elizabeth Bacharach
