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Eating a variety of foods can help you get all the nutrients you need. These include whole grains, lean protein foods, vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy.
You can still enjoy your favorite foods and make healthy eating choices. If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt, sugar, or calories, limit how often you eat them. Eat smaller servings, or look for healthy substitutes.
Use this chart as a guide for making healthier choices.
Healthier food choices
Food groups
Choose this:
Limit this:
Protein foods
Lean ground beef or turkey
Meats with fat trimmed
Skinless poultry
Baked, broiled, or poached fish or shellfish
Beans, tofu, nuts
Regular ground beef
Fatty or highly marbled cuts of meat, spare ribs, organ meat
Poultry with skin, fried chicken
Fried fish, fried shellfish
Lunch meat, bologna, salami, bacon, sausage, hot dogs
Dairy products
Low-fat (1%) or fat-free milk
Low-fat or fat-free yogurt
Low-fat cheese and cottage cheese
Fortified plant-based milk products, such as soy milk
Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff Clinical Review Board All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
Clinical Review Board All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Ignite Healthwise, LLC, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.
