Healthy eating is a habit. Eat vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods and protein foods often to develop a healthy eating pattern and maintain your health.
Benefits of healthy eating patterns
Making healthy food choices can help you develop a healthy eating pattern. A healthy eating pattern helps you improve your overall health.
The term eating pattern refers to what you eat and drink on a regular basis. In a healthy eating pattern, all the foods and drinks work together to:
- help you feel good
- maintain your health
- meet your nutritional needs
Many of the well-studied healthy eating patterns include mostly plant-based foods.
Plant-based foods can include:
- vegetables and fruits
- whole grain foods
- plant-based protein foods
Eating plant-based foods regularly can mean eating more fibre and less saturated fat. This can have a positive effect on health, including a lowered risk of:
- cancer
- heart disease
- type 2 diabetes
Most healthy eating patterns include little to no highly processed foods.
How to follow a healthy eating pattern
You can develop a healthy eating pattern by regularly eating:
- whole grain foods such as:
- quinoa
- wild rice
- whole grain pasta
- vegetables and fruits such as:
- apples
- carrots
- broccoli
- protein foods such as:
- legumes
- lean meats
- lower fat yogurt
The best healthy eating patterns include foods that reflect your food choices related to:
- taste
- culture
- budget
- lifestyle
Make a healthy choice
What you eat on a regular basis matters for your health.
- Choose foods that have little to no added sodium, sugars or saturated fat.
- Compare the nutrition facts table on foods to choose products that are lower in sodium, sugars or saturated fat.
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