Nutrition Isn’t An All or Nothing Proposition

You don’t have to give up favorite foods to eat well. Keep the ideas of "more" and "less" in mind, not "all" or "none."

For example, add more fruits and vegetables in your eating plan and less higher-calorie items. Here’s a visual demonstration of how to create a nutritious and tasty plate in the proper portions:

• Take a paper plate and draw a line through the middle.

• Fill the top half with fruits and vegetables. Be sure to add splashes of color. The deeper, richer, more varied the colors of food on your plate, the better.

• The bottom left side is protein (fish, lean beef or pork, chicken)

• The lower right side of the plate is starch (whole grain such as rice, corn or quinoa)

Small changes result in big rewards. Make one change today: Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Or choose at dinner to have a dessert or a glass of wine … but not both.

Special National Nutrition Month Tip of the Day written by ADA National Spokespersons Dee Sandquist, MS, RD, CD and Susan Moores, MS, RD