Take the Food Quiz

Healthy snacking can help you moderate the amount of food you eat so that you will be less inclined to overeat at your next meal or late at night in front of the TV or computer. When you snack, remember to count the number of calories in your snacks as part of the total number of your recommended daily calories. Choose snacks that include some carbohydrate and protein, but only a small amount of fat, if any. Some ideas from the ADA: a medium banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter; a medium apple and one ounce of string cheese; two cups of unbuttered popcorn sprinkled with cayenne pepper; 10 regular tortilla chips and a quarter cup of salsa.

Eating a variety of foods is a great—and enjoyable—way to get the 40 or so essential vitamins and minerals and the fiber you need.

Vitamins are not a source of energy (calories), but instead help with the metabolic processes in the body. Including a variety of foods in your daily diet is the best way to get the vitamins you need. A vitamin and mineral supplement may be a good idea, the ADA says, when your lifestyle is so hectic that you find it difficult to eat a variety of foods; you are elderly; you are a vegan; or you can't drink milk or eat cheese and yogurt. Talk to your health care provider about whether you might need a supplement.

An eating style that promotes your overall health is based on variety (enjoying many different foods); balance (including enough, but not too much, of any one kind of food); and moderation (in use of fats, oils, and portion sizes).

Finding the right mix of physical activities and leisure time makes life enjoyable all year round. You should aim for 30 to 60 minutes of moderate aerobic activity most days of the week. You can break the time into 20- to 30-minute sessions throughout the day. Choose activities that you enjoy so you will be more likely to stick with them. Be sure to check with your health care provider before starting a new exercise program.

The key here is the word "cholesterol." Cholesterol is found only in foods of animal origin. Plant foods do not contain cholesterol; however, some plant foods such as avocados and plant oils contain significant amounts of fat. Plant oils such as coconut, palm, and palm kernel contain saturated fat. Seeds such as sesame, safflower, and sunflower and oils made from these, contain polyunsaturated fat. Canola, olive, and peanut oils contain monounsaturated fat. The unsaturated fats may help lower cholesterol levels in your blood; saturated fat, as well as dietary cholesterol and trans-fatty acids (found in commercial snacks and cookies), raises cholesterol levels, according to the American Heart Association.

The USDA guidelines, published in 2005, vary according to a person's age, gender, and amount of daily activity. The recommended amount of meat or meat equivalents for an adult who gets less than 30 minutes of exercise a day ranges from 5 ounces for women 31 and older to 6-1/2 ounces for men ages 19 to 30.

The better daily choice for including calcium without the fat is 2 to 3 servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy products, rather than whole or full-fat dairy products. Flavored milk may be more appealing for kids, the ADA says. These products contain more sugar and more calories than white milk, but the same amount of calcium.