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Eating healthy is one of the most important things you can do to safeguard your health.  Research into the link between our diet and our health makes it clear that what we put into our bodies plays a big part in how well our bodies work, age, and fight off disease.  In recent years, the obesity epidemic has only intensified the need to think about what we are eating and to focus on how we can make healthier choices at every meal.

In days gone by, when people wanted to lose weight they went on a diet.  These days, the focus has shifted from temporary food restrictions to life-long food attitude and choice changes.  But this can be much more difficult than simply cutting this or not eating that.  Making lasting changes requires different resources and poses different challenges.    For many of us, the desire to be healthier is hampered by the challenge of choosing to eat the food we need instead of the food we want.  To help you transition to a healthier diet that is right for you and your lifestyle, here are some useful resources to help.

Nutritional Information

• Nutrient Data Lab from the USDA – Provides access to the NDL’s searchable nutritional information database
• Food-a-pedia from Choose My Plate – Searchable database of nutritional information for a wide range of foods
• Recipe Nutrition Information from MyFitnessPal.com – Allows you to figure out the nutritional information for your own recipes

Healthy Diet Guidelines and Plans

• My Plate from the USDA – The My Plate website provides a wealth of information for following a healthy diet including tools for tracking foods, recipes, meal plans, and tips for healthy eating.
• Dietary Guidelines for Americans from the USDA’s Center for Policy & Promotion – Provides access to the complete policy document on dietary guidelines.
• Healthy Eating Plan from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute – Provides information on how to create a healthy eating plan for you, tips for shopping, and food exchange information.

Special Dietary Requirements

• Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute – High cholesterol dietary information from the National Institutes of Health
• Food from the American Diabetes Association – Resources for healthy eating with diabetes
• Nutrition Center from the American Heart Association – Heart healthy diet information
• Gluten Free Food and Resources from Celiac Central – Information on how to follow a gluten free diet

Recipes to Help You Eat Healthier

• Fill Your Plate Recipe Section from the Arizona Farm Bureau
• Healthy Eating from the Food Network
• Diabetes Recipes from the American Diabetes Association
• Healthy Diet Recipes from EatingWell.com

Tips for Healthy Eating

• Healthy Eating from HelpGuide.org
• Healthy Eating Tips from Choose My Plate
• 12 Tips for Healthy Eating from Harvard Health Publications
• Tips for Healthy Eating on the Go from Fox News

Related articles

• 2 Small Steps to a Heart Healthier Diet (fillyourplate.org)
• How Eating a Clove of Garlic a Day Might Keep the Doctor Away (fillyourplate.org)
• Veggie Man Videos Tell Arizona Ag’s Specialty Crop Story With Educational Humor (fillyourplate.org)