Build a Healthy Eating Style

MyPlate is a reminder to find your healthy eating style and build it throughout your lifetime. Everything you eat and drink matters. The right mix can help you be healthier now and in the future. This means:

• Focus on variety, amount, and nutrition.
• Choose foods and beverages with less saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.
• Start with small changes to build healthier eating styles.
• Support healthy eating for everyone.

Eating healthy is a journey shaped by many factors, including our stage of life, situations, preferences, access to food, culture, traditions, and the personal decisions we make over time. All your food and beverage choices count.

All food and beverage choices matter – focus on variety, amount, and nutrition.

• Focus on making healthy food and beverage choices from all five food groups including fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy to get the nutrients you need.
• Eat the right amount of calories for you based on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity level.
• Building a healthier eating style can help you avoid overweight and obesity and reduce your risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Choose an eating style low in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.

• Use Nutrition Facts labels and ingredient lists to find amounts of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars in the foods and beverages you choose.
• Look for food and drink choices that are lower in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar.
• Eating fewer calories from foods high in saturated fat and added sugars can help you manage your calories and prevent overweight and obesity. Most of us eat too many foods that are high in saturated fat and added sugar.
• Eating foods with less sodium can reduce your risk of high blood pressure.

Make small changes to create a healthier eating style.

• Think of each change as a personal “win” on your path to living healthier. Each MyWin is a change you make to build your healthy eating style. Find little victories that fit into your lifestyle and celebrate as a MyWin!
• Start with a few of these small changes.
• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Focus on whole fruits. Vary your veggies.
• Make half your grains whole grains.
• Move to low-fat and fat-free dairy.
• Vary your protein routine.
• Eat and drink the right amount for you.

Support healthy eating for everyone.

• Create settings where healthy choices are available and affordable to you and others in your community.
• Professionals, policymakers, partners, industry, families, and individuals can help others in their journey to make healthy eating a part of their lives.