Advice varies, and so do governmental recommendations. Each country has its preference, and many provide several guidelines based on specific diets, like the Mediterranean diet, or the vegan diet. Whichever you prefer, the main points are always the same; more grains and vegetables, less fat and sugar.

Grain and Cereal

The majority of your daily diet should consist of grains and cereals. This is the way your ancestors ate, and the way the world’s healthiest cultures eat. Whole grains should take the largest space on your plate at every meal, every day.

Many dietary recommendations allow for some refined flours, but this is simply to make those diets more palatable. The healthiest diets aim for whole grains 100 percent of the time. Products made with refined white flour do not contribute enough fiber or nutrients. Our preference for white flour is one of the biggest contributors to our nation’s health crisis.

Vegetables and Fruits

Vegetables are the next crucial component of a healthy diet, and again, most Americans don’t get enough. Adults should be eating a variety of brightly colored vegetables every day. The color is important, and should be varied, as each pigment carries different nutrients that you need. (Refer to the Vitamin Reference Chart for more information.)

If all you eat is iceberg lettuce salad, you are missing crucial vitamins and minerals. Vegetables also provide fiber, a very valuable component of a healthy diet.

Fruit is important, but many people eat too much of it. Fruit contains vitamins and minerals, but many of the same nutrients are available in vegetables, and without the excess sugar. Between canned fruit, dried fruit, fruit fillings, and fruit juices, Americans overconsume fruit.

All that sugar is an especially large contributor to childhood obesity. Fresh fruit should be consumed raw and whole. Other forms, especially juices, lose much of the nutritional benefit of their whole fruit counterparts.

Protein

Protein is also overconsumed. Most Americans eat much more than their bodies need, and the most popular choices are the fattiest ones. This category includes meat, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, and nuts.

A lighter diet, with less saturated fat, is the healthiest way to go. This means consuming lean meats like fish, and including more plant-based proteins on a regular basis.

Dairy

Dairy products are an important source of calcium for strong bones and teeth, but this food group is also loaded with saturated fat and milk sugar (lactose). Even if you find yourself eating a lot of dairy, you may not be getting enough calcium. Despite its appearance on the Food Guide Pyramid as an option, ice cream is not a good choice for calcium. The damage caused by the fat and sugar far outweigh any benefit from calcium.

Remember, you can also find calcium in dark green vegetables like broccoli and collard greens, as well as fat-free dairy, soy products, and molasses. Choose dairy wisely, and be sure you are maximizing its benefit. Your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium, which is only available from sunlight or through fortified supplements.

Junk Food

Much of the food people eat ends up in the junk food category, which is where they get into trouble. Fats and oils, refined sugars, and salt are the main culprits.

• Fat and Oil

  Fat insulates you, cushions your organs, and helps in the distribution of fat-soluble vitamins. But the typical American consumes far more fat than necessary. The naturally occurring fat in grains (such as wheat germ), fruits (olives and nuts), and animal products (fish, yogurt), is adequate for good health. Of course, that’s only when these foods are eaten in the recommended amounts.

• Sugar

  Sugar, too, is essential for good nutrition. It gives you energy and helps your body function properly. But you were never meant to eat it in a refined state. Our bodies need the full benefit of the nutrients that come with a piece of fruit, or a bite of honey. These natural foods take time to digest, and are absorbed by the body slowly. When the nutrients are stripped away, the straight glucose goes right to work giving you instant energy. But that energy doesn’t last long, and soon your body feels the resulting loss of energy in a “crash.” The effect continues with unnatural cravings, unrelated to fueling the body.

• Salt

  Salt is a vital mineral, but your body needs less than a teaspoon a day, which is a fraction of what is consumed in a typical Western diet. Salt helps regulate body fluids and electrolytes, but too much can dehydrate you and is linked to high blood pressure and osteoporosis. You get an adequate amount of sodium naturally when you eat the recommended foods in the recommended quantities.