Have you ever decided to eat healthier, only to feel lost about where to start? With the endless and often conflicting information about healthy eating, it’s no wonder why so many people struggle to improve their nutrition. Understanding the basic principles of nutrition can help simplify how to eat better. This guide will cover the fundamental nutrition concepts and how they can help you make sense of your dietary choices and improve your overall health. You’ll also learn how Diet AI’s Calorie Counter can help you get instant estimates of your meals and snacks to reach your specific nutrition goals. So, How to Eat Better?
Table of Contents
15+ Best Principles of Nutrition You Must Know About
1. Transform Your Diet With Diet AI
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2. Balance: The Foundation of Good Nutrition
Nutrition should include all the essential nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, in proportions. Balance means you're not overloading on one nutrient at the expense of another. For instance, a high-protein diet is proper, but neglecting healthy fats or fiber can lead to deficiencies or poor gut health.
3. Variety: Getting the Most Out of Your Food
Eating a wide range of foods ensures you get a broader spectrum of nutrients. Different foods offer different benefits—leafy greens provide iron and folate, while nuts offer healthy fats and magnesium. Variety also prevents food fatigue and supports a healthy microbiome.
4. Moderation: Everything in Its Place
Even healthy foods can be harmful in excess. Moderation is about portion control and ensuring that caloric intake doesn't exceed your body's needs. It also applies to sugar, sodium, alcohol, and ultra-processed foods. Moderation supports weight management and prevents metabolic diseases.
5. Adequacy: Meeting Your Body’s Needs
Your diet should meet your body's energy and nutrient requirements to support daily activity, growth, and repair. An inadequate diet can lead to malnutrition or fatigue. This principle is particularly important for vulnerable groups like children, pregnant women, and the elderly.
6. Caloric Awareness: Understanding Energy Balance
Understanding how many calories you need and where they come from (protein, carbs, fat) is crucial. This principle doesn’t mean obsessively tracking calories, but being mindful of energy balance—burning more than you consume for fat loss or vice versa for muscle gain.
7. Nutrient Density: Fueling Your Body With Quality Foods
Choose foods that provide the most nutrients per calorie. For example, spinach offers more vitamins and minerals than iceberg lettuce. This principle discourages “empty calories” (like sugary snacks) and promotes foods that fuel the body with beneficial compounds.
8. Personalization: There's No One-Size-Fits-All Diet
There is no one-size-fits-all diet. Nutrition should be tailored to an individual’s age, gender, health status, activity level, goals, and cultural preferences. A diabetic patient’s dietary needs differ significantly from a competitive athlete’s.
9. Minimally Processed Foods: Choosing Foods in Their Natural State
Whole or minimally processed foods retain more nutrients and are often more filling and less calorie-dense. Choose whole grains over refined ones, fresh fruit over juice, and whole cuts of meat over deli meats. This helps reduce sugar, sodium, and unhealthy fat intake.
10. Hydration: Water Is Essential for Health
Water is essential for nearly all body functions: digestion, circulation, temperature regulation, and waste elimination. Staying hydrated improves cognitive function and physical performance and supports nutrient absorption.
11. Sustainability: Prioritizing Long-Term Health
Good nutrition should also be sustainable for the environment and your lifestyle. This principle encourages seasonal, local, and plant-forward eating while avoiding extreme or restrictive diets that aren't sustainable long-term.
12. Satiety and Hunger Cues: Eat Mindfully
Listen to your body’s hunger and fullness signals. Eating slowly and mindfully helps you recognize when you’re truly hungry or just eating out of habit or emotion. This helps prevent overeating and promotes a healthier relationship with food.
13. Protein at Every Meal: Make It a Priority
Prioritize protein, especially from quality sources (lean meats, legumes, dairy, eggs, etc.). Protein helps with muscle repair, satiety, hormone production, and metabolic regulation. Distributing protein throughout the day can also improve its effectiveness.
14. Carbohydrate Quality Over Quantity: Focus on the Good Stuff
Rather than eliminating carbs, focus on quality—whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. These provide energy, fiber, and essential nutrients. Limit added sugars and refined grains that spike blood sugar without offering lasting fuel.
15. Fat Quality Matters: Choose Wisely
Not all fats are bad. Healthy fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in nuts, olive oil, and fish) support brain health, hormone production, and cell function. Avoid trans fats and limit saturated fats.
16. Progress Over Perfection: Enjoy the Journey
The goal isn’t to eat ideally all the time, but to make consistent, informed choices. Healthy eating is a journey, not a destination. Minor improvements, like adding vegetables to one meal a day, can lead to significant long-term benefits.
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How to Get a Nutritious Diet
1. Fuel Your Body with Fiber-Rich Starchy Carbohydrates
Starchy carbohydrates should make up just over a third of your food. They include potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, and cereals. Choose higher fibre or wholegrain varieties, such as wholewheat pasta, brown rice, or potatoes with their skins on. They contain more fibre than white or refined starchy foods and carbohydrates, and can help you feel full longer. Try to include at least one starchy food with each main meal. Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram, the carbohydrate they contain provides fewer than half the calories of fat. Keep an eye on the fats you add when cooking or serving these foods because that increases the calorie content – for example, oil on chips, butter on bread, and creamy sauces on pasta.
2. Eat from Smaller Plates
The size of your dinnerware can affect how much you eat. Eating from a large plate can make your portion look smaller, while eating from a small plate can make it look bigger. According to one 2017 study, eating from a smaller plate was associated with increased feelings of satiety and reduced energy intake among participants with a moderate body weight. Also, if you don’t realize you’re eating less than usual, you won’t compensate by eating more at the next meal. Eating from smaller dinnerware can trick your brain into thinking that you’re eating more, making yourself less likely to overeat.
3. Eat Mostly Plants
The last few tips put together may sound familiar. It comes from author and food activist Michael Pollan. After years of research into the food system, his diet philosophy is: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Plant-based foods are high in vitamins and minerals but low in calories. So, they help you feel full while adding nutrition, but not inches to your waistline. But, wait. There’s more… According to Harvard University, a vegetable-packed diet can help protect against heart disease, stroke, cancer, and high blood pressure. Vegetables are packed with nutrients, including potassium, fiber, folic acid, and vitamins A, E, and C. Vegetables also positively impact digestion and blood sugar control.
4. Eat Lots of Fruit and Veg
You should eat at least five portions of various fruit and veg daily. They can be fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or juiced. Getting your 5 A Day is easier than it sounds. Why not chop a banana over your breakfast cereal, or swap your usual mid-morning snack for a piece of fresh fruit? A portion of fresh, canned, or frozen fruit and vegetables is 80g. A portion of dried fruit (which should be kept to mealtimes) is 30g. A 150ml glass of fruit juice, vegetable juice, or smoothie also counts as one portion, but limit the amount to no more than one glass a day, as these drinks are sugary and can damage your teeth.
5. Eat More Fish, Including a Portion of Oily Fish
Fish is a good source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals. Aim to eat at least two portions of fish a week, including at least one portion of oily fish. Oily fish are high in omega-3 fats, which may help prevent heart disease. Oily fish include: salmon, trout, herring, sardines, pilchards, and mackerel. Non-oily fish include: haddock, plaice, coley, cod, tuna, skate, and hake. You can choose fresh, frozen, and canned, but remember that canned and smoked fish can be high in salt. Most people should be eating more fish, but there are recommended limits for some types of fish.
6. Drink More Water
You can go about three weeks without food, but you can only go about three days without water. So, water is essential. It helps our body function properly. Drinking more water is never going to be a bad thing.
7. Eat More Eggs
According to Healthline, eggs are one of the most nutritious types of food on the planet. Think about it, one egg contains all the nutrients needed for an embryo to grow into a chick. Eat more eggs because they lead to eating less, contain at least a few nutrients you need, including healthy fats, and raise good cholesterol.
8. Cut Down on Saturated Fat and Sugar
Saturated fat. You need some fat in your diet, but it's essential to pay attention to the amount and type of fat you're eating. There are two main types of fat:
Saturated and Unsaturated
Too much saturated fat can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases your risk of developing heart disease. On average, men should have no more than 30g of saturated fat a day. On average, women should have no more than 20g of saturated fat daily. Children under 11 should have less saturated fat than adults, but a low-fat diet is not suitable for children under 5. In addition, full-fat dairy products, such as cheese, fromage frais, and yoghurt, are recommended up to the age of 2 years. Saturated fat is found in many foods, such as fatty cuts of meat, sausages, butter, hard cheese, cream, cakes, biscuits, lard, and pies.
Avoid eating less saturated fat and choosing foods that contain unsaturated fats, such as vegetable oils and spreads, oily fish, and avocados. All types of fat are high in energy, so they should only be eaten in small amounts. Sugar Regularly consuming foods and drinks high in sugar increases your risk of obesity and tooth decay. Sugary foods and beverages are often high in energy (measured in kilojoules or calories), and if consumed too often, can contribute to weight gain. They can also cause tooth decay, especially if eaten between meals.
Free sugars are any sugars added to foods or drinks, or found naturally in honey, syrups, and unsweetened fruit juices and smoothies. This is the sugar you should be cutting down on, rather than the sugar in fruit and milk. Many packaged foods and drinks contain surprisingly high amounts of free sugars. Free sugars are found in many foods, such as sugary fizzy drinks, sugary breakfast cereals, cakes, biscuits, pastries and puddings, sweets and chocolate, and alcoholic beverages. Food labels can help. Use them to check how much sugar foods contain. More than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g means the food is high in sugar, while 5g or less per 100g implies the food is low in sugar.
9. Choose Foods with Healthy Fats
My eighth-grade science teacher used to tell us, “fat is where it’s at”. But, I think he meant to say “healthy fat is where it’s at”. Choose fats from healthy oils, fish, avocado, seeds, and nuts to name a few. EatRight says healthy fats help your brain and nervous system function, lower cholesterol levels, support heart health, and protect against inflammation.
10. Choose Healthy Oils
The nutrition labels on oils can be scary. Those fat values are so darn high. But don’t be scared. Healthy oils like olive or avocado oil help your body absorb the beneficial nutrients of other foods. They also contain antioxidants, reduce inflammation, and help protect against strokes and heart disease. I use extra virgin olive oil for pretty much everything. However, coconut and avocado oil are also healthy options. Stay away from process oils like vegetable, canola, and sunflower oil. These have been refined, removing some of their nutritional value.
11. Avoid “Diet” and “Low-Fat” Foods
Don’t fall for the marketing tricks of “diet” or “low-fat” foods. First, foods with these labels are most likely highly processed with additives and preservatives. Have you ever seen a banana or a head of kale labelled as low-fat? Nope. In addition, trade-offs were likely made to make this food taste good. If it’s labelled low-fat, it’s probably high in sugar. If it’s a diet, it’s probably packed with artificial sweeteners that offer no nutritional value to our bodies.
12. Eat Less Salt: No More Than 6g a Day for Adults
Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke. You may still overeat even if you do not add salt to your food. About three-quarters of the salt you eat is already in the food when you buy it, such as breakfast cereals, soups, breads, and sauces. Use food labels to help you cut down. More than 1.5g of salt per 100g means the food is high in salt. Adults and children aged 11 and over should eat no more than 6g of salt (about a teaspoonful) daily. Younger children should have even less.
13. Drink Black Coffee
This one could take some time, depending on how much you gussy up your coffee (if you even drink coffee). Skip the sugar and drink your coffee black. This will be easier if you drink lighter roast coffees. These will be less bitter and easier to drink without adding anything to them. Your best bet is your local coffee shop. I’ve found Starbucks coffee to be super dark and bitter, so you should work up there.
14. Eat Slowly and Mindfully
Studies have shown that faster eating is related to a higher body mass index. So, slow down. How can we overeat only to feel full 20 minutes later? When you eat too fast, there isn’t enough time for your belly to tell your brain that you’re full. Give your brain time to catch up by eating more slowly and mindfully. You’ll enjoy your food and the eating process more.
15. Get Active and Be a Healthy Weight
In addition to eating healthily, regular exercise may help reduce your risk of getting severe health conditions. It's also essential for your overall health and well-being. Being overweight or obese can lead to health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, heart disease, and stroke. Being underweight could also affect your health. Most adults need to lose weight by eating fewer calories. If you're trying to lose weight, aim to eat less and be more active.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet can help you maintain a healthy weight. Check whether you're a healthy weight by using the BMI healthy weight calculator. Lose weight with the NHS weight loss plan, a 12-week weight loss guide that combines advice on healthier eating and physical activity. If you're underweight, see underweight adults. If you're worried about your weight, ask your GP or a dietitian for advice.
16. Use Your Non-Dominant Hand to Eat (e.g., the “Fork Trick”)
I don’t like gimmicks or tricks, but this is a fun one that may be worth a try. Instead of using your dominant hand, try holding your fork and eating with your non-dominant hand. It will help you eat more slowly. Plus, it will help you train to be ambidextrous.
17. Before Eating Out – Check Out the Menu for Healthy Options
If you eat out sparingly, then you may use your restaurant meals as a treat (like I do). So, I’m not always looking for the healthiest option. But if you eat out a lot, check the restaurant menu for healthy options before going. This way, you are prepared with your order in case you get side tracked by your conversation. Most restaurants these days have plenty of healthy and healthy-ish options.
18. Limit the Number of Times You Eat Out
When you cook at home, you fully control what goes into your food. This isn’t true when eating out. Most (not all) restaurants aren’t focused on making their customers feel healthy. They are more interested in making their customers satisfied at a profit. This may mean large portions, more salt, and unhealthy oils.
19. Do Not Skip Breakfast
Some people skip breakfast because they think it'll help them lose weight. But a healthy breakfast high in fibre and low in fat, sugar, and salt can form part of a balanced diet and help you get the nutrients you need for good health. A wholegrain lower sugar cereal with semi-skimmed milk and fruit sliced over the top is a tasty and healthier breakfast.
20. Cook a New Healthy Recipe Each Week
One of the best ways to maintain a healthy diet? Learn to cook simple, wholesome food at home. Pick a day each week to cook a new, healthy recipe. You’ll be cooking without recipes in no time.
21. Roast or Grill Instead of Frying
Roasting or grilling meats, vegetables, and potatoes can yield amazingly delicious foods. Plus, frying food at home is pretty messy. Who likes having a pot full of hot oil just sitting out? Try this roasted chicken recipe instead of making fried chicken. You’ll be sold on roasting because it is easy, delicious, and healthier.
22. Portion and Store Leftovers Before Eating
Setting aside leftovers before eating is a lifesaver. It is a foolproof method for portion control. Just doing this tip will save you so much internal angst and debate about whether you should have that extra serving at the dinner table. Plus, you’ll have lunch made for the next day. Which brings me to the next tip…
23. Turn One Meal Into Multiple Meals
For a healthy diet to be sustainable, it must be simple and satisfying. One way to crank up the simplicity of your diet is to scale up your meals so you have leftovers. You shouldn’t have to cook every day. Making a healthy grain salad like this one for dinner for you and your partner? Double the recipe. Put out two dinner plates and two resealable containers. Distribute the grain salad evenly into the four containers. Now you have dinner and lunch for the next day.
24. Make and Follow a Meal Plan
A meal plan isn’t for everyone, but it can be helpful if you are just starting your healthy cooking journey. Plan each week or multiple weeks by noting the daily dishes you want to make. Then develop a shopping list, get groceries, and follow your plan.
25. Read Nutrition Labels
Nutrition labels can seem complicated. The essentials can get lost in the percentages, weights, calories, serving sizes, vitamins, minerals, and more. So, how do you know what to focus on? Keep it simple and scan for these things to start with label reading: Zero or minimal added sugar – under carbohydrates, No trans fat. An ingredient list on the shorter side, with foods you can mostly pronounce.
What Are the Principles of Food
Clean! Sanitize to Avoid Contaminating Your Food
Washing your hands and utensils before preparing food can help prevent the spread of bacteria and other pathogens that can contaminate your food. Learning how to prepare food safely helps keep your meals safe.
Separate! Use Distinct Cutting Boards for Foods
Using different cutting boards for meat, poultry, seafood, and veggies helps avoid cross-contamination during food preparation. Learn more about the importance of separating foods during preparation.
Cook! Use a Food Thermometer to Ensure Foods Are Done
Looks can be deceiving when it comes to cooking food. You can’t tell that food is done by how it looks. Instead, use a food thermometer to know for sure. Learn more about how to ensure your food is cooked thoroughly.
Chill! Store Foods Properly to Keep Bacteria From Growing
Keeping the fridge at 40°F or below helps keep bacteria from growing. Learn more about proper chilling.
Download DietAI Today for 80% Off!
DietAI is transforming calorie counting with this advanced app. Simply snap a photo of your food, and the app instantly analyzes your meal, providing accurate calorie and macro information without tedious logging. Beyond photo recognition, the app offers comprehensive progress tracking, personalized nutrition insights tailored to your goals, and convenient barcode scanning for packaged foods. Whether trying to lose weight, gain muscle, or simply maintain a balanced diet, Diet AI makes nutrition tracking effortless by eliminating the tedious aspects of traditional food journaling. Download now to effortlessly track your calories and macros with Diet AI, the AI-powered app that makes logging meals as simple as snapping a photo. Download today for 80% off!
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Benefits of a Nutritious Diet
1. A Nutritious Diet May Help You Live Longer
A healthy diet may help you live longer. Studies show that people who eat many nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, are less likely to die from chronic diseases.
2. A Nutritious Diet Keeps Skin, Teeth, and Eyes Healthy
A healthy diet helps maintain vital organs, like skin, teeth, and eyes. For instance, nutrients such as vitamins A, C, D, E, and K, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants help maintain healthy skin and may even help repair existing damage.
3. A Nutritious Diet Supports Muscles
A healthy diet can help keep muscles healthy, particularly as you age. This is important because muscle mass naturally declines with age, increasing the risk of frailty, falls, and injuries.
4. A Nutritious Diet Boosts Immunity
A healthy diet can boost your immune system to help fight illness.
5. A Nutritious Diet Strengthens Bones
Eating foods rich in calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients that support bone health can help keep your bones strong and reduce your risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures.
6. A Nutritious Diet Helps Lower the Risk of Heart Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and Some Cancers
Eating a healthy diet helps protect against various chronic diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.
7. A Nutritious Diet Supports Healthy Pregnancies and Breastfeeding
A nutritious diet is vital for supporting healthy pregnancies and breastfeeding.
8. A Nutritious Diet Helps The Digestive System Function
Eating a healthy diet promotes good digestive health.
9. A Nutritious Diet Helps Achieve and Maintain a Healthy Weight
Nutritious foods are often lower in calories and can help prevent unhealthy weight gain.l
Download DietAI Today for 80% Off!
DietAI is transforming calorie counting with this advanced app. Simply snap a photo of your food, and the app instantly analyzes your meal, providing accurate calorie and macro information without tedious logging. Beyond photo recognition, the app offers comprehensive progress tracking, personalized nutrition insights tailored to your goals, and convenient barcode scanning for packaged foods. Whether trying to lose weight, gain muscle, or simply maintain a balanced diet, Diet AI makes nutrition tracking effortless by eliminating the tedious aspects of traditional food journaling. Download now to effortlessly track your calories and macros with Diet AI, the AI-powered app that makes logging meals as simple as snapping a photo. Download today for 80% off!
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