• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Be physically active.
• Follow a healthy eating plan, which includes foods lower in salt and sodium.
• If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

Food Group	Number of Servings	Examples of Serving Size
Grains and grain products	7 to 8	1 cup ready-to-eat cold cereal 1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta, or cereal
Vegetables	4 to 5	1 cup raw leafy vegetable 1/2 cup cooked vegetable 6 oz vegetable juice
Fruits	4 to 5	1 medium fruit 1/4 cup dried fruit 1/2 cup fresh, frozen, or canned fruit 6 oz fruit juice
Low-fat or fat-free dairy foods	2 to 3	8 oz milk 1 cup yogurt 1 1/2 ounces cheese
Lean meats, poultry or fish	2 or fewer	3 ounces cooked lean meat, skinless poultry, or fish
Nuts, seeds, and dry beans	4 to 5 per week	1/3 cup or 1 1/2 oz nuts 1 tablespoon or 1/2 oz seeds 1/2 cup cooked dry beans
Fats and oils	2 to 3	1 teaspoon soft margarine 1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise 2 tablespoons light salad dressing 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Sweets	5 per week	1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon jelly or jam 1/2 oz jelly beans 8 oz lemonade

• If you now eat 1 or 2 servings of vegetables a day, add a serving at lunch and another at dinner.
• If you don't eat fruit now or have only juice at breakfast, add a serving to your meals or have it as a snack.
• Drink milk or water with lunch or dinner instead of soda, sugar-sweetened tea, or alcohol. Choose low-fat (1%) or fat-free (skim) dairy products to reduce how much saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, and calories you eat. If you have trouble digesting dairy products, try taking lactase enzyme pills or drops (available at drugstores and groceries) with the dairy foods. Or buy lactose-free milk or milk with lactase enzyme added to it.
• Read food labels on margarines and salad dressings to choose products lowest in fat.
• If you now eat large portions of meat, cut back gradually--by a half or a third at each meal. Limit meat to 6 ounces a day (2 servings). Three to four ounces is about the size of a deck of cards.
• Have 2 or more vegetarian-style (meatless) meals each week. Increase servings of vegetables, rice, pasta, and beans in all meals. Try casseroles and pasta, and stir-fry dishes, which have less meat and more vegetables, grains, and beans.
• Use fruits canned in their own juice. Fresh fruits require little or no preparation. Dried fruits are a good choice to carry with you or to have ready in the car.
• Try these snacks ideas: unsalted pretzels or nuts mixed with raisins, graham crackers, low-fat and fat-free yogurt and frozen yogurt, popcorn with no salt or butter added, and raw vegetables.
• Choose whole grain foods to get more nutrients, including minerals and fiber. For example, choose whole-wheat bread or whole-grain cereals.
• Use fresh, frozen, or no-salt-added canned vegetables.

Remember to also reduce the salt and sodium in your diet. Try to have no more than 2000 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, with a goal of further reducing the sodium to 1500 mg per day. Three important ways to reduce sodium are:

• Use reduced-sodium or no-salt-added food products.
• Use less salt when you prepare foods and do not add salt to your food at the table.
• Read fool labels. Aim for foods that are less than 5 percent of the daily value of sodium.

• Eat a medium apple instead of four shortbread cookies. You'll save 80 calories.
• Eat 1/4 cup of dried apricots instead of a 2-ounce bag of pork rinds. You'll save 230 calories.
• Have a hamburger that's 3 ounces instead of 6 ounces. Add a 1/2 cup serving of carrots and a 1/2 cup serving of spinach. You'll save more than 200 calories.
• Instead of 5 ounces of chicken, have a stir fry with 2 ounces of chicken and 1 and 1/2 cups of raw vegetables. Use a small amount of vegetable oil. You'll save 50 calories.
• Have a 1/2 cup serving of low-fat frozen yogurt instead of a 1 and 1/2 ounce milk chocolate bar. You'll save about 110 calories.
• Use low-fat or fat-free condiments, such as fat free salad dressings.
• Eat smaller portions--cut back gradually.
• Use food labels to compare fat content in packaged foods. Items marked low-fat or fat-free may be lower in fat without being lower in calories than their regular versions.
• Limit foods with lots of added sugar, such as pies, flavored yogurts, candy bars, ice cream, sherbet, regular soft drinks, and fruit drinks.
• Drink water or club soda instead of cola or other soda drinks.