Eat the right food for your body.

• You need energy and nutrients.
• Eat a variety and not too much of any one food.

Eat the right amount of food each day.

• Don’t eat too much or too little.
• Grow at the right speed as a child.
• Keep a healthy weight as an adult.

Eat at the right times of day.

• Start your day with a healthy breakfast.
• Don’t snack all day long.
• Match the amount you eat with the activities you do.
• Don’t eat just before bed.

Check your weight every week or month.   

Ask your doctor if you need to check it more or less.

If you are UNDERWEIGHT, your body is too skinny.  You are more likely to:

• Pick up infections easily.
• Take longer to get better from infections and surgery.
• Have weaker muscles and coordination.
• Get illnesses caused by lack of vitamins or nutrients.

If you are OVERWEIGHT, your body is too heavy.  You are more likely to get:

• High blood pressure and heart disease
• Diabetes
• Kinds of cancer
• Joint problems and arthritis
• Breathing problems and sleep apnea
• Be less able to do activities that you want
• Problems with surgery or pregnancy 

• If you like sugary cereal, try unsweetened cereal or oatmeal with fruit.
• If you like soda, try sparkling water.
• If you like snack cakes or sweet rolls, try a slice of raisin toast.
• If you like canned fruit in syrup, try canned fruit in water or juice.
• If you like a sugary snack pack, try plain yogurt with fruit.

• Every package has Nutrition Facts. The label is hard for most people to understand.
• The serving size at the top (in blue) is the amount of the food the label tells us about.
• The % Daily Value (in purple) tells us how much of each nutrient is in the food.
• Foods that help you stay healthy often have low numbers for fat, cholesterol, sodium (salt), and sugars.
• Healthy foods might have high numbers for fiber or protein.