Good nutrition is one of the keys to good health. This means making sure you regularly eat foods that have a lot of vitamins and minerals in them, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low- or nonfat dairy.

Do I need to change what I eat?

If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you may need to talk about nutrition with your doctor:

Has your doctor talked with you about a medical problem or a risk factor, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol?

* Did your doctor tell you that this condition could be improved by better nutrition?

* Do diabetes, cancer, heart disease or osteoporosis run in your family?

* Are you overweight?

* Do you have questions about what kinds of foods you should eat or whether you should take vitamins?

* Do you think that you would benefit from seeing a nutritionist? (A nutritionist is a registered dietitian who specializes in nutrition counseling.)

Won't it be hard to change my eating habits?

Probably, but even very small changes can improve your health considerably. The key is to keep trying to eat the right foods and stay in touch with your doctor and nutritionist, so they know how you are doing. Here are a few suggestions that can improve your eating habits:

* Find the strong points and weak points in your current diet. Do you eat 4 1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables every day? Do you get enough calcium? Do you eat whole-grain, high-fiber foods regularly? If so, you're on the right track! Keep it up. If not, try adding more of these foods to your daily diet.
* Make small, slow changes, instead of trying to make large, fast changes. Small changes will be easier to make and stick with.

* Keep track of your food intake by writing down what you eat and drink every day. This record will help you see if you need to eat more from any food groups (such as fruits, vegetables or dairy products) or if you need to eat less of a good group (such as processed or high-fat foods).

* Think about asking for help from a nutritionist if you haven't already done so, especially if you have a medical problem that requires you to follow a special diet.

Can I trust nutrition information I get from newspapers and magazines?

Nutrition tips and diets from different sources often conflict with each other. You should always check with your doctor first. Also, keep in mind this advice:

* There is no "magic bullet" when it comes to nutrition. Short-term diets may help you lose weight, but they are difficult to keep up and may even be unhealthy in the long run.

* Good nutrition doesn't come in a vitamin pill. Only take a vitamin with your doctor's recommendation, as your body benefits the most from eating healthy, whole foods.

* Eating a variety of foods is best for your body, so try new foods!
* Stories from people who have used a diet program or product, especially in commercials and infomercials, are advertisements. These people are usually paid to endorse what the advertisement is selling. Remember, regained weight or other problems that develop after someone has completed the program are never talked about in those ads.

What changes can I make now in my diet?

Almost everyone can benefit from cutting back on unhealthy fat. If you currently eat a lot of fat, try just one or two of the following changes, or those suggested in our handout on healthier food choices:

* Rather than frying meat, try baking, grilling or broiling. Take the skin off before eating chicken or turkey. Eat fish at least once a week.

* Cut back on extra fat, such as butter or margarine on bread, sour cream on baked potatoes, and salad dressings. Use low-fat or nonfat versions of these condiments.

* Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables both with your meals and as snacks.

* When eating away from home, watch out for "hidden" fats (such as that in salad dressing and desserts) and larger portion sizes.

* Read the nutrition labels on foods before you buy them. If you need help reading the labels, ask your doctor or your nutritionist.

* Drink no- or low-calorie beverages, such as water, unsweetened tea and diet soda.

Balanced nutrition and regular exercise are good for your health, even if your weight never changes. Try to set goals that you have a good chance of reaching, such as making one of the small changes listed above or walking more in your daily life.

好身體的關鍵是要有好營養。這意味著你要保證有規律地吃富含維生素和礦物質的食物，例如，水果，蔬菜，粗糧，低脂或脫脂的牛奶。
我需要換換口味嗎？

如果你回答以下的問題的答案都是“是”的話，那你就要去找一下醫生好好談一下營養問題了。

* 你的醫生有沒有跟你談過一些關于疾病問題及危險因素，如高血壓或高膽固醇？

* 你的醫生是否有跟你說過你的這種健康狀況應該通過補充營養素來改善？

* 你的家人有沒有犯過糖尿病、癌癥、心臟病或骨質疏松？

* 你是否超重？

* 你是否有不知道自己應該吃什么樣的食物或自己應該吃些什么維生素等問題？

* 你是否認為咨詢營養學家你可以從中受益（營養學家是專業于營養咨詢方面的已注冊的營養師。）？

改變吃的習慣會不會很難呢？

這是可能的，但即使一個小小的改變都可以在一定程度上提高你的健康狀況。關鍵是堅持以健康的食物為食，以及及時與你的醫生和營養醫生保持聯系以保證他們知道你的進展。以下有4條建議，希望能對您在改善飲食方面有所幫助：

* 找出你當前飲食習慣中好的方面和壞的方面。你是否每天喝4~5杯水果蔬菜汁？你每天的鈣足夠嗎？你有沒有經常吃粗糧，高纖維的食物？如果有，那恭喜你，這是健康的，請堅持！如果沒有，請試著在每餐多增加一些以上提及的食物。

* 循序漸進，慢慢地從小的改變開始，切記不要一下子改變太多。因為小變化比較容易實現和堅持。

* 記錄你每天的飲食情況。這些記錄可以幫你了解自己是否需要增加其他類型的食物（例如水果，蔬菜或乳產品）或減少一些美食的攝入（例如深加工或高脂肪的食物）。

* 如果你沒有按健康的飲食習慣，特別是你有某些需要遵循特別飲食的疾病，請考慮一下向你的營養師尋求幫助。

報紙和雜志上的營養信息能不能信？

不同的人營養飲食建議都是不同的，還有可能會適得其反。首先，你應該跟醫生了解情況。同時請記住以下建議：

* 提及營養，是沒有“靈丹妙藥”的。短期膳食可能會幫你減肥，但是很難保持體重，甚至可能是不健康的。

* 好的營養素不只是維生素。只有當你的飲食全面、健康，才能只服用醫生建議服用的維生素片。

* 飲食多樣性是對身體有益的。所以，多“嘗試”，多健康。

* 那些用過某飲食療程或某產品的人（特別是在有商業性質的專題廣告里），都是廣告商的“托兒”。這些人通常都是持“廣告賣什么，他們就認同什么”的態度。記住，體重反彈等完成療程后會出現的問題，在廣告里都沒有說過。

我可以在飲食方面改變什么？

減肥對幾乎每個人都是百益而無一害的。如果你現在還在大口大口地吃油膩的東西，請嘗試以下一兩種改變或關于健康食品選擇的建議：

* 肉，與其炸著吃，不如烤著吃。在吃雞或火雞時先把皮去掉。每周保證有一餐魚肉進膳。

* 去掉多余的肥脂，例如面包上的黃油或人造黃油，烤土豆里的酸奶油，還有沙拉漿。盡量使用低脂或脫脂的上述食品。

* 每餐和點心應吃較多的果蔬。

* 如果在外吃飯，那就要小心那些隱藏的肥脂（例如沙拉和甜點）和食過量。

* 在買食品時，要仔細閱讀食品上的營養標簽。你也可以咨詢你的醫師和營養師關于標簽上的營養問題。

* 喝無或低熱量的飲料，例如水，無糖的茶或蘇打水。

營養均衡和有規律的運動對身體是有益的即使你的體重沒有改變。嘗試設定一個較為容易達到的目標，例如做一個以上列出過的小改變，或者是每天多步行。