1. Eat a variety of nutrient rich foods.You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health, and no single food supplies them all.2. Enjoy plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.Surveys show most Americans don't eat enough of these foods.3. Maintain a healthy weight.The weight that's right for you depends on many factors including your sex, height, age and heredity.4. Eat moderate portions.If you keep portion sizes reasonable, it's easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy. 5. Eat regular meals.Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in overeating. 6. Reduce, don't eliminate certain foods.Most people eat for pleasure, as well as nutrition.7. Balance your food choices over time.Not every food has to be 'perfect'. When eating a food high in fat, salt or sugar, select other foods that are low in these ingredients.
2. Know your diet pitfalls.To improve your eating habits, you first have to know what's wrong with them. Write down everything you eat for three days. 9. Make changes gradually.Just as there are no 'super foods' or easy answers to a health diet, don't expect to totally revamp your eating habits overnight.10. Remember, foods are not good or bad.Select foods based on your total eating patterns, not whether any individual food is 'good' or 'bad'.

Eating fresh food, cooking your own meals and having the company of friends are some of the ten steps to a healthy eating plan, published in the Dietary Guidelines for Brazilians, commissioned by the Ministry of Health. The guidelines were chosen the best of the world by Vox, a major news website in the U.S. The tips are featured in a special section of Jornal do Senado, a daily paper from the Brazilian Senate. Watch the ten steps in this animation.