Between the misleading marketing claims, seemingly perpetual stream of new fad diets, and assigning of morality to foods (think: "good" vs. "bad"), developing an accurate understanding of nutrition and healthy eating can feel damn near impossible. Plus, there's an overall lack of accessible education on the topic, with U.S. students receiving less than eight hours of nutrition education each year when 40 to 50 hours are needed to affect behavior change, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And that's if you even learned about nutrition in school at all — the CDC notes that the percentage of schools requiring lessons on nutrition dropped from around 85 percent in 2000 to 74 percent in 2014. Given all of these factors, it's not surprising that many people don't know the first thing about taking care of their body's basic nutrition needs, let alone how to fuel it for optimal performance.
But learning the fundamentals of nutrition and how to optimize what you eat for your wellbeing should be available to everyone. Nutrition is not one-size-fits-all, and learning how to eat healthfully doesn't have to take the joy out of food. That's where this nutrition guide comes in.
Whether you're in need of an overall healthy eating education or just looking for a refresher course on macronutrients, this guide has you covered. It will first help you lay the groundwork for a comprehensive understanding of healthy eating and then walk you through putting these principles into practice in your daily life — solo or with the help of an expert. Once you feel equipped with the necessary tools to start eating well, you can also expand your knowledge about the mental, emotional, and cultural significance of the foods you choose to consume.
Bottom line: This nutrition guide will endow you with the education, tools, and confidence to figure out how to eat healthy in a way that's best for you. Hopefully, this handy guide will help you navigate what healthy eating and good nutrition look and taste like for you today, tomorrow, and for life. Keep scrolling to get started on your healthy eating journey.
The Basics of Nutrition
Consider this your freshman seminar on nutrition. Here, you'll learn about the concepts and principles that will help you establish a strong foundational understanding of nutrition on top of which you'll be able to build sustainable healthy eating habits. Learn about the undisputed basic guidelines of healthy eating supported by experts and scientists, the most crucial healthy eating habits you should adopt before trying anything else, and the biggest nutrition mistakes to avoid, according to pros.