"Consume a variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages within and among the basic food groups." 

To follow this guideline you need to know what a “nutrient-dense” food is.  A nutrient-dense food is one that supplies a significant amount of the six nutrients (carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals, and water) for the number of calories consumed. For example, an apple is nutrient-dense because you get carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water for less than 100 calories. A can of coke, on the other hand, is not; you consume only added sugar, caffeine, preservatives and water for 160 calories.

When you’re trying to figure out the nutrient density of a food, a good rule-of-thumb is to ask yourself how processed a food is. In general, the more “whole” a food is, or the closer it is to its “natural” form, the more nutrient-dense it will be. For example, a potato is more nutrient-dense than a bag of potato chips.

If you follow this guideline and opt for nutrient-dense foods you’ll find that you feel fuller for less calories. This helps with weight control. Follow these quick tips for choosing nutrient-dense foods:

• Limit packaged foods
• Choose less processed foods, e.g. choose wholegrain bread instead of white bread, or bean soup instead of a fast-food burrito
• Choose orange juice with pulp instead of orange punch
• Choose unfiltered apple juice instead of apple drink
• Avoid soda or beverages such as Kool-Aid
• Read the ingredient list on packaged foods. Look for natural ingredients and avoid foods where fat or added sugar is one of the first three ingredients.

"To maintain a body weight in a healthy range, balance calories from foods and beverages with calories expended."

“Calories expended”? Sound like you’re doing your monthly budget? Actually, that’s a great way to apply this crucial guideline – only in this case you don’t want to save anything; this is strictly an expense account! 

Every day you have a certain “budget” in your “calorie account”. This is the number of calories you need to live and grow at a healthy weight and is based on factors such as gender, age, height, and weight. It usually ranges from 1200 to 2000 calories per day. Your aim is to keep that calorie account as balanced as possible. So, if you spend a few extra calories, i.e. by exercising more than usual, you can top off your account by eating some more. If, on the other hand you add more calories to your account by eating too much, you need to go out and spend the extras on some exercise!

These tips should help you with your calorie budgeting:

• Use a Food and Exercise Diary to record how many calories you consume, and how many you expend through exercising – kind of like a bank statement. Remember to record your snacks and drinks as well.
• Eat smaller portions. Large portion sizes mean more calories. This is an easy way to reduce the amount of calories you consume.
• Don’t consume all your calories in one meal. Eat 3-5 small meals throughout the day instead.