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Photo of smiling couple with vegetables in the background. Text reads: Eat a lot more plants..

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Nutrition Tips

Eating nutritious foods that you enjoy can improve your overall health. A balanced eating pattern includes mostly whole and minimally processed foods and lots of plants. This can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Food can also be a source of joy and connection to community, culture, and spirituality. Use the tips below to support health, joy, and social connection in your life.

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Eat Nutritious Meals on a Budget

There are many resources in NYC to help you access nutritious food on a limited budget. See below for a list of food access programs that are available if you need them.

Make a Plan

Plan your meals and snacks and make a list before shopping for food.

Eat More Plants

Eating patterns that focus on whole or minimally processed plant foods are good for your health. They also help our planet by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This means eating mostly foods from plants (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, lentils) and fewer animal foods. This eating pattern can fit into different food cultures and taste preferences. It can be vegan, vegetarian, or part of a diet that includes animal proteins.

Eat more proteins from plants, such as beans, peas, lentils, seeds and nuts. These protein sources are part of many traditional dishes, and they have less saturated fat than many animal proteins. Choosing them more often may help create a healthier planet.

Fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables. This will help to lower your risk of heart disease and some cancers and will make your plate more colorful and flavorful. Fresh, frozen, dried and low-sodium canned vegetables and fruits all provide nutrients that are good for your body.

Choose Whole and Minimally Processed Foods and Drinks More Often

Eating mostly whole and minimally processed foods can help you stay healthy. Choose these foods when you can.

Some processing of foods is important, like freezing vegetables or milling grains into flour, and can make food more convenient, shelf stable, affordable and easier to cook and eat.

However, some processed foods may be changed so much that they don’t look anything like their original whole ingredients. These “ultra-processed” foods can have high amounts of added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat, as well as artificial colors and preservatives. Eating high amounts of added sugar, sodium, or saturated fat is associated with chronic disease.

Food and drink companies have made ultra-processed foods widely available, convenient, and cheap. They have also heavily marketed and designed them so they are more appealing. Many people depend on these foods because they do not have time, money, or other resources to buy and prepare more whole foods. Access to whole and minimally processed foods also varies across neighborhoods. While it might not be possible to avoid ultra-processed foods, these foods can have a place in a balanced eating pattern alongside whole and minimally processed foods.

Here are some ideas that might help you have a more balanced, nutritious, and delicious eating pattern:

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