Mike Kemp for Getty Images
Mike Kemp for Getty Images

You can be healthy even if you indulge in some favorite foods that aren’t exactly on the “recommended” list. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends applying the “GO, SLOW, WHOA” approach to your daily eating habits. Every food gets one of those three labels.

 

Within reason, you can eat a lot of “GO” foods, because they pack a lot of nutrition. GO foods include:

  • Fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Whole-grain cereals, breads and pastas
  • Fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese
  • Fat-trimmed and lean meats
  • Fish
  • Beans
  • Water

SLOW foods should be eaten less often and include:

  • Non-whole-grain bread, rice and pasta
  • Peanut butter
  • Granola
  • Pretzels
  • Fruit juices

Then you have the WHOA foods. We all know what they are! Once in a while it’s okay to have french fries, whole milk, full-fat cheese, hot dogs, fried fish and chicken, cookies, candy and soda.

 

When a fast-food restaurant is your only option, NIH recommends going for salads, sandwiches without cheese, fruit instead of fries and grilled options instead of frying.

 

 

 

 

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