A New American Diet

The meals we Americans know and love need an overhaul, according to the latest U.S. dietary guidelines. Fast foods, the "empty" calories in desserts, sweet drinks, and more have helped to fatten the nation -- making two-thirds of adults overweight or obese. Yet, the solution is within reach: Know the worst offenders, substitute better foods, and use a few portion-control tricks -- pictured in the slides to come.

Calorie-Bomb Food Favorites

What do we really eat? It turns out that our top sources of calories start with desserts (cookies, sweet rolls, etc.); yeast breads; chicken dishes; soda/energy/sports drinks; pizza; alcohol; pasta; tortilla dishes; and beef dishes. No fruits or veggies break the top 25 -- except potato chips and fries. Many are high in fat and sugar. Chicken is often breaded and fried, nearly doubling the calories.

Eat Less

Guidelines call for most Americans to cut back on certain rich, fattening foods and ingredients. Americans get nearly 800 calories a day from just two problematic nutrients: solid fats and added sugars ("SoFAS"). We're advised to limit those, as well as fast foods, refined grains, saturated fat, and trans fats. Most people eat too much sodium (salt), which is linked to high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart and kidney disease.

Eat More

U.S. dietary guidelines call for us to replace less healthy foods with more nutritious choices. These include seafood (at least 8 ounces a week), whole grains (at least half of our grain intake), nonfat or low-fat dairy foods, lean protein, eggs, beans and, of course, fruits and vegetables. Lean protein and seafood should replace fatty meats. Healthy oils, such as olive and canola, should replace solid fats like margarine.

The Pizza Problem

Pizza ranks as a top source of calories, refined grains, saturated fat, and solid fats for adults and children – the very nutrients that many Americans need to limit. Still, dietitians suggest pizza can fit into a healthy diet with a few changes. Stop at one small slice and fill the other half of the plate with vegetables. Other tips:

• Choose a thin, whole-grain crust
• Pile on veggies and skip the meat.
• Use no cheese or just a sprinkle.

What Are Whole Grains?

A kernel of wheat, rice, barley, or other grain comes off the plant with its outer shell (the "bran") intact -- and full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The fiber is a top food for good health, helping people to feel full with fewer calories and prevent constipation. Unfortunately, to create white (refined) flour from a kernel of wheat, food makers remove the outer shell (bran), the germ, and with them, much of the fiber and vitamins.

What Are Solid Fats?

These tend to be solid at room temperature but also include liquid tropical oils. They're linked to heart disease and play an important role in the obesity epidemic, too. Examples include butter, stick margarine, the shortening used in cakes and other baked goods, and animal fats. Foods that contain solid fat include many cheeses, cream, fatty cuts of meat, bacon, and chicken skin. Oils become unhealthy solid fats when they're hydrogenated. Guidelines call for Americans to get fewer calories from solid fats.

Serving the Right Size

Sticking with moderate food portions can help you avoid eating too many calories in what researchers call our "obesogenic" environment of super-sized meals and sedentary lifestyles. You can check food labels and restaurant menus for hidden calories. And you can learn to "eyeball" your food to gauge what's too much -- and what's just right.

Shrink Your Plate to Lose Weight

The dinner plates we use at home -- and at restaurants -- are bigger than in the 1950s and '60s. A bigger plate usually means more food. If you grew up with the words "Clean your plate," you may be doing exactly that -- and risk overeating because of it.

Set Out Salad Plates

These tips will help you control how much you eat -- and reach a healthy weight.

• Eat from smaller dishes like luncheon or salad plates.
• Serve the correct portion.
• Don't go back for seconds or keep platters of food on the table.
• Store leftovers in portion-controlled amounts for other quick meals.

Eating Out? 4 Tips on Portion Size

Restaurants typically serve huge portions. If you eat out often, you need to always keep portion sizes in mind. Try these tips:

• Ask about half portions or order from the child's menu.
• If you get a full portion size, box up half your entree before you start eating.
• Share your food with your companion.
• Eat a healthy appetizer and soup or salad instead of an entrée.

Your Daily Diet

Calorie needs depend on age, gender, and activity -- from 1,600-1,800 for a sedentary woman to 2,400-2,600 for a moderately active man of average height and weight. A healthy balance of foods at these levels includes:

• Fruit (1.5-2 cups) and vegetables (2.5-3.5 cups)
• 9 ounces of grain; ½ from whole grains
• 3 cups of nonfat or low-fat dairy foods
• 5-6.5 ounces of protein (meat, beans, and at least 8 ounces of seafood per week)
• No more than 5-7 teaspoons of oils. Most should come within foods like fish and nuts, rather than as added fat.
• SoFAS Limit: 161-330 calories from solid fats and added sugars

Learn to Eyeball a Portion Size

Having a mental image of these objects helps determine normal serving sizes: A deck of cards, a poker chip, a baseball, a hockey puck, a CD, some dice, a light bulb.

When you're counting calories, it's an easy way to get a ballpark estimate. Estimating portion sizes will get you started toward weight control.

Cut That Baked Potato Down to Size

1 medium potato (2.5-3 inch wide) = the size of a computer mouse

That's equal to 1 cup of vegetables.

For weight loss, remember this: Restaurants serve giant potatoes with toppings -- which means lots of extra calories. Healthy eating tips:

• Eat a small portion, and take the rest home as leftovers.
• Choose a sweet potato. It has vitamin C, potassium, calcium, vitamin A, folate, beta-carotene

Serve the Right Amount

1 portion of pasta is ½ cup = ½ a baseball

Healthy eating tips:

• If you eat more pasta, skip the bread basket. But add those grains into your daily count.
• Use whole-grain pasta for extra fiber and satiety.
• Skip Alfredo or creamy sauces in favor of marinara.
• Use low-fat salad dressing for pasta salad.

Trim Waffles Down to Size

1 portion of pancake or waffle = the size of a CD.

That's a 1-ounce serving of grains.

Healthy eating tips:

• Order a small pancake and one egg. That's a serving each of grains and protein.
• Order whole grains (buckwheat, whole wheat) for more fiber and nutrition.
• Opt for fresh fruit or sugar-free syrup as a topping.

Your Favorites Can Fool You

Bagels and bran muffins seem like healthy eating standbys. But if they're big, start adding up the calories.

A low-fat muffin can have about 300 calories. Same for a typical big bagel. Spread on some butter or cream cheese, and you've added more fat and calories. Breakfast suddenly becomes a 500-calorie bust.

Size Is Everything at the Bakery

1 small muffin = a tennis ball

1/2 a medium bagel = a hockey puck

That's a 1-ounce serving of grains.

Healthy eating tips:

• Make it a whole-grain bagel. The high fiber will curb hunger later.
• Opt for a high-fiber English muffin to save calories.

Watch Your Dairy Servings

1 portion of cheese = four dice

That's a 1-cup serving of dairy.

Cheese is high in calcium -- and fat, including 3 teaspoons of unhealthy solid fat per serving. Try low-fat cheeses -- they have gotten better in taste and texture. But portion control is still an issue. A healthy diet for adults allows just 3 cups of nonfat or low-fat dairy.

Healthy eating tip:

• Ask for less cheese or low-fat cheese on pizza.

How Much Meat Is Enough?

A 3-ounce portion = a deck of cards or the palm of your hand (minus fingers)

Lean protein in every meal – like fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, beans – can help with weight loss, but adults only need 5-6.5 ounces in a day. So an egg at breakfast or a handful of nuts as a snack (12 almonds, 24 pistachios, or 7 walnut halves) – leaves about 3 ounces for your main meal.

Baseball-Sized Broccoli and Berries

• 1 serving of fruits or veggies = 1 baseball or the size of your fist
• 1 cup of leafy greens = 2 tennis balls

That's a 1-cup serving of fruits and vegetables.

Healthy eating tips:

• Green, red, and orange foods have lots of nutrition: Berries, red bell peppers, tomatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes.
• Dark greens are heart-healthy: Spinach, broccoli, Swiss chard, kale.

Go Slightly Nuts for Peanut Butter

1 portion or 2 tablespoons = a golf ball

That's 2 one-ounce servings of protein.

Peanut butter and jelly is great comfort food. And research shows that snacking on peanuts and peanut butter -- in controlled amounts -- is a good way to control hunger. But to avoid weight gain, you've got to exercise portion control. One 2-ounce serving size has about 190 calories and 17 grams of fat. Jelly adds more calories.

Rice Lights Up a Healthy Meal

2 portions of cooked rice = a light bulb

That's 2 servings of grains.

Rice is low-fat, low-calorie. Serve it with more healthy food -- plenty of veggies stir-fried in minimal oil.

Healthy eating tips:

• Steamed rice has fewer calories than fried rice.
• Brown rice has more fiber than white rice.
• Make sure whatever you eat with the rice isn't fried.

It's Easy to Overdo Fats and Oils

1 teaspoon = a poker chip or a stack of four dimes

That's 1 serving of fats and oils.

For weight loss, be mindful of fat. Most Americans get plenty of fat in the foods they eat -- like cooking oil, salad dressings, meats, and nuts.

Healthy eating tips:

• Use spray cooking oils instead of liquid.
• Use heart-healthy olive or canola oil instead of butter.
• Ask for vinaigrette salad dressings on the side, and use sparingly.

A Handful of Chips

1 ounce = 6 large tortilla chips, 20 potato chips, (150 calories)

Contains 2 teaspoons of oil

Chips tend to be chock-full of the nutrients we need to limit: fat, saturated fat, refined grains, and sodium. One ounce can provide nearly half of a woman's oil allotment for the day.

Healthy eating tips:

• Baked, multigrain, and vegetable chips -- like carrot and sweet potato -- have more nutrients and may have less fat.

Keeping Dessert in Proportion

1 cup ice cream = 285 calories, 3 teaspoons of solid fat

1 small scoop/dip ice cream = 88 calories

Desserts seem to be public enemy #1 in the effort to fight America's expanding waistlines – full of SoFAS, the unhealthy fats and sugars. One cup of ice cream contains 75% of the daily solid fat allowance for a sedentary woman. Other reasons to keep portions small:

• Restaurant cheesecake = 500 calories/slice
• Apple pie = 411 calories/slice

More Reading on Healthy Eating

• Nutrition: Healthy Eating
• Healthy Grocery Shopping
• Slideshow: To Buy or Not to Buy Organic
• Eating Out the Healthy Way
• Slideshow: Immune Boosting Foods
• Comparing Popular Weight Loss Diets
• Slideshow: Heart-Healthy Foods