Healthy Eating for Weight Loss

Written by Emily Halnon
Medically Reviewed by Christine Mikstas, RD, LD on April 28, 2025
9 min read

Most health experts recommend that you eat a balanced, healthy diet to maintain or lose weight. But you’re probably wondering, what exactly is a healthy diet?

“A healthy, balanced diet includes a variety of foods that provide all the essential nutrients your body needs to function well,” says Amy Kimberlain, MS, RDN, CDCES, a Miami-based registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The major food groups and essential nutrients include:

  • Fruits and vegetables (such as kale, spinach, broccoli, red peppers, berries, and citrus fruits)
  • Proteins (found in chicken, fish, milk, and eggs)
  • Healthy fats (found in avocado, nuts, salmon, tuna, and oils)
  • Whole grains (such as oats, quinoa, and whole wheat bread)
  • Vitamins (such as vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K)
  • Minerals (such as calcium, potassium, and iron)
  • Water (both in what you drink and what’s naturally in foods)

Whether you’re dieting or not, everyone needs a mix of nutrients, ideally from foods, because they include what your body needs to stay healthy. According to Kimberlain, a general rule to follow is to:

  • fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables

  • split the other half between whole grains and lean protein

  • add in a healthy fat and drink water with your meal 

It’s important to remember that everyone has different nutritional needs, so your plate may look different than your friend’s, Kimberlain says. “Each person will have individualized goals based on various factors, like age, activity level, and health goals, so it’s important to discuss them with a registered dietitian or nutritionist to create an individualized plan based on their needs,” she says. 

A good resource to plan meals is MyPlate, which makes it easy to map out just how much of each food type to include.

“To use healthy foods for weight loss, focus on nutrient-dense, high-fiber meals that keep you full and satisfied,” Kimberlain says. The best way to eat healthy foods is to think about what you need to add to your diet instead of restricting yourself, she says.

Exactly how many calories you should get per day depends on your goals, your age, your sex, and how active you are. Cutting your calories too much can make your diet hard to stick with and may not give you the nutrients your body needs. A dietitian can help you figure out the right plan for you.

Other helpful tips include:

  • Drink water as your main beverage. 
  • Choose nonfat or 1% milk instead of 2% or whole milk. Plant-based milk, like soy or almond milk, is also a great choice. 
  • Pick lean meat instead of fatty meat.
  • Select breads and cereals that are made with whole grains.
  • Replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats, like olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, when you can. Omega-3s, which you can get from fatty fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts, are especially good fats.
  • Don't  feel that you have to completely avoid all foods that have fat, cholesterol, or sodium. It's your average over a few days, not in a single food or even a single meal, that's important.
  • Check the food labels on packaged foods to help you budget fat, cholesterol, and sodium over several days.
  • Cook at home to manage what you’re eating. Have healthy snacks on hand, like baby carrots, fruit, and yogurt, so you choose them instead of processed and packaged foods. Make a shopping list and don’t go to the grocery store hungry.
  • Keep added sugar and salt to a minimum. 

In addition to eating healthy, aim to move more, get good sleep, and reduce stress, Kimberlain says. 

 

Calories are a measurement, like an inch or a tablespoon. They note how much energy is released when your body breaks down food. The more calories a food has, the more energy it can provide to the body.

When you eat more calories than you need, your body stores the extra calories as fat. Even low-carb and fat-free foods can have a lot of calories that can be stored as fat. 

Try to be mindful of your portion sizes and listen to your hunger cues to help you eat what you need to stay full between meals, Kimberlain says.

 If you eat a high-calorie food or meal, balance your intake by choosing low-calorie foods the rest of the day or the next day. Also, it’s best that you don’t skip meals, as that can cause overeating at your next one. 

Proteins help repair and maintain your body, including muscle. You can get protein in all types of food. Good sources include fish, meat, poultry, eggs, cheese, nuts, beans, and other legumes.

Your body needs some fat. But most Americans get too much of it, which makes high cholesterol and heart disease more likely.

There are several types of fats:

Saturated fats. These are found in cheese, meat, whole-fat dairy products, butter, and palm and coconut oils. You should limit these. Depending on whether you have certain health conditions like high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes. A dietitian or your doctor can let you know your limit.

Polyunsaturated fats. These include omega-3 fatty acids (found in soybean oil, canola oil, walnuts, flaxseed, and fish, including trout, herring, and salmon) and omega-6 fatty acids (found in soybean oil, corn oil, and safflower oil).

Monounsaturated fats. These come from plant sources. They’re found in nuts, vegetable oil, canola oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, and avocado.

Cholesterol. This is another type of fat found in foods that come from animals.

Trans fat. Some trans fat is naturally found in fatty meat and dairy products. Artificial trans fats have been widely used in packaged baked goods and microwave popcorn. They’re bad for heart health, so avoid them as much as possible. Although trans fats are less common in recent years, you can still look at the nutrition facts label to see how much trans fat is in an item. Know that something that says “0 g trans fat” may actually have up to half a gram of trans fat in it. So, always check the ingredients list: If it mentions “partially hydrogenated” oils, those are trans fats.

Carbohydrates give your body fuel in the form of glucose, which is a type of sugar. Some research suggests at least 25% of total daily carbs in your diet is needed to get the energy your body needs.The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend getting about 45% to 65% of total daily calories from carbohydrates. 

Most Americans eat too many carbohydrates, especially processed carbs, which can lead to obesity, prediabetes, and diabetes.

Some carbs are rich in nutrients. Those include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Other carbs are sugary and starchy, and not high in nutrients, so you should limit those. These include candy, pastries, cookies, chips, soft drinks, and fruit drinks.

Vitamins help with chemical reactions in the body. In general, vitamins must come from the diet; the body doesn’t make them.

There are 13 essential vitamins. Your body can store vitamins A, D, E, and K, and it can be a problem if you get too much of them. Vitamin C and the B vitamins don’t build up in your body, so you need to keep getting them regularly in your diet.

Like vitamins, minerals must come from the diet. Your body needs them, but it can’t make them.

You need more of some minerals (such as calcium, potassium, and iron) than others. For instance, you need only small amounts of the minerals zinc, selenium, and copper.

Water has no calories or nutrients, but it keeps you hydrated. It also makes up about 50%-70% of body weight. You can drink water or get it from foods that naturally have water in them, like fruits and vegetables.

Are smoothies healthy?

How healthy a smoothie is depends on how you make them. “Smoothies can be created to be more satisfying and nutrient-dense, depending on the portion size and ingredients used,” says Kimberlain. 

To increase your smoothie’s benefits you can try mixing in:

  • Protein (like Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts, and nut butter).
  • Fruit (fresh or frozen adds good nutrients and natural sweetness).
  • Vegetables (such as leafy greens, which add nutrients without changing the taste)
  • Milk or a plant-based alternative (like oat milk).   

 

 

Aim to build all three of your meals around the essential nutrients you need every day, including lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. Try to mix up the colors on your plate and the types of food you’re eating to get a wide variety of nutrients. The best general guideline is to fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables and split the other half between lean protein and whole grains.  

“The best meals share a few key traits: balanced, satisfying, nutrient-dense, and calorie-conscious without being restrictive,” Kimberlain says.  

Here are a few meal plan ideas and foods to add to your plate based on nutrients you’d like to add to your diet:

  • Lean proteins, which are a filling and muscle-building source of food
    • Breakfast - eggs or nonfat yogurt 
    • Lunch - sandwich with turkey and low fat cheese
    • Dinner - grilled chicken or tofu, fish, or beans 
  • Fruits and vegetables, which are high in fiber and nutrients 
    • Breakfast - spinach and bell pepper omelette or scramble with a side of berries or citrus fruits
    • Lunch - salad with spinach or kale, turkey sandwich with bell peppers and tomato, with baby carrots and hummus on the side
    • Dinner - steamed or roasted broccoli, bell peppers, and zucchini
  • Whole grain carbohydrates, which give you lots of energy for your day  
    • Breakfast -whole-grain toast or oatmeal
    • Lunch - whole-grain sandwich bread or brown rice as a base for your meal
    • Dinner - a side of sweet potatoes or quinoa
  • Healthy fats, which help your food taste better and help you stay full between meals 
    • Breakfast - eggs with olive oil, avocado toast 
    • Lunch - leafy green salad with avocado and oil-based salad dressings  
    • Dinner - salmon or tuna, prepared with olive oil 

A healthy, balanced diet is made up of a wide variety of foods that provide all the essential nutrients, which include fruits and vegetables, proteins, healthy fats, whole grains, vitamins and minerals, and water. Everyone has different needs with nutrition. Working with a dietician can help you reach the best plan for your individual needs.

What is the healthiest meal for losing weight? There isn’t a single “healthiest meal” for weight loss, but the best meals are “balanced, satisfying, nutrient-dense, and calorie-conscious without being restrictive,” Kimberlain says. 

What is the best diet plan for weight loss? It’s best to aim for slow weight loss versus quick results. Try to choose one healthy habit, like eating more lean protein or walking a mile a day, and add that into your life before moving onto the next small goal. Little by little, it will add up to major wins, she says.  

How to lose 10 kg in 10 days? It might be possible to lose 10 kg in 10 days, but it’s not recommended. The weight loss will probably be temporary and quick-fix diets often work because you lose water and muscle mass, whereas you really want to be burning fat and keeping (or building) your muscles. 

What is the 30-30-30 rule for weight loss? The 30-30-30 plan involves eating 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of getting out of bed and then exercising for 30 minutes through cardio. The idea is that it may help you stay full for longer and feel more energized, but there’s no research to support this approach.