If you've been working hard to get your weight in line with healthy recommendations, congratulations on your perseverance. By now you may have mastered the energy equation by adding physical activity each day and cutting out some of those extra calories. However, that doesn't necessarily mean you're all set. Making nutritious food choices is just as important as shaping up the torso! Unfortunately, deciding what's best to eat isn't so simple right now. As we speak, researchers are chipping away at the structure of the traditional food pyramid, questioning its angle on what constitutes a "square" meal. While they're deciding what to emphasize and de-emphasize to help rebalance America's super-size mentality, let me be your guide to eating based on the latest info.

Nutrition for "Dummies"
Do you wish food came with a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" symbol to spell out visually what to eat and what to avoid? You're not alone. I often get calls from folks who want us to put all the good-for-you foods in one section of the store, featuring the very healthiest stuff in a special aisle. Sorry, it doesn't work like that. For one thing, good nutrition is relative. A food healthy in small amounts (such as 4 oz of juice) becomes unhealthy by the quart. In excess, sugar deserves to be maligned. But a little of it can ultimately boost your daily nutrition if it makes plain whole grain cereal or cruciferous-rich cabbage a little more palatable. You get the idea.

The Big Picture
Nutrition researchers today consider the overall food patterns and the totality of disease risks as they compare Okinawa to Oslo. This wide-angle view of regional health and dietary variations allows scientists to consider why some populations enjoy exceptional longevity while others do not.

They've learned that no single nutrient or food is likely to make or break your health. This knowledge has allowed researchers to test combinations of foods (a.k.a. meal patterns) such as the DASH Diet to help lower blood pressure. Turns out that adding fruits, veggies and low fat dairy products is far more powerful than previous diets focused only on sodium.

Nor is one disease such a threat that it should be avoided at all cost: for instance, what good is bolstering your diet against osteoporosis if you end up keeling over from a heart attack? All body systems are important. It's smart to cover the bases nutritionally, even though the science is still evolving.

The Pyramid Puzzle
The current controversy surrounding the Food Guide Pyramid makes it a little tricky to decide what the heck to eat on a daily basis for optimal health. Though the USDA promises that a new version of it will come out in the next year or two, I'm putting a stake in the ground here and now. I'm basing my recommendations what I've been reading lately in credible sources about good foods. Just be aware that we're still learning, so it's all subject to change.

The Bare Necessities of Healthy Eating
While the chart below isn't meant to represent the be-all and end-all of what you need to eat, it offers a variety of foods to provide protection from disease. Consider it a bare-bones outline of healthy eating for most adults.