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cholesterol and benefit the heart. Choose avocado, olive, soy, canola, corn, sunflower, peanut, and other oils, and do without partially hydrogenated oils that have trans fats. Also limit butter. Harvard’s plan does not dictate how many calories people should get from healthy types of fat. Water, coffee, or tea. Drink water, which is naturally calorie free, or coffee and tea with little or no sugar. Avoid sugary drinks. Limit milk and dairy to one or two servings a day, because eating too much dairy leads to a higher risk of developing prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer. Limit juice, even 100 percent fruit juice, to one small glass a day, as it has as much sugar as soda. Stay active. Staying active, combined with a healthy diet of modest portions, is the secret to controlling one’s weight. How the USDA’s MyPlate Falls Short The Harvard Healthy Eating Plate sought to address the shortcomings of the USDA MyPlate. These flaws include the following: Treats all proteins equally. The USDA’s MyPlate allows any type of protein, even hamburgers and hot dogs. It was revised to recommend that adults eat at least 8 ounces of cooked seafood each week, but it still doesn’t warn that red and processed meat are harmful to one’s health. Includes potatoes with other vegetables. MyPlate includes potatoes in the same category as other vegetables, despite potatoes causing spikes in blood sugar. Doesn’t distinguish between healthy and unhealthy fats. For decades, the USDA recommended low-fat meals and said nothing about unhealthy types of fat or the dangers of low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets, which contribute to weight gain and increase blood cholesterol.

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How to Eat a Balanced Diet