You hear about healthy eating everywhere these days. The trend is away from fad diets and the endless variety of products designed to take those pounds off you. It is increasingly turning to clean eating that arms the body against disease and obesity. However, many people still ask the big question: what is a healthy eating plan?

It’s one thing to realize you need to eat healthy either for health or a weight problem (or both), but it’s another thing to really understand what a healthy eating plan looks like.

For example, is frozen or canned fruit acceptable, or does it need to be completely fresh? Is there really something special about organic products that justifies the much higher price? Do you have to count calories or control your portions if you’re eating all the healthy foods?

Obviously, there is a lot of confusion when it comes to eating healthy. Let’s look at the basic components of a healthy diet to get a better idea of ​​what you should eat.

The foundation of any healthy diet is going to be a lot of vegetables and fruits. Your body will get many of its vitamins and minerals from these, as well as the all-important fiber. Fresh is best and organic is even better, but you can save considerable cost by using frozen fruits and vegetables that aren’t covered in sugar, syrup or high-fat sauces.

Lean meats and other high-protein foods like tofu and beans are also an important part of a healthy diet. You just don’t need as much meat as most people assume.

Carbohydrates should never be left out. Simply opt for 100% whole grains and limit yourself to smaller portions at each meal.

The last requirement is healthy fats. Choose olive oil sprays and portion-controlled nuts over fried foods or vegetable oils.

Basically, a healthy eating plan is one that is balanced with a variety of foods that are not highly processed.