{"id":135716,"date":"2024-11-17T14:27:13","date_gmt":"2024-11-17T18:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=135716"},"modified":"2025-10-03T10:18:54","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T14:18:54","slug":"how-to-make-healthy-food-choices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make Healthy Food Choices: Simple Ways to Sort It Out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What&#8217;s the real difference between whole foods and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-food-processed\/\">processed foods<\/a>? Why do some nutrition experts recommend eating primarily plant-based meals?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making healthy food choices doesn&#8217;t have to be complicated. Leading nutrition experts agree on the basics when it comes to selecting foods that support optimal health. Their recommendations focus on choosing whole, plant-based foods while limiting processed items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Continue reading to learn how to make healthy food choices with simple strategies from experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: This article is part of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/personal-life\/health\/mental\/understanding-habits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shortform\u2019s guide to habits<\/a>. If you like what you read here, there\u2019s plenty more to check out in the guide!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-making-healthy-food-choices\">Making Healthy Food Choices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In Western culture, you might find yourself overwhelmed by food industry ads, diet fads, and popular science articles about the latest superfoods. It can be difficult to keep up with what foods are \u201cgood\u201d and \u201cbad\u201d\u2014especially when these labels seem to change every week. Despite these mixed messages about nutrition, many experts agree: If you want to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-improve-physical-health\/\">improve your physical health<\/a>, making healthy food choices can be boiled down to two simple guidelines:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Adopt a largely whole-food, plant-based diet.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Avoid highly processed and high-sugar foods.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>In his book <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/in-defense-of-food\"><em>In Defense of Food<\/em><\/a>, Michael Pollan shares advice on <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/in-defense-of-food#saying-goodbye-to-the-western-diet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">how to make healthy food choices<\/a>. It includes his recommendation to eat green plants as well as a few other nuances to maximize physical health. Here are the key points to remember:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Eat only real food (meaning whole foods).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eat more green plants, making vegetables a main dish and meat a side dish.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to consume a variety of nutrients.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eat wild plants and game, which are high in nutrients.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Don\u2019t <\/em>eat food with more than five ingredients or containing high-fructose corn syrup.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid foods with health claims. Real food doesn\u2019t typically come in packages, and when it does, it often doesn\u2019t need a label expressing how healthy it is.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid industrialized meats and produce.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In his book <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/how-not-to-die\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>How Not to Die<\/em><\/a>, Michael Greger applies similar principles but recommends simplifying your food choices by <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/how-not-to-die#diet-by-traffic-light\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">visualizing categories as a traffic light<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cGreen foods\u201d are unprocessed plant foods: <\/strong>Unprocessed means nothing bad is added and nothing good is taken away. You can eat unlimited amounts of these foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cYellow foods\u201d are processed plant foods and unprocessed animal foods: <\/strong>Processed means something bad is added or something good is taken away. For example, drinking almond milk is worse than eating almonds. Ideally, you\u2019d replace yellow foods with their corresponding green foods, which are more nutritious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cRed foods\u201d are ultra-processed plant foods and processed animal foods: <\/strong>Ultra-processed food means that many ingredients have been added and many good nutrients have been taken away. Eat red foods sparingly. It\u2019s OK to eat these in small amounts if they help you eat more green foods (such as bacon bits or hot sauce with vegetables).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-caveats-food-sources-and-bio-individuality\">Caveats: Food Sources and Bio-Individuality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While Pollan, Greger, and the Campbells (<a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-china-study\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The China Study<\/em><\/a>) generally advocate eating mostly plant-based whole foods, they also mention a couple of caveats to keep in mind to ensure those foods are optimally healthy. These caveats include considering the source of your food and your unique biological needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-consider-the-source-how-soil-health-and-crop-diversity-affect-nutrition\">Consider the Source: How Soil Health and Crop Diversity Affect Nutrition<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Pollan asserts that, when one aspect of the food chain is disrupted, it <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/in-defense-of-food#five-shifts-that-changed-the-relationship-between-humans-and-food\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">affects the entire food chain<\/a>. This means that, <strong>if the soil is unhealthy, the plants grown in it will be unhealthy, as will the humans who eat the plants<\/strong>. This principle explains how industrialized agriculture has <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/in-defense-of-food#2-the-simplification-of-food\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contributed to less nutritious produce<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After World War II, farmers began adding nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to soil to increase the rate of plant growth. At the same time, farms that once raised a diverse species of crops and livestock started growing mostly corn and soybeans. Both actions created plants lacking in nutrients.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When plant growth speeds up, Pollan explains, they have less time to soak up nutrients. And with fertilizer readily available, plant roots have no need to dig deep, where they would normally absorb minerals beneficial to both plants and humans. This not only makes the foods less nutritious but also makes plants more susceptible to pests and disease, which require the use of pesticides to fix. <strong>The pesticides seep into the plants and are digested as toxins in the body<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/silent-spring\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Silent Spring<\/em><\/a>, biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson details the many <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/silent-spring#specific-effects-of-pesticides\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">negative effects of pesticides on animal and human populations<\/a>, including an increased risk of cancer, genetic damage, and reproductive issues as well as more acute health problems like nerve damage, vomiting, and diarrhea.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the problem of soil health,<strong> reducing the ecological diversity of farms to one or two crops means less diversity in the nutrients going back into the soil<\/strong>. Pollan writes that the human body requires a myriad of minerals and nutrients to function properly, and two species alone are unlikely to provide all of them, especially when those species are industrially grown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of these factors, Pollan recommends <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/plant-based-eating\/\">eating plant-based<\/a> foods from a <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/in-defense-of-food\/chapter-9#gardening\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">home-grown garden or local farm with healthy soil<\/a> (free of pesticides and industrial-grade fertilizer), <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/in-defense-of-food\/chapter-8#rule-3-be-a-smarter-omnivore\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">eating diverse foods<\/a> to get a wider range of nutrients, and eating wild foods, which <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/in-defense-of-food\/chapter-8#wild-foods-are-good-foods\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tend to be more nutritious than domesticated crops<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-consider-bio-individual-needs\">Consider Bio-Individual Needs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The second caveat to the food recommendations we\u2019ve discussed is the need to consider your unique biological needs. <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/in-defense-of-food\/chapter-3#studying-nutrients-instead-of-food\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Everyone\u2019s body is different<\/a>, Pollan writes, and there are inherent physical differences that can either support or hinder nutritional health. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>People have genetically predisposed metabolisms that break food down in different ways and at various speeds.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some bodies break down fats in a way that always leads to high cholesterol regardless of what they eat.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Digestive systems vary in ecology, so they digest and process calories differently.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>No human is a robot that reacts to food in the same way every time, Pollan says. Your body is constantly adjusting to your environment, and the science on the physiological makeup of the digestive system is incomplete. Based on this, we can infer that there\u2019s no single correct way to eat all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/intuitive-eating\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Intuitive Eating<\/em><\/a>, nutritionists and researchers Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch also argue that by <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/intuitive-eating\/1-page-summary#part-2-promote-food-harmony-by-tuning-into-your-bodys-needs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tuning into your internal cues<\/a> about when you\u2019re hungry and full and what foods you crave, you can naturally fulfill your nutritional needs <em>and<\/em> eat foods that make you feel better.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on these two perspectives, it may be most beneficial to <strong>experiment with your diet to identify plant-based whole foods that support your physical health <\/strong><strong><em>and<\/em><\/strong><strong> feel good and satisfying to you.<\/strong> For example, if you feel like eating something sweet, you might apply the principles from these experts by opting for a sweet fruit like strawberries or a banana\u2014plant-based whole foods that\u2019ll also fulfill your craving.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-exercise-reflect-on-how-your-diet-impacts-your-physical-health\">Exercise: Reflect on How Your Diet Impacts Your Physical Health<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts advocate a two-pronged approach to eating well: eating more plant-based whole foods and fewer processed and high-sugar foods. In this exercise, you\u2019ll reflect on what you typically eat and how those foods might be impacting your physical health. Then you\u2019ll start planning how to incorporate more plant-based, whole foods into your diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How do you feel physically on days when you eat more processed foods than whole foods? For example, on days full of processed foods you might experience symptoms like stress, food cravings, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/brain-fog-after-covid\/\">brain fog<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How do you feel physically on days when you eat more plant-based, whole foods? For example, you might feel like you have more energy or feel satisfied without eating as much food.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What are three of your favorite plant-based, whole foods? How could you incorporate more of them into your regular eating habits? For example, if you enjoy eating fruit, you might buy a bag of apples at the beginning of the week so you can eat one every day with breakfast.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brainstorm convenient places to find high-quality plant-based, whole foods\u2014free of pesticides and other contaminants. Write down a few places where you might find food that\u2019s optimal for your physical health, such as your garden (or a friend\u2019s) or a local farmer\u2019s market.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What&#8217;s the real difference between whole foods and processed foods? Why do some nutrition experts recommend eating primarily plant-based meals? Making healthy food choices doesn&#8217;t have to be complicated. Leading nutrition experts agree on the basics when it comes to selecting foods that support optimal health. Their recommendations focus on choosing whole, plant-based foods while limiting processed items. Continue reading to learn how to make healthy food choices with simple strategies from experts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":135728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,16],"tags":[1665],"class_list":["post-135716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","category-health","tag-the-master-guides-eating-to-improve-physical-wellness","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Make Healthy Food Choices: Simple Ways to Sort It Out - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Making healthy food choices isn&#039;t as complicated as it might seem; leading experts agree on the basics. Learn how to choose the right foods.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Make Healthy Food Choices: Simple Ways to Sort It Out\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Making healthy food choices isn&#039;t as complicated as it might seem; leading experts agree on the basics. Learn how to choose the right foods.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-17T18:27:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-03T14:18:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-selecting-product-in-grocery-store.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1344\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"How to Make Healthy Food Choices: Simple Ways to Sort It Out\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-17T18:27:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-03T14:18:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/\"},\"wordCount\":1405,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-selecting-product-in-grocery-store.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"The Master Guides: Eating to Improve Physical Wellness\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Food\",\"Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/\",\"name\":\"How to Make Healthy Food Choices: Simple Ways to Sort It Out - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-selecting-product-in-grocery-store.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-17T18:27:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-03T14:18:54+00:00\",\"description\":\"Making healthy food choices isn't as complicated as it might seem; leading experts agree on the basics. Learn how to choose the right foods.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-selecting-product-in-grocery-store.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-selecting-product-in-grocery-store.webp\",\"width\":1344,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"A woman selecting a product on a shelf in a grocery store illustrates how to make healthy food choices\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Make Healthy Food Choices: Simple Ways to Sort It Out\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Make Healthy Food Choices: Simple Ways to Sort It Out - Shortform Books","description":"Making healthy food choices isn't as complicated as it might seem; leading experts agree on the basics. Learn how to choose the right foods.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Make Healthy Food Choices: Simple Ways to Sort It Out","og_description":"Making healthy food choices isn't as complicated as it might seem; leading experts agree on the basics. Learn how to choose the right foods.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2024-11-17T18:27:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-03T14:18:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1344,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-selecting-product-in-grocery-store.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"How to Make Healthy Food Choices: Simple Ways to Sort It Out","datePublished":"2024-11-17T18:27:13+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-03T14:18:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/"},"wordCount":1405,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-selecting-product-in-grocery-store.webp","keywords":["The Master Guides: Eating to Improve Physical Wellness"],"articleSection":["Food","Health"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/","name":"How to Make Healthy Food Choices: Simple Ways to Sort It Out - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-selecting-product-in-grocery-store.webp","datePublished":"2024-11-17T18:27:13+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-03T14:18:54+00:00","description":"Making healthy food choices isn't as complicated as it might seem; leading experts agree on the basics. Learn how to choose the right foods.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-selecting-product-in-grocery-store.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-selecting-product-in-grocery-store.webp","width":1344,"height":768,"caption":"A woman selecting a product on a shelf in a grocery store illustrates how to make healthy food choices"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-healthy-food-choices\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Make Healthy Food Choices: Simple Ways to Sort It Out"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/woman-selecting-product-in-grocery-store.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135716"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146109,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135716\/revisions\/146109"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}