Healthy snacking can help you control the amount of food you eat. This will make you less inclined to overeat at your next meal or late at night in front of the TV or computer. When you snack, remember to include the number of calories in your snacks as part of the total number of your recommended daily calories. Choose snacks that include some carbohydrate and protein, but only a small amount of fat. Some ideas include:

• 1 medium banana and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter

• 1 medium apple and 1 ounce of string cheese

• 2 cups of unbuttered popcorn sprinkled with cayenne pepper

• 10 regular tortilla chips and 1/4 cup of salsa

Eating a variety of foods is a great—and enjoyable—way to get the 40 or so essential vitamins and minerals and the fiber you need.

Vitamins are not a source of energy (calories), but instead help your body use energy from food. Including a variety of foods in your daily diet is the best way to get the vitamins you need. A vitamin and mineral supplement may be a good idea when:

• Your lifestyle is so hectic that you find it hard to eat a variety of foods
• You are an older adult
• You are a vegan
• You are pregnant
• You have an allergy that prevents you from eating certain foods or food groups

Talk with your healthcare provider about whether you might need a supplement.

An eating style that promotes your overall health is based on variety (enjoying many different foods); balance (including enough, but not too much, of any one kind of food); and moderation (in use of fats, oils, and portion sizes).

Finding the right mix of physical activities and leisure time makes life enjoyable all year round. You should aim for 30 to 60 minutes of moderate aerobic activity most days of the week. You can break the time into 20- to 30-minute sessions throughout the day. Choose activities that you enjoy so you will be more likely to stick with them. Check with your healthcare provider before starting a new exercise program.

The key here is the word "cholesterol." Cholesterol is found only in foods of animal origin. Plant foods don't contain cholesterol. But some plant foods such as avocados, nuts, and plant oils contain a lot of fat. Plant oils such as coconut, palm, and palm kernel contain saturated fat. Seeds such as sesame, safflower, and sunflower and oils made from these, contain polyunsaturated fat. Canola, olive, and peanut oils contain monounsaturated fat. The unsaturated fats may help lower cholesterol levels in your blood. Saturated fat and trans-fatty acids (found in commercial snacks and cookies) raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, according to the American Heart Association.

The USDA guidelines vary according to a person's age, gender, and amount of daily activity. The recommended amount of protein foods for an adult who gets less than 30 minutes of exercise a day ranges from 5 ounces for women 31 and older to 6.5 ounces for men ages 19 to 30. The protein foods group includes meat, poultry, seafood, beans, eggs, nuts, seeds, and processed soy products.