1. Quit the sugar habit.

The average can of sugar-sweetened soda or fruit punch provides about 150 calories. If you were to drink just one can of a sugar-sweetened soft drink every day, and not cut back on calories elsewhere, you could gain up to 15 pounds in a year. Cutting back on sugary drinks may help control your weight and may lower your risk of type 2 diabetes. See how much sugar is in your drink.

2. Go calorie-free naturally.

"Diet" drinks with artificial sweeteners may condition our taste buds to crave super-sweet foods. Plain old water is the best calorie-free beverage—but if it’s just too plain, try adding a squeeze of lemon or lime or a splash of 100% fruit juice. Plain coffee and tea are also healthy calorie-free choices, in moderation. Read six ideas for low-sugar drinks.

3. If you don’t drink alcohol, there’s no need to start.

Moderate alcohol consumption lowers the risk of heart disease and diabetes; it also slightly increases the risk of breast and colon cancer. For some people—especially pregnant women, people recovering from alcohol addiction, people with liver disease, and people taking one or more medications that interact with alcohol—the risks of drinking clearly outweigh the benefits.

4. Save sports drinks for athletes.

Sports beverages are designed to give athletes carbs, electrolytes, and fluid during high-intensity workouts that last an hour or more. For sedentary folks, they’re just another source of sugary calories.

5. Pull the plug on energy drinks.

These pricey concoctions have as much sugar as soft drinks, enough caffeine to raise your blood pressure, and an unpronounceable list of herbs and additives whose long-term health effects are unknown. No one needs them.

1. Start with

exercise. A healthy diet is built on a base of regular exercise, which keeps calories in balance and weight in check. Read five quick tips for staying active and getting to your healthy weight, and a dozen ideas for fitting exercise into your life.

2. Focus on food, not grams.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid doesn’t worry about specific servings or grams of food, so neither should you. It’s a simple, general guide to how you should eat when you eat.

3. Go with plants.

Eating a plant-based diet is healthiest. Choose plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats, like olive and canola oil. Check out these delicious healthy recipes that bring the Healthy Eating Pyramid into your kitchen.

4. Cut way back on American staples.

Red meat, refined grains, potatoes, sugary drinks, and salty snacks are part of American culture, but they’re also really unhealthy. Go for a plant-based diet rich in non-starchy vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. And if you eat meat, fish and poultry are the best choices.

5. Take a

multivitamin, and maybe have a drink. Taking a multivitamin can be a good nutrition insurance policy. Moderate drinking for many people can have real health benefits, but it's not for everyone. Those who don’t drink shouldn’t feel that they need to start. Read about balancing alcohol's risks and benefits.

1. Eat a healthy diet

A multivitamin provides some insurance against deficiencies but is far less important for health than the healthy food patterns described on this website. Choose a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and healthy oils, and low in red meat and unhealthy fats—let the Healthy Eating Pyramid be your guide.

2. Choose a daily multivitamin.

A daily multivitamin is an inexpensive nutrition insurance policy. Try to take one every day.

3. Think about D

. In addition to its bone health benefits, there’s growing evidence that getting some extra vitamin D can help lower the risk of colon and breast cancer. Aim for getting 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day—this likely will require an extra vitamin D pill, in addition to your multivitamin. For more information, see the vitamin D section of The Nutrition Source.

4. Say no to "megas."

In general, avoid mega-dose vitamins and mega-fortified foods. Higher doses of vitamin E may help to prevent heart disease, but in general, the amount in a standard multivitamin is enough to have health benefits. A standard multivitamin also has a day's worth of folic acid, so you should avoid foods that have high amounts of folic acid added to them. Vitamin D is an exception, as many people need more than the RDA.

5. Avoid "super" supplements

. Don’t be swayed by the wild health claims of the many health supplements advertised on TV and the Internet. If they sound too good to be true, you can be sure they are. Save your money for healthy food and a good vacation.

HAVARD-SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH