Lean and Green

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#2: Eat Whole, Not Processed, Foods
Whereas the old Pyramid treated all carbs as essentially the same, the new guidelines specify at least three daily ounces of whole grains, because they're "an important source of fiber and other nutrients." They also advise limiting the trans fats (see #4, below), "added sugars" and other sweeteners, such as corn syrups, found in processed foods and soft drinks. Luckily, our family loves whole-wheat bread. But my 11-year-old son and I recently got into a supermarket tussle over a box of Cocoa Puffs, a cereal newly labeled as a whole-grain product but containing just one gram of fiber per serving. (The USDA recommends 31 grams per day.) "Look," my son pleaded, "it says it's healthy, right here on the box." As for whole-wheat pasta, "Blech," says my 13-year-old daughter. "This stuff tastes like cardboard."

Stealth move: "The average person is not ready for whole-wheat kernels," observes Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. So instead, I'm pushing pasta that contains a portion of whole wheat, adding barley to soups and bulgur wheat to chili and allowing flavored oatmeal and reduced-fat microwave popcorn.

Health benefits: Fiber-rich foods promote healthy digestion and a healthy heart as well as reduce the odds of obesity, diabetes and rectal cancer. Antioxidants, found in high levels in whole grains, also help reduce cancer risks. Cut back on added sugars and you will drop a ton of nutritionally empty calories.

Environmental bonus: Choose whole, locally produced foods and avoid the extra energy consumed in the production and transportation of processed foods' many parts.