If you do an Internet search for “healthy diets,” you’ll get nearly three million results! But they’re not all truly healthy. Before you choose a diet to follow, be sure to verify the information you find online and check with your primary care physician.

If you want to learn more about good nutrition and healthy eating, the links below are to knowledgeable sources about healthy eating.

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends the DASH Eating Plan, which is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It’s a heart-healthy flexible, balanced eating plan and does not require special foods. Instead, there are daily and weekly nutritional goals and recommendations to:
• Eat vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
• Include fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts and vegetable oils.
• Limit foods high in saturated fat (fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, tropical oils like coconut, palm kernel an palm oils.)
• Limit sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets.

• U.S. Department of Agriculture promotes MyPlate for a way to eat healthy. MyPlate is the official symbol of the five good groups — vegetables, fruits, grains, protein and dairy. The site offers a quiz, an interactive “plate” to explore and budget-friendly food ideas. You can also download the Start Simple with MyPlate app for inspiration and encouragement in meeting your daily nutritional goals.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthy Weight, Nutrition and Physical Activity website provides resources — in English and Spanish — that explain how to balance all three elements. Don’t miss the link at the top of the page to Food Assistance and Food Systems Resources. Many families, even with two incomes, don’t earn enough money to have nutritious meals.
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is for people who meet certain requirements including financial ones. To apply for SNAP benefits, or get more information, see the SNAP State Directory of Resources.
• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) serves low income individuals and those at risk for poor nutrition. WIC provides nutritious foods to supplement diets; information on healthy eating (including breastfeeding promotion and support) and referrals to health care.