arch is National Nutrition Month®, and this year's message is "Healthy Eating, Healthy You." By now you're aware of the connection between food and health: eating a healthy diet can prevent deficiencies and major diseases, like heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, and strokes.

Sometimes I think that most people, especially Gelson's shoppers, are knowledgeable far beyond the basic food-health connection. Then I think about all the questions I get from people looking for a quick fix for a health problem or weight loss, or those who are constipated, or people who go to the gym just to get six pack abs and then smoke a cigarette on the way home. The truth is, we probably all have room for improvement in our eating and lifestyle habits, even your chocoholic dietitian. So in honor of a healthy you, let's review some basics of a healthy diet:

Fruits and vegetables are healthy. If there is one thing we know for certain in the nutrition world, it's this. No one is going to convince me that carrots are the reason why they're overweight. We have thousands of well-designed scientific studies that prove over and over again that fresh produce fights disease and protects health. So the next time you come across a diet plan that excludes fruits or vegetables in any way, use your knowledge and veto this plan, because it is not an investment in your health.

Choose whole grains over refined carbohydrates. Carbs are neither bad nor good — no food should be categorized like this because, if you eat healthy, all foods can fit into your diet in moderation. Unrefined carbohydrates, like whole wheat, brown rice, barley, and whole-grain cereals, are healthier than refined carbohydrates like white breads, white rice, pasta, and potato chips, since they retain their nutrients and their fiber. Whole-grain foods help to control weight by keeping blood sugar at even levels, which refined grains can't do since they have little to no fiber. Research shows that people whose diets are high in whole grains and fiber have a lower risk of diabetes, certain cancers, and heart disease.

Portion control works. Let's face it, we can't always eat healthy, but we can control how much we eat. Knowing proper portion sizes and practicing portion control is key to ensuring balance in your diet. Too much of a healthy food can be just as harmful as too much of an unhealthy food. Some important serving sizes:

1/2 cup: cooked rice, pasta, barley, other grains, raw oats; raw, cooked, and chopped vegetables or fruit; cooked beans; ice cream

1 cup: raw leafy green veggies; milk and yogurt

1 ounce: dry cereal; nuts and peanut butter; cheese

3 ounces: meat, fish, poultry, and tofu

6 ounces: vegetable or fruit juice

1 teaspoon: oil, butter, margarine, and mayonnaise

1 tablespoon: salad dressing, cream cheese, and whipped cream

1: slice of bread, tortilla, pancake; small potato; tennis ball-sized piece of fruit

It's okay to have more than one serving at a time, especially of fruits and vegetables, but remember that moderation is always the goal.

Feeling good about yourself and your healthy eating plan is one of the best things you can do for your health. Making peace with food means reaching a point where you neither torment yourself over every piece of food you put into your mouth nor disregard what you eat completely. Once that happens, it will be easier to focus on eating foods that are healthy and to reject diets and quick-fix schemes. "Healthy Eating" just means eating a variety of nutritious foods. "Healthy You" means the absence of disease and the presence of emotional well-being.

In order to keep my weight in check, I usually skip a meal or just eat a little bit at other meals. Is this OK to do? - Customer at Century City

Actually, this isn't a healthy practice at all. By skipping meals and under-eating, you're setting yourself up for being malnourished in the short-term and overweight later on. Most restrictive eaters can't keep their habits up for long, and sometimes slide into binges, so their weight fluctuates quite a bit. Eventually, you may get tired of being hungry and just give in to all your cravings, which will likely lead to major weight gain. When you skip meals or restrict your eating, you lower your metabolism. Your body knows that it's being starved, so it tends to hold on to any food you eat, storing it as fat. If you want to be thin and healthy, start by exercising regularly and eating healthy foods at east 3 times a day.

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The nutrition recommendations found in our newsletters are general in nature and are not tailored to specific health problems. Talk to your physician or other qualified health care practitioner concerning particular health issues or before beginning any nutritional program.