Your health: Good-for-you veggies

Green means go

Green vegetables top the list of good-for-you veggies. They're great sources of fiber and vitamins A, C and K, plus scads of other vitamins and minerals, and are typically low in calories. Remember them as you aim for the new dietary guidelines' recommendation to fill half your plate with vegetables at every meal.

Alexandra Postman, editor-in-chief of Martha Stewart's Whole Living magazine and an editor of “Power Foods” cookbook, and Jim White, spokesman for the American Dietetic Association, give their top picks:

• Broccoli — high in fiber and vitamins A, C, K and folate

• Spinach — great source of vitamin K

• Artichokes — rich in magnesium, folate, potassium and fiber

• Asparagus — folate powerhouse

• Celery — impressive amounts of folate, fiber, and vitamins A and C

Say ‘no thank you'

The latest nutrition guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Human Services have a new emphasis: weight control, according to Harvard Medical School. With this in mind, the dietary guidelines include these recommendations for foods to cut back on:

• Reduce daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams and further reduce intake to 1,500 milligrams among persons who are 51 and older and those of any age who are black or have hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.

• Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids by replacing them with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

• Consume less than 300 milligrams per day of dietary cholesterol.

• Keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.

• Reduce the intake of calories from solid fats and added sugars.

• Limit the consumption of foods that contain refined grains, especially those with solid fats, added sugars and sodium.

• If alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation — up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.