The New Year’s resolutions related to healthy eating have started to wear off for many people. We just passed snacking for the Super Bowl, and the desserts of Valentine’s Day are right around the corner.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture food pyramid has a new look and was a topic in the news at the beginning of January. It seems like I talk about this information so often that my family tunes out at the mere mention of it, but I’ll take this opportunity to review some dietary guidelines with a reminder that all foods can fit into a healthy diet. We all have occasions that throw our good intentions off track, but each new day is a chance to reset and focus on making better choices when we have the right information to do so.

The new pyramid has been turned “upside down,” with protein as a priority in the wide band at the top, vegetables and fruits in the center and grains and breads at the bottom point. The new pyramid also says to prioritize eating some protein at every meal. Proteins can come from plants, beans, eggs or lean meats and seafood. I checked in with our nutrition adviser at Second Harvest Food Bank to see if we need to change any of our printed materials in the pantry in light of these new guidelines.

She responded, “The key messages that we share in our posters and printed materials for the Healthy Pantry Initiative remain consistent despite changes in visuals. Eat more fruits and vegetables (half your plate). Limit saturated fat, added sugar and sodium. Include proteins and dairy as a part of your plate and make at least half your grains whole grains.”

The image that illustrates this is found at myplate.gov, which highlights the five food groups.

The message that is being shared, along with the new pyramid, is to return to basics and eat “real” food. This has been something nutritionists have always agreed on. The goal is to focus on foods that offer nutrients from nature, items that come primarily from farms and gardens.

Things to avoid include ultra-processed, packaged food with unnatural ingredients, artificial flavors and dyes and preservatives, ready-to-eat foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt and sugary, high-calorie drinks. The packaged food that has become popular in the United States with added sugar, unhealthy fats and chemical additives has led to obesity and chronic diseases.

See the data linked on the “Message from the Secretaries” at usda.gov for more details.

When my daughters were young and would ask for junk food and snacks like Goldfish crackers and candy, the answer I would give was “nutrition zero,” and we would read the labels or find recipes for snacks that had better ingredients that we could agree on.

The question became, “What can we make that will give you the flavors you like, while still having simple ingredients?” We used to argue about the gummy, candy-like, packaged fruit snacks they wanted. I would always tell them the real fruit snacks from Mother Nature were berries, grapes and raisins. We didn’t completely restrict those grocery store favorites, but they were not on the regular shopping list, and they became appreciated as treats.

Every day starts with a new resolution to make good choices about how to fuel our bodies. Use the above information as a guideline to help you. Make a plan to have the right foods on hand, so you can be ready for healthy meals and snacks. Try new fruits and vegetables and prepare some recipes that are healthy copycats of your favorites. Focus on nutrition and real foods as often as possible, so you can feel good about your choices.

Editor’s note: This column was written by Jenn Dietz, Healthy Pantry Initiative chair.