The amount of information that is available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its branches of websites is overwhelming. The main site of usda.gov covers an incredibly wide range of topics from animals and farming to urban agriculture.

Food and nutrition is found in the middle of the alphabetical list, with a dozen topics that each have their own webpage and additional links. The Food and Nutrition Service, under the USDA umbrella (fns.usda.gov), provides nutrition education for many people in need and there’s so much we all can learn.

“Healthy eating is important at every age,” and it is a lifelong process.

Many people may remember the food pyramid. It is now presented as MyPlate.gov. Its graphic is shown as a symbol of the five food groups, as a visual reminder to choose a variety of foods throughout the day and throughout the week. You can customize MyPlate to fit your dietary needs, preferences, cultural traditions and budget so you can enjoy your favorite recipes and eat the healthy foods you love.

“Start Simple with MyPlate” can be downloaded from the website. It is a great place to start in the topic of dietary guidelines and making small changes. In summary, we should try to “eat a variety of foods that are full of nutrients and limited in added sugars, saturated fat and sodium.”

Here are some tips to start with:

1. Focus on whole fruits. These can be added to breakfast cereals, pancakes or blended into smoothies.

2. Vary your veggies. Cook a variety of colorful vegetables. Eat a rainbow. Make extras to add to soups, salads or a pasta dish.

3. Vary your protein routine. You can try different kinds of protein in tacos. Try shrimp, beans, chicken, ground turkey or beef.

4. Make half your grains whole. Add brown rice to your stir fry. Combine with your favorite veggies and protein to make a meal. Oats are a whole grain that can be baked into lots of tasty goodies with a healthy twist.

5. Move to low-fat or fat-free dairy milk or yogurt. A low-fat yogurt parfait is a great breakfast or dessert idea. Top with fruit and nuts to add in two more food groups

6. Drink and eat less added sugars, saturated fat and sodium. Cook at home more often. Read the ingredients list and use Nutrition Facts labels to make good choices.

Explore MyPlate. Each food group has its own tab with details about what is included in that group, how much you need, nutrients and health benefits, tips and quizzes to test your knowledge and help you learn more.

There are guidelines and tips for different stages of life and a recipe of the month. The MyPlate Kitchen tab has many delicious recipes to give you some great ideas to try. The Shop Smart section can help you grocery shop with a budget in mind.

There is even an app you can download to help guide you as you continue to make positive changes. I encourage anyone who is interested in healthy diets or making dietary changes to use these resources.

“The benefits of healthy eating add up over time, bite by bite.”

MyPlate.gov is based on the dietary guidelines for Americans, 2020-25.

Editor’s note: This column was written by Jenn Dietz.