Martian

This is a big topic. Where to start?

I'm breaking this up into two parts, specifically because it is a huge topic and you've asked not to be overwhelmed. I do suggest reading both parts, but if you'd like you can skip all the whys and wherefores and just get down to the practicalities.

Here we go.

First of all, I don't believe in giving up meat for health reasons. Certain kinds of meat can be reduced, but giving it up entirely is something done for moral reasons or not at all. It complicates diet and meal planning, rather than simplifying it. As to the types of meat you should be eating, lean is better. Fish and poultry are good, red meat is less good. That doesn't mean you should give up pork chops or beef entirely, but they shouldn't be an every day type of thing.

I'm going to give a quick overview here on the fundamentals of good nutrition. I know you were asking more for foods than for the science of it, but it's important to understand why you eat what you eat.

Calories:

Food at it's most basic level is about calories. They are the fuel your body uses to do the things you do -- everything from running a marathon to vegetating on the couch. Just being alive requires energy, which comes from your food.

Your caloric intake comes from three main sources. Those are carbohydrates, protein and fat. It's important to include all three in your diet in order to be healthy. Equally important is how much of each you include.

Carbohydrates include things like sugar and starch, and are found most commonly in fruit, as well as things like bread and pasta and most junk food. The key to carbohydrates isn't the carbs themselves; sugar isn't inherently bad, but what comes with it can be. The North American diet is typically overloaded with carbs, and particularly the 'bad' kind of carbs; the kind that come with very little other nutritional value (these are commonly referred to as 'empty carbs.')

Protein comes from most meats, as well as nuts and some legumes. Protein, in addition to being a source of energy, is used to build and repair things like muscle tissue, and so is important to a healthy diet. If you research this further, you may start to hear about amino acids, or phrases like 'complete protein.' These things are also important, but mostly to vegetarians; they're one of the things that complicates the vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, and I wouldn't worry about them just yet.

So that leaves fat. Much maligned and vilified, fat is just as important as the other two calorie vectors to healthy living. The important thing to remember is that All Fat Is Not Created Equal. You've probably heard things like trans fat and saturated fat and gotten the idea that these things are Bad without knowing why. They are bad, but are also nearly impossible to completely avoid. On the flip side, we have unsaturated fat, which you may or may not have heard is Good. This is the type of fat that you want to use to replace saturated or trans fat where possible. Saturated fats are one of the main reasons why red meat is Bad, because they tend to be loaded with them. White meat and fish, on the other hand, tend to carry unsaturated fatty acids which have beneficial effects.

(Pedant note: trans fat is a type of unsaturated fat, but it's still not good. It's the exception to our general rule).

So those are the three calorie vectors. Now, a typical North American male should be consuming on average anywhere between 2000 and 3000 calories each day. This is a very rough number, and can vary widely depending on your natural metabolic rate and your level of activity. Somebody who is highly active may require 4000, 5000 or even more.

The Big Question: How many calories do you need? Should you be keeping track?

Generally, no. Counting calories is a highly useful tool for individuals with specific goals, but it's primary benefit comes in the form of weight management. If you're not worried about gaining or losing weight then you don't need to worry too much about how many calories you're getting. Eat the right foods in the right ratios and let the rest take care of itself; if you find that your weight starts to go up or down and wish to compensate for it, simply adjust your caloric intake level a bit. It's not necessary to stress over the details, and complicating your diet makes it harder to maintain. This is a Rest Of Your Life kind of change, so naturally ease of maintenance is a primary concern.

The magic ratio for caloric intake is 40/30/30; 40% of your calories should be coming from carbohydrates, and 30% each from protein and fat. These numbers are not set in stone and should be used as a rough guide only -- if you start to get into some of the more advanced nutrition you may even end up adjusting them to help you meet specific goals. For now, though, these numbers are a good place to start.

The next question, naturally, is how to achieve this.

Without knowing what your diet looks like currently, it's hard to advise you on where you need to make changes. For that reason, I'm going to assume that you're on the Typical American Diet, and go from there.

Any junk food or fast food should be cut out. Most North Americans are heavy consumers of such things due to convenience and taste, but they're bad all around. They tend to carry large amounts of all the things you don't want without much or any of the things you do. In particular sweets and snacks are bad, because they often have high levels of sugar and fat without any redeeming qualities whatsoever. Ditch the chips.

Junk food is okay as an occasional treat, with the emphasis on occasional. For that matter, so is everything. If you're absolutely in love with that McDonald's Super Bacon Belly Buster burger, having one once a month isn't going to kill you. Having one every day probably will, though.

So what should you be eating?

My shortcut is to stick to fresh foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables taste better in my opinion, and are a direct source of all the tasty tasty nutrients that your body needs. If you eat a good variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, you don't really have to worry about individual vitamins or minerals, as you'll likely be getting everything you need already. Combine that with some good, lean meats and you're probably pretty close to the result you're looking for.

So, in short, it all goes back to what your mother told you. Eat your vegetables, don't eat junk food.

And here I have to apologize. I had intended to get into the specifics of meal planning and such -- what to eat, when and why. Unfortunately, due to the length of this post already I've run out of time and will have to leave it here for now. If nobody's gone over that ground by the time I get home, I'll continue this little essay of mine, but I have faith that one of our other knowledgeable members will be able to flesh out the details for me. For now, I leave a Final Thought:

Don't believe the FUD. There are a lot of ideas swirling around the subject of nutrition, this or that food is Bad, this one gives you cancer, that one eats your babies. Some of it has a basis of truth, but most of it in my opinion stems from the fact that people like Simple Rules, and so look for ways to simplify the subject. High fructose corn syrup is bad because in most cases it comes in the form of empty calories, but I've yet to see any convincing evidence that it's bad in and of itself. If you want to cut it out of your diet to reduce your overall sugar intake, that's a good shortcut; similarly, if you decide to cut it out for reasons relating to the economy of corn farming, that's fine too. I may think you're odd if you use that one, but it's your prerogative. Don't feel the need to cut it out of your diet, however, simply because somebody told you it's Bad without telling you why. Same goes for organic food -- as a rule, 'organic' to me means 'we charge more for the same thing, because the hippies are afraid of pesticides that have been used safely for decades.'

Use discretion, do some research.

EDIT - It appears that while I was off in my dreamland expounding the virtues of veggies, a number of our knowledgeable posters snuck in and beat me to the punch. I'm going to leave this here all the same, and will contribute more still when I can. Why? Because I am Boring, and enjoy talking at length about things nobody cares about.

And spinach is the food of the Gods. Seriously. You can never, ever go wrong with it.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame