what are the characteristics of a healthful diet include
A healthy diet includes foods to help achieve and maintain body weight. This means eating five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, choosing whole grains over refined grains and limiting processed meats. These are important -- but not all-inclusive-- components of a healthful diet.
A healthy diet has sugars. Sugars and their polymers (complex carbohydrates) are absolutely essential for a healthy diet. Carbohydrates provide you the energy necessary for a healthy living and no diet can be called healthy if it has no sugars or carbohydrates. Again, the important thing is the source.