1. Adequacy: The diet should provide all the essential nutrients, fiber, and energy in amounts sufficient to maintain health.
2. Balance: the diet should provide foods of all types in proportion to each other such that foods high in some nutrients do not "crowd out" foods high in other nutrients.
3. (k)Caloric Control: manage food energy intake.
4. (Nutrient) Density: select foods that deliver the most nutrients for the least food energy. "High nutrient Density."
5. Moderation
6. Variety