Put the New Dietary Guidelines Into Practice
February 14, 2011By Charlyn Fargo
It’s big news for nutrition.
We have new advice for eating healthy. Once every five years, the U.S. government prepares new guidelines for a healthy lifestyle. The newly released 2010 Dietary Guidelines, like those in the past, stress both a balanced diet and plenty of physical activity. But this time, they ask Americans to slash their salt intake, eat a more plant-based diet and increase physical activity.
So Mom was right – load up on your fruits and vegetables. That change alone will help put the guidelines in place in your diet. Women need at least seven servings of fruits and vegetables each day, while men need at least nine.
When the first Guidelines appeared in 1980, they were much shorter and sweeter. Here are the recommendations of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
1. Reduce the incidence and prevalence of the U.S. population’s excess weight and obesity by reducing overall calorie intake and increasing physical activity. We as a nation have expanded our waistlines over the past 30 years, and collectively two-thirds of us are overweight or obese.
2. Shift food intake patterns to a more plant-based diet that emphasizes vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, whole grains, and nuts and seeds, and consume only moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry and eggs. The guidelines suggest consuming more seafood and low-fat dairy products, as well.
3. Reduce intake of foods containing added sugars and solid fats because these dietary components contribute excess calories and few, if any, nutrients. In addition, reduce sodium intake and lower intake of refined grains, especially refined grains that are coupled with added sugar, solid fat and sodium. Sodium intake is to be reduced from 2,300 mg to 1,500 mg per day. The guidelines also call for cutting back on sugary sodas and beverages, and eating less saturated fat.
4. Meet the 2008 Physical Activity for Americans, which recommend at least 2 ½ hours of moderate-intensity physical activity or 1 ¼ hours of a vigorous-intensity activity each week for adults. An hour or more of moderate-intensity to vigorous physical activity each day is optimal for children and teens.
Knowing the new dietary guidelines is one thing, but putting them into your daily diet is another. We have compiled a few recipes to help you increase your fruits and veggies, lower your sodium intake and choose lean meats:
• Glazed Pork Medallions with Asparagus
• Fire-Grilled Vegetables
• Fruit Smoothie
