Your Dietary Guidelines for 2011 - and Beyond
Fri, March 11, 2011 at 03:00AM Every five years the US Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services update their Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The 2010 Guidelines were issued in January this year, and are available online in an easily readable format. At this time when Americans are growing fat and becoming diabetic at an ever- increasing rate it's more important than ever that nutrition is optimized. Here are some of the highlights of the recommendations.
Individualize your "total diet" making sure it is nutrient dense, energy balanced, and portion controlled. However, you should not pick and choose between the following recommendations. And remember, calories consumed must equal calories expended for a person to maintain the same body weight. Consuming more calories than expended will result in weight gain.
You should reduce the following:
Salt – current average daily salt intake averages 3400 mg sodium. This should be reduced to less than 2300 mg, the amount contained in one teaspoonful of salt. Most salt comes from processed and restaurant foods; choose these wisely.
Fat - no trans-fats, no partially hydrogenated fats, reduce saturated fats, including coconut, palm and palm kernel oils.
Dairy and meat products
Cholesterol – no more than 300 mg total per day.
Sugary drinks – drink water instead
Alcohol – one drink a day for women, two a day for men.
You should increase the following:
Fruits and vegetables – fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, especially dark green-, red-, and orange-colored.
Whole grains – these should be at least half the grains you eat (as opposed to refined grains). At least 3 ounces of whole grains per day. Refined grains should be "enriched", meaning extra iron and B vitamins have been added.
Neglected nutrients – more potassium, dietary fiber (25 g/day for women, 38 g/day for men), calcium, and vitamin D (600 IU/day for adults, 800 IU/day for over-70s).
Meat – more seafood in place of meat and poultry (i.e. more omega-3 fatty acids, less carcinogens).
Pulses – eat more peas and beans of most sorts except green peas and string beans – these two are not protein sources.
This just skims the surface of the full document. I highly recommend you take the trouble to open it, save it, and maybe even download it – all 112 pages! – and then read it, and act on it.
Reader Comments (1)
If the above guidelines are properly followed, I am sure one would never need any medication.