Healthy diets aren’t just for January
Carolyn O’Neil is a registered dietitian and author of “The Slim Down South Cookbook.” Email her at carolyn@carolynoneil.com.
Just in time for the first full month of New Year’s diet resolutions, Uncle Sam has delivered a brand new edition of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The guidelines, released every five years, are based on the latest nutrition research and translated into what we should be eating more of and less of to prevent chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
A joint project of the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture, the freshly minted 2015-2020 dietary guidelines encourage eating more fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, low fat dairy and seafood.
“We can’t get broccoli to taste like ice cream, but we can provide tools to help Americans choose healthier eating patterns,” HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said.
The USDA's nutrition tools, with diet plans for kids and adults, have been updated at choosemyplate.gov. Everyone is encouraged to eat more plant-based proteins, such as beans and legumes. Enjoy a vegetarian chili or a veggie burger, for instance.
No cholesterol limit
No limit is placed on dietary cholesterol intake, because research shows the real culprit in elevating blood cholesterol is saturated fats. So, foods like eggs and shellfish, which are relatively high in dietary cholesterol, are part of a healthy eating pattern.
But, since the new guidelines limit saturated fat intake to 10 percent of total calories, foods such as highly marbled meats, butter, whole milk and bacon are limited.
Sugar math
The DGA differentiate between natural sugars in foods like fruit and milk and the added sugars in prepared foods. The guidelines recommend that added sugars be limited to less than 10 percent of calories per day. The nutrition facts label on packaged foods and drinks lists grams of sugar.
Registered dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix put the sweet math into perspective, using an average daily intake of 2,000 calories: 10 percent of 2,000 calories equals 200 calories, 200 calories of sugar equal 50 grams of sugar.
“One can of cola has 35g of sugar,” she noted.
So, you can see that consuming soft drinks can quickly put you over the daily limit for added sugars.
Action needed
While it seems like a tall order to consistently order healthy choices on menus, the new guidelines include a call to action on the part of restaurants and other food service outlets to “expand access to healthy, safe and affordable food choices.”
This is nutrition for a lifetime, not just January.
Keep your New Year’s resolutions with these healthy recipes for:
