New Healthy Eating Guidelines

Earlier this year, the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) and DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) unveiled the 2010 Dietary Guidelines (DGA) to help Americans make healthier food choices and confront the obesity epidemic. The DGA provides healthy eating advice that promotes good health and disease prevention for healthy Americans ages 2 and older.

Below are some of the tips provided to help consumers translate the Dietary Guidelines into their everyday lives:

Balance Calories

  • Enjoy your food, but eat less.
  • Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase

  • Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
  • Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

Foods to Reduce

  • Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals – and choose the foods with lower numbers.
  • Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

For more information on the dietary guidelines visit www.dietaryguidelines.gov. The Executive Summary document is a very useful tool that details the food and food components you should decrease and the food and nutrient components you should increase to improve your health and reduce your risk for disease.
Written by our resident dietitian and nutrition advisor, Angela Stanford, MBA, RD, RYT.