2015 Dietary Guidelines: What Do They Mean

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for American's (DGA) came out late last year and serve to replace the 2010 version and provide general healthy eating recommendations for Americans.

The DGA are agreed upon by a group of scientists after much deliberation (some of which were open access). DGAs are based on science but also have the influence of industry which is clearly seen this year.

In listening to one of the open committee meetings, dairy (cheese specifically) and sodium were to controversial recommendations. Research on sodium reduction in healthy adults is controversial, while in overweight and obese individuals there can be some health benefits to low sodium diets. With the majority of American's being overweight or obese, there is some merit to the sodium recommendation. Future research is likely to look at the balance of sodium and potassium, both of which are important electrolytes in the body and play a major role in fluid balance.

The bottom line is the DGA aim to be a standardized set of recommendations that apply for most Americans, however, if you would like more personalized nutrition recommendations please find a Registered Dietitian or RD/N.

Eating Healthy: Where to Start

Amanda's Healthy Eating Recommendations:

• Hold out your hands with palms up and little fingers touching, this is your plate
• One palm represents a grain serving
• Grain or starchy vegetable such as a small baked potato
• The other palm represents a protein or meat serving
• Lean meats are recommended most of the time (chicken, pork, fish, turkey and beef) cooked to maximize flavor an minimize added fat broiled or grilled over fried
• Your fingers represent fruits and vegetables
• These are the non-starchy vegetables (not potatoes or corn) 
• Fresh, canned or frozen without added sauces, syrups and rinsed if they're canned vegetables
• Add a side of dairy (yogurt, milk or cheese)

This healthy eating recommendation is a simplified version of MyPlate but also takes into account the size of the person and is a fun demonstration for kids. If after eating the amount of food corresponding to the size of your hands (or plate), you simply have more fruits and vegetables, illustrated to kids by fanning out their hands and wiggling their fingers.

The plate method is a goal for healthy eating and may not be practical as a first step. By setting one small goal at a time and achieving that, adjusting to a more healthful intake can seem more achievable.

This guide serves as a general approach to healthy eating. If you would like more personalized nutrition recommendations please find a Registered Dietitian or RD/N.

A Day Out of the Office

Yesterday I had the opportunity to help with a kids cooking camp in a neighboring town. It was a great way to see programming in action. As a child in 4-H or just attending summer camps, I didn’t realize how much educational planning is put into each activity. The activity for the children was to make MyPlate Happy Faces. I thought this activity was a great way for the 7-9 year old children to learn about the different food groups and make a healthy snack (they looked a bit silly also)!

Tomorrow I have the opportunity to listen to a webinar on education in food banks. I am very interested in this opportunity as I feel it is incredibly important to educate consumers in addition to giving food items!

Last week I heard back about the first two lessons I have submitted. There were very few changes suggested and I am hoping to finish the outlines for remaining lessons this week!

In addition to waiting for feedback, I completed an outline for blog posts though the end of the year! I have only written blog posts though early November, but if I have downtime, that is something that I can finish!

Crazy Concept

As a forewarning, this post may sound silly in it's simple concept, but I feel it's something so many forget. This past weekend I ate very healthy, probably as close to an ideal MyPlate as I ever have. I didn't notice it at the time because I was simply eating the foods that were accessible in my fridge. Here's what I observed:

1. If foods are already cut and ready to eat, I tend to eat more of the fresh produce than if I have to wash, cut, and then put it all together myself.
2. When I eat "healthy" (lots of vegetables, some whole grains, lean protein, some fruits, and little refined sugar), I feel SO MUCH better than when I eat more "common" foods (I love refined carbs and sugars, not the best, but true).

Don't think I ate nothing but healthy foods, as I still ate one scoop of ice cream, an oreo, and ants on a log (with several mini chocolate chips instead of raisins).

As a result of eating well most of the weekend, my Monday is not near as dragging as it typically does!