March is Nutrition Awareness Month. This month, we’ll help you eat healthier by decoding the official dietary guidelines published by the United States government. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published by the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS), can be complex – the current guide runs 164 pages – but they’re organized around four simple themes you can implement in your everyday life.
by: SAC Health Staff Writer
Guideline 1: Follow a healthy dietary pattern at every life stage.
Your dietary pattern is the total of everything you eat and drink. It includes any food or beverage you consume habitually, even if you only have it once a month. A healthy dietary pattern meets two criteria:
● Fulfills your daily calorie requirement without exceeding it, and
● Meets most needs with nutrient-dense foods.
Nutrient-dense foods use calories efficiently. Examples include lean meats and fish without sauces or coatings, low-sodium beans, whole grains, fat-free dairy, and most fruits and vegetables when minimally dressed. A healthy dietary pattern mixes foods from different groups (vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, proteins, and oils) and keeps portion sizes controlled.
Guideline 2: Choose nutrient-dense food and beverages based on personal preferences, cultural traditions, and budgetary considerations.
When you like how a food tastes, you’re more likely to eat it. The second guideline advises basing your healthy dietary pattern on your favorite nutrient-dense foods. Look at the subcategories of each food group to find the options you like best.
For example, if you think you don’t like dark green vegetables, it might be because you think of the whole group in terms of dark greens like spinach and kale. Try broccoli or raw watercress as an alternative. If you don’t like whole-wheat bread, try brown rice or quinoa.
Guideline 2 also recommends using your cultural food history and household budget to help you narrow down nutrient-rich food choices. Every culinary tradition uses some nutrient-dense foods, and every food group has nutrient-dense options that are affordable at most grocery stores.
Guideline 3: Meet food group needs with nutrient-dense food and beverages, within caloric limits.
This guideline provides more specific directions for choosing foods from each group.
● Vegetables: A mixture of dark greens, red and orange vegetables, legumes, starches, and veggies from the miscellaneous category.
● Fruits: All whole fruits and pure fruit juices.
● Grains: At least half whole grains.
● Dairy: Fat-free or low-fat dairy, or fortified soy if you’re lactose intolerant.
● Protein: A mixture of meats, eggs, seafood, nuts, legumes, seeds, and whole grains.
● Oils: Low-fat oils like canola, olive, and sunflower, especially in place of butter or shortening.
To see one of our registered dietitians, please call (909) 382-7100 or speak with your primary care medical team in your next visit.
For a list of SAC Health services, visit sachealth.org/service.
