Dietary Guidelines for Americans

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Department of Health and Human Services periodically publish Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines are designed to help people not only get the nutrients they need, but also lead more active lives so they can reduce their risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and certain forms of cancer. The most current dietary guidelines provide sound, no-nonsense advice to help you build a healthy diet:

• Eat a variety of foods.
• Balance the food you eat with physical activity to maintain or improve your weight.
• Eat plenty of grain products, vegetables, and fruits.
• Limit your intake of fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.
• Eat only moderate amounts of sugar.
• Limit the amount of salt (sodium) in your diet.
• If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

It's not difficult to incorporate these guidelines into your daily life. Just try these healthy-eating tips:

• Make grains the centerpiece of your meal; let meats be the garnish.
• Select lean meats and low-fat or fat-free dairy foods.
• Increase your fiber intake; eat a variety of whole grains, dry beans, and fiberrich vegetables and fruits such as carrots, peas, pears, and berries.
• Choose dishes that contain servings from more than one food group, such as soups and stews.
• Maintain your weight in a healthy range. The guidelines no longer allow for gaining weight as you get older.
• Become more active: walk instead of drive, use the stairs, swim, bike, or do yard work. Better yet, start a regular exercise program.
• Have fresh fruit or yogurt for dessert. Sugar contains lots of calories but few nutrients.
• Snack on reduced-fat and low-salt multigrain crackers, cut-up fresh vegetables and fruits, rice cakes, raisins, low-salt pretzels, unbuttered popcorn, lowfat cheeses, and low-fat whole-grain breakfast cereal.
• Drink no more than two alcoholic beverages per day, if you drink at all.