So you want to start eating healthy, or maybe healthier--but what does that mean? In January 2011, the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Health and Human Services released their Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, 7th edition. It is an excellent compilation of dietary rules for all of us computer-addicted couch potatoes. The recommendations include a detailed and comprehensive list of things that we should all know by now.

---

The recommendations are as follows:

• Balance calories and activity to maintain a healthy weight
• Eat foods rich in nutrients and low in calories
• Limit sweetened beverages that are high in calories
• Limit trans fats
• Limit saturated fats to less than 10% of fat calories
• Limit cholesterol to less than 300 mg per day
• Limit sodium to 2300 mg per day and 1500 mg per day if any of the following apply: African American, age over 51, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease
• Limit alcohol-no more than 1 per day for women and 2 for men (some may need to avoid altogether because of being under age or having history of alcoholism)
• Lots of fruits and veggies
• Low or non-fat dairy
• Whole grains
• More seafood, less fatty meats, multiple protein sources including poultry, legumes, soy, nuts, etc
• Handle food safely
• Women of childbearing years have special recommendations regarding folic acid, iron, and appropriate seafoods (rich in omega-3s, low in mercury)
• Adults over 50 eat food fortified with Vitamin B12

And so on! The reality of the situation is that most people actually know that eating junk food and sitting in one place for 8 hours on a Sunday is not a good idea. So here are a few modest guidelines that might actually help achieve some of the goals listed above.

• Emphasize the foods that you should eat every day. If you really eat several servings of fruits and vegetables every day, you will be pretty full and there won’t be much room left for the bad.
• Start the day right. If breakfast is healthy, you will be less likely to give up the fight by lunchtime. You will 1/3rd of the way towards a healthy day
• Don’t buy any junk food anywhere. Don’t even walk down the chips and soda aisle at the store, EVER!
• Don’t eat after dinner. You will have less heartburn and you will sleep better too.
• Stock your refrigerator and shelves as though you were expecting a nutritionist or fitness guru to drop in anytime. What would you want them to see?
• Eat slowly, enjoy your meal, enjoy your life

All of us at Health Butler wish you a healthy, happy 2011!

By: the Physicians of Health Butler
[1/2/2011]

You must be registered to post comments!