The National Institutes of Health and the United States Department of Agriculture work every five years together to put out their recommendations for healthy eating and physical activity. The most recent guidelines came out in February 2010. The focus of the current guidelines emphasize controlling your calorie intake and increasing physical activity in order to improve your health and stave off disease.
The Problem
With each year that passes, Americans get fatter. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 20 percent of children between the ages of six to 11 years old are obese. Eighteen percent of juveniles age 12 to 18 are obese. Even more shocking is that according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 72 percent of males and 64 percent of women are categorized as either overweight or obese. When you are overweight or obese, the likelihood for developing chronic cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic diseases rapidly increases. If the problem persists, millions of Americans will be paying the price.
Foods To Eat Sparingly
The new dietary guidelines outline foods that are thought to cause the increasing prevalence of obesity and disease. The recommendations encourage individuals to decrease consumption of saturated fats, trans fats, sugars, sodium and processed grains. You should limit fat intake to 10 percent or less of your calories per day and cholesterol intake to 300 mg per day. Sugars added to processed foods should also be limited. Many processed foods that contain a large amount of sugar and refined flours are high in calories and low in nutrients. Sodium intake should be reduced to 1,500 to 2,300 mg per day. Many commonly eaten foods contain all of these characteristics: processed, high in sugar, fat and sodium.
Foods To Emphasize
Foods that have natural sugars and carbohydrates are generally low in fat, sodium and calories and are high in vitamins and minerals. Most importantly, your consumption of fruits and vegetables should increase. Eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables provides the means for essential vitamins and minerals. The USDA recommends half or more of your carbohydrates be eaten as whole grains, instead of processed foods. Proteins should take on the role of low-fat, lower-calorie sources like chicken, fish, beans and nuts. Fats should be eaten as plant-based sources like olive or vegetable oils. Doing some simple food replacing can help control your calorie intake and provide a healthier diet.
Exercise
Weight management is emphasized as an important part of staying healthy. Calorie consumption varies according to your age, gender and physical activity behavior. The current recommendations suggest for women to consume between 1,600 to 2,000 calories per day and for men to consume between 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day to maintain weight. Your lifestyle will determine your caloric needs. A more active individual will need to eat on the higher end and a more sedentary person will need to consume less calories. Balancing your caloric intake with exercise is also beneficial to controlling your weight. To maintain a healthy body weight, exercising at least 150 minutes per week is necessary. However, in order to lose weight you may need to exercise 300 minutes per week. Exercise is best when done at a moderate level of intensity.
Beverage Intake
Many people may not think that beverages make up a large part of their daily caloric intake, and that is a problem. One large glass of juice or one can of soda can contain up to 200 calories or more. The USDA suggests limiting intake of fruit juice for children and adolescents, by either controlling portion sizes or limiting daily intake. A high intake of juice is correlated with developing childhood obesity. Adults would be wise to limit alcoholic drinks. Alcoholic drinks generally contain a surprising amount of calories and can cause excess weight gain.
References
- "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010"; United States Department of Agriculture and United States Department of Health and Human Services; 2010
- Centers for Disease Control: FastStats
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