Taste Life Blog

March is Nutrition Month and a great time to review the 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines. Every five years, US law requires an update of the Dietary Guidelines, which were created in 1980 as a reminder of better health habits. The guidelines are great for helping with grocery shopping lists but also help shape nutrition policy, education, and food assistance programs.

Sugar: We are currently eating 13% of our daily calories in added sugar. The guidelines suggest that added sugar should not account for more than “10 percent of total energy.” So what! We don’t eat “percents.” We do eat teaspoons. The average American is eating 22 to 30 teaspoons of sugar a day and the new guidelines suggest we eat 12 teaspoons. The average calorie requirements for healthy adults are about 2000 calories per day. So, 10% of 2000 calories is 200 calories; 200 calories equals 50 grams of sugar; one can of Pepsi or Coke equals 35 grams of sugar. By contrast, one bottle of water or sparking water equals zero grams of sugar. Read labels for added sugar like honey, maple syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and molasses. My favorite sweeteners are xylitol and stevia. The less sugar you eat the less you will crave it. Trust me. Dark chocolate or a piece of fruit is a perfect way to end your meal. Bottom line: Decide if the amount of sugar you eat is important to you and then take action.

Salt: The average adult consumes 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day. The guidelines suggest we consume no more than 2,300 milligrams a day, which is equal to one teaspoon of salt. American Heart Association tells us to eat 1500 milligrams for good heart health. One teaspoon of salt is 2,400 milligrams of sodium. So, ditch your salt shaker and replace it with tasty spices and herbs. My favorites are at www.penzeys.com, which I eat at every meal. I enjoy Fox Point on eggs, Northwood Seasoning spices up my beef, and I love Penzeys Greek Salad Dressing. Most of the sodium in our diets comes from processed food so avoid packages (e.g. replace canned veggies with fresh). Use the Nutrition Facts label for your frozen pizza, frozen entrees, and soups. Eat around the outside of your grocery store. When dining out, ask your waiter or waitress for no added salt. Bottom line: Decide if the amount of salt you eat is important to you and then take action.

Fat: Limit saturated fat to less than 10 percent of calories a day. For a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, that’s 200 calories or about 22 grams of saturated fat. Use the Nutrition Facts label to find out how much fat is in the foods you eat. The Nutrition Facts label shows the amount of total fat, saturated fat and trans-fat in one serving. To monitor the fat in your diet, simply add up the fat grams from all the food you ate. If you’re on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, 400 to 700 calories can come from dietary fat, which translates to between 44 and 78 fat grams a day. Avoid trans- fats. Read your food labels. By law a serving of food containing less than 0.5 grams of trans fat can be labeled as 0 grams. Therefore, it’s important to also check ingredient lists for the term “partially hydrogenated.” Use oil instead of solid fats. Replace saturated fat with healthier monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Cook fish, like salmon and mackerel, instead of meat at least twice a week to get healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Bake or broil lean meat and skinless poultry. Snack smart. Many popular processed snack foods are high in fat. Bottom line: Decide if the amount and type of fat you eat is important to you and then take action.

The real secret to healthy eating is identifying the difference between wanting and deciding. Wanting is sitting on the couch reading this article. Deciding means you are jumping in whole-heartedly, doing whatever it takes to make healthy eating a priority in your busy life. Focus on one baby goal – “I will eat a healthier breakfast.” To be successful, you have to decide. Healthy eating goals are doing and decisions are thinking. The power is in your decision. You have to DECIDE! Better get busy! March is the perfect time to decide! A great resource is www.choosemyplate.gov.

For this original article in the Eden Prairie News check out this link!