Extra! Extra! Read all about it… The much anticipated updated USDA Nutritional Guidelines for 2010 were released yesterday (I know, it is 2011 — but hey! Better late than never!). Nothing earth shattering, like eat a diet consisting of only Oreo cookies, but overall, I say yes. Yes. And, YES!
Yes, we already know this stuff.
Yes, these are sound nutrition principles.
YES, most of us struggle to implement these principles on a consistent basis.
Veggies, veggies, and more veggies.
The things that stood our for me in the new guidelines are:
- Healthy weight and calorie balance (calories in vs. calories out) is essential for our health during all stages of life (kids too!).
- Since we are eating all the time anyway, be sure to make that food is packed with nutrients, not empty calories.
- Move more. Sit less. (Fit Momma Challenge #4, anyone? How is it going, girls?)
- REDUCE:
Sodium to almost nothing. Only 1 tsp or even less a day.
Bad for you fats (trans, saturated fats)
Refined grains.
Sugar.
Alcohol. - INCREASE:
Vegetables.
Fruit.
Whole grains.
Proteins.
Vegetables.
Good fats.
Seafood.
Low-fat or non-fat dairy products.
Vegetables. Got it. Eat more vegetables.
We do live in a society where there is an abundance of crappy food. Everywhere. Food that really shouldn’t even qualify as food. A term like “sodium/fat/sugar bomb” is more like it. It drives me crazy and I feel like as a mother it makes me ever more dedicated to teaching my kids how to feed their bodies well throughout their lives. This despite the fact that their school cafeteria serves chicken tenders, fries, peaches in heavy syrup, a white roll and chocolate milk on a regular basis.
However, these USDA Guidelines put the emphasis on personal responsibility. I love it. I’ve always been a huge believer that it is our choices and not the food that makes us fat. In my heavier days, it was just me, a spoon, and that half-gallon of ice cream. Nobody was forcing me to eat all that ice cream in one sitting, I just chose to do it week after week.
So, yes. Yes. And, YES.
Yes, we already know this stuff.
Yes, these are sound nutrition princicples.
And YES! We can implement them into our lives, our family’s lives, and live a higher quality of life because of it.
After having a clean break from the “half-gallon-of-ice-cream-in-one-sitting” habit for a dozen years now, I can say that with certainty.
What do you think of the new USDA Nutritional Guidelines? Anything that stood out to you?
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{ 11 comments }
Love it–this is exactly why I am a huge fan of Nuriche.
It’s also interesting to note that most Americans eat the SAME FOUR FRUITS & VEGGIES. Our bodies need so much more then that–it truly needs a WIDE VARIETY. I’m grateful I’m getting 10 servings of fruits in vegetables from a variety of 60 fruits & veggies-every.single.day!
Those awful school lunches! Ours still serves Pop Tarts and doughnuts for breakfast because they meet the daily vitamin A requirement. ::blank stare:: I took lunch up to the school for my kids last week so I could eat with them, and I brought containers of plain skim milk to have with our turkey and veggies on whole wheat. More than one teacher passed by and made comments about how they were surprised my kids were eating whole wheat and drinking plain milk. Sad!
I am constantly amazed at the general public’s lack of knowledge when it comes to nutrition. In a hallway conversation at church about the absence of actual whole and clean food in school lunches, a fellow teacher argued that school lunches are perfectly balanced (they MUST be by law), and she advised all her girls to just get the pizza everyday because that would ensure that they got a serving of all the food groups. I could NOT hold my tongue, and I gave a tactful speech on the dangers of eating that garbage for lunch everyday– hello refined white flour, saturated fat in several meat and dairy mediums, high sodium, etc. She was quite offended, and defended her position that school would not serve pizza if it wasn’t healthy! OH MY GOSH!! And this is a family that desperately needs a wake-up call for some weight loss. It just broke my heart, really.
Our school has a HUGE salad bar with all the fixings! The kids can pick between the salad bar (with all kinds of fruits & veggies) or the “hot lunch” crap that you’re talking about. Seriously it is a WAY NICE bar–they even have a “protein” section that is cut up chicken or ham, nuts, cottage cheese–seriously WAY impressed!
The thing this — a lot, most, kids don’t pick the salad bar. In theory it is a good idea, but in practice they kids still go to the sodium/fat/sugar bombs. I don’t see why they just can’t get rid of the crap all together, period. ONLY have healthy options. Some schools are seeing the light. I know the Jaime Oliver Food Revolution is making strides in this area.
Wow, Natalie. WOW. I’m speechless. The school lunch situation has gotten completely out of control and frankly, it does anger me. I’ve handled it by sending my kids their own lunches every day, but really I should do more. I should be more proactive about it, talking to the district, getting involved with the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution — but of course haven’t. Add it to the list, I suppose.
yeah school lunches are interesting. and don’t they get reimbursed from the government for meeting the requirements? When i had my preschool i did the food program for my snacks. I was impressed by the guidelines we were to follow(they were pretty strict) and the amount they would pay me for feeding my children these foods. BUT….a lot of processed foods were allowed. Interesting the gov’t has these guidelines but then they turn around and approve chicken tenders and mac-n-cheese. i only did the gov’t food program one year with my preschool.
I agree, Mary Kate. Why not put the money into the good foods?
I think if you feed your kids the healthy stuff at home they will eat it–maybe that’s just the case with my girls–they tell me the cant stand the “pretend pizza, burritos, chicken sandwich, etc” school lunches–im 100% SURE they dont eat the salad bar every day–but if we can get 2 or 3 out of 5 days at salad bar–im down with that! HA
I send lunches with my kids each day as well. After seeing Supersize Me years ago and Jamie Oliver’s crusade, it angers me that the food situation in schools still prevails despite the fact that the cost is comparable, and the behavioral and cognitive benefits of good nutrition are well documented. There’s no excuse for it.
Amen, Natalie, amen.
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