Every five years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) update the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which tell us what we ‘should’ be eating. Here are the new guideline rules……

1  STOP  eating too much….For the first time in their 31-year history, the Dietary Guidelines are speaking to a nation where the majority of us are now overweight. That’s why the guidelines tell Americans to ‘enjoy your food, but eat less.’

2 GO for more fruits and vegetable…..The guidelines tell us to ‘make half your plate fruits and vegetables.’

3  STOP eating junk….The guidelines say to ‘reduce the intake of calories from solid fats and added sugar.’  Combined solid fats and added sugars make up a staggering 35% of all our calories and the top source of calories in the American diet is starchy desserts (cookies, cakes).

4  MAKE WAY for leaner meats and poultry and vegetable protein….Bad-for-you saturated fat isn’t just hiding in butter and lard. It also lurks in whole milk, full-fat cheese and certain cuts of meat and poultry.

5  GO FOR MORE….whole grains. When it comes to grains, most of us could do a whole lot better. We gobble twice as many refined grains as we should, which may explain why the guidelines tell Americans to ‘limit consumption of foods that contain refined grains.’

6 GO fish….Here the guidelines are pretty clear: ‘increase the amount and variety of seafood to an intake of 8 ounces or more per week.’……….Karen Ansel, M.S., R.D.

A Health Connection……. not only offers a license for healthy, unrefined, unprocessed whole grain bread products that are so necessary to good health, but also one to one nutritional assessments, nutrition classes and a Lifestyle Management Program with wonderful and successful results……….Brenda Ihle, RN, A Health Connection LLC