Every five years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) publish the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which basically tell us what we should be eating. Recently revealed, the new guides emphasize a message that hasn't been front-and-center in previous versions: eat for a healthy weight. "Obesity is the single greatest threat to public health in this century," said RADM Penelope Slade-Sawyer, Deputy Assistant Secretary for HHS, when she presented the report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Extra pounds have been linked with health conditions including heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Here are some of the guidelines' key messages—and steps to help you eat in line with them.
Control Calorie Intake to Manage Body Weight. In other words, balance what you eat with what you burn (through living and breathing and also through exercise).
How to do it: Start with this calculation. Your current weight x 12 = calories needed to maintain your weight.* Looking to lose? Subtract 500 calories from your result to shed about a pound a week. If your calculated calorie level is less than 1,200, set your goal at 1,200 to get the nutrients you need.
Get More Foods with Potassium, Fiber, Calcium and Vitamin D.
How to do it: Have a healthy breakfast. Traditional morning meals are full of these nutrients. Try a bowl of oatmeal (fiber) with raisins (fiber, potassium) and low-fat milk (calcium, vitamin D, potassium). Or some nonfat yogurt (calcium, vitamin D, potassium) with berries (fiber, potassium). Getting more low-fat or nonfat milk products is also a key recommendation of the guidelines!
Reduce Saturated Fat.
How to do it: Trade your solid fats (butter and lard) for oils. Try canola or olive oil in place of butter when cooking and avocado in place of mayonnaise in sandwiches; opt for oily fish in place of fatty cuts of beef. Going meatless once a week can also help you cut your saturated-fat intake significantly.
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables, especially dark-green and red and orange ones, as well as beans and peas.
How to do it: Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables at each meal. For example, if you're having fish for dinner, have it with some sautéed veggies and a green salad.
Limit Foods That Contain Refined Grains, especially those with solid fats, added sugars and sodium.
How to do it: Think differently about dessert. Refined grains, solid fats, added sugars and sodium often come together in dessert—but you don't have to ditch it altogether. Eat smaller portions of healthier versions that use whole grains or whole-wheat flour or, better yet, pick those that feature fruit. You can also reduce refined grains by replacing white bread and pasta with whole-wheat varieties and experimenting with dishes that include brown rice, barley and quinoa.
Eat More Seafood and mix up your choices to get healthy amounts of heart-friendly omega-3 fats and minimize exposure to methylmercury.
How to do it: Cook fish for dinner once or twice a week. Eating canned chunk light tuna or canned sardines will also help you the meet the 8-ounce-per-week recommendation.
Reduce Sodium to less than 2,300 mg/day (the amount in 1 teaspoon of table salt). If you're older than 50, are African American or have hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease, the recommendation is no more than 1,500 milligrams (about 5⁄8 teaspoon) daily.
How to do it: When buying soups and other canned goods, look for those labeled "no salt added" or "low sodium" (that means no more than 140 mg per 100 grams, or about 336 mg per cup). "Reduced sodium" is often a good choice, too, but it means only that the product contains at least 25 percent less than its original version (of that brand); compare the nutrition labels of different brands to find the ones with the least sodium.
*Note: This calorie calculation works best for people who are sedentary. If you exercise regularly and you find that you are really hungry—or losing more than 2 pounds a week after the first couple of weeks—you may need to bump up your calories a bit.
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