My Plate-the new nutrition guidelines

In June, the USDA issued new guidelines for daily nutrition. The old familiar food pyramid is gone, replaced by a diagram that is easier to use. It’s called “my plate." Making food choices for a healthy lifestyle can be as simple as using the USDA Tips. Balance your calories, choosing healthy foods to eat more often, and cut back on unhealthy foods.
Find out how many calories YOU need for a day as a first step in managing your weight. Go to www.ChooseMyPlate.gov to find your calorie level. Take the time to fully enjoy your food as you eat it. Eating too fast or when your attention is elsewhere may lead to eating too many calories. Pay attention to hunger and fullness cues before, during, and after meals. Use them to recognize when to eat and when you’ve had enough.
Avoid oversized portions. Use a smaller plate, bowl, and glass. Portion out foods before you eat. When eating out, choose a smaller size option, share a dish, or take home part of your meal.
Eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or 1% milk and dairy products. These foods have the nutrients you need for health—including potassium, calcium, vitamin D, and fiber. Make them the basis for meals and snacks.
Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Choose red, orange, and dark-green vegetables like tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and broccoli, along with other vegetables for your meals. Add fruit to meals as part of main or side dishes or as dessert.
Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk. Both have the same amount of calcium and other essential nutrients as whole milk, but fewer calories and less saturated fat.
Make half your grains whole grains. To eat more whole grains, substitute a whole-grain product for a refined product—such as eating whole-wheat bread instead of white bread or brown rice instead of white rice.
Foods to eat less often: Cut back on foods high in solid fats, added sugars, and salt. They include cakes, cookies, ice cream, candies, sweetened drinks, pizza, and fatty meats like ribs, sausages, bacon, and hot dogs. Use these foods as occasional treats, not everyday foods.
Compare sodium in foods. Use the Nutrition Facts label to choose lower sodium versions of foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals. Select canned foods labeled “low sodium,” ”reduced sodium,” or “no salt added.”
Drink water instead of sugary drinks. Cut calories by drinking water or unsweetened beverages. Soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks are a major source of added sugar, and calories, in American diets.

Empty calories are foods that contain calories but not nutrients. They include sugar and solid fats like margarine or butter. Here are examples of foods that contain empty calories:

Food with some empty calories
Food with few or no empty calories
Sweetened applesauce (contains added sugars)
Unsweetened applesauce
Regular ground beef (75% lean) (contains solid fats)
Extra lean ground beef (90% or more lean)
Fried chicken (contains solid fats from frying and skin)
Baked chicken breast without skin
Sugar-sweetened cereals (contain added sugars)
Unsweetened cereals
Whole milk (contains solid fats)
Fat-free milk

For more information about My Plate, see the kiosk at church or go to www.MyPlate.gov