National Nutrition Month
March: National Nutrition Month
“You are what you eat”… In accordance to observing March as the ‘National Nutrition Month’, let us educate ourselves about nutrition and make informed food choices.
For more info. visit: http://www.mypyramid.gov/index.html
USDA (United States Department of Agriculture): The Dietary Guidelines for Americans give science-based advice on food and physical activity choices for health. The 2005 edition of the Dietary Guidelines remain the current guidelines until the 2010 edition is released.
What is a “Healthy Diet”?
The Dietary Guidelines describe a healthy diet as one that
- Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products;
- Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and
- Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.
The recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines and in MyPyramid are for the general public over 2 years of age. MyPyramid is not a therapeutic diet for any specific health condition. Individuals with a chronic health condition should consult with a health care provider to determine what dietary pattern is appropriate for them.
MyPyramid helps individuals use the Dietary Guidelines to:
- Make smart choices from every food group.
- Find balance between food and physical activity.
- Get the most nutrition out of calories.
- Stay within daily calorie needs.
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The American Heart Association March is National Nutrition Month. Whether you’re snacking, making a home-cooked meal or grabbing a bite on the go, the AHA has smart substitutions to help you eat healthier. This handy list offers lower-fat alternatives to high-fat items. http://bit.ly/2BALA0
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A SENSIBLE CHART FOR HOME COOKING
Substituting Lower-Fat Foods in Recipes
You can make many of your favorite recipes healthier by using lower-fat or no-fat ingredients. These healthy substitutions can help you cut down on saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol, while noticing little, if any, difference in taste.
| When recipe calls for . . . | Use this instead … |
| Whole milk (1 cup) | 1 cup fat-free or low-fat milk, plus one tablespoon of liquid vegetable oil |
| Heavy cream (1 cup) | 1 cup evaporated skim milk or 1/2 cup low-fat yogurt and 1/2 cup plain low-fat unsalted cottage cheese |
| Sour cream | Low-fat unsalted cottage cheese plus low-fat or fat-free yogurt; or just use fat-free sour cream |
| Cream cheese | 4 tablespoons soft margarine (low in saturated fat and 0 grams trans fat) blended with 1 cup dry, unsalted low-fat cottage cheese; add a small amount of fat-free milk if needed |
| Butter (1 tablespoon) | 1 tablespoon soft margarine (low in saturated fat and 0 grams trans fat) or 3/4 tablespoon liquid vegetable oil |
| Egg (1) | 2 egg whites; or choose a commercially made, cholesterol-free egg substitute (1/4 cup) |
| Unsweetened baking chocolate (1 ounce) | 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or carob powder plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or soft margarine; since carob is sweeter than cocoa, reduce the sugar in the recipe by 25% |
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A SENSIBLE CHART FOR SNACKING
Substituting Traditional, Higher-Fat Snacks with Lower-Fat Snacks
You can snack healthier by substituting snacks that are high in saturated fats and/or trans fats with these sensible snacks:
| Instead of . . . | Enjoy … |
| Fried tortilla chips | Baked tortilla chips (reduced sodium version) |
| Regular potato or corn chips | Pretzels or low-fat potato chips (reduced sodium version) |
| High-fat cookies and crackers | Fat-free or low-fat cookies, crackers (such as graham crackers, rice cakes, fig and other fruit bars, ginger snaps and molasses cookies) |
| Regular baked goods | Baked goods, such as cookies, cakes and pies, and pie crusts made with unsaturated oil or soft margarines, egg whites or egg substitutes, and fat-free milk |
| Devil’s food cake | Angel food cake |
| Ice cream bars | Frozen fruit bars |
| Pudding made with whole milk | Pudding made with fat-free or low-fat milk |
| Ice cream | Sherbet, ice milk or frozen, fat-free or low-fat yogurt |
| Doughnut | Bagel or toast |
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A SENSIBLE CHART FOR EATING OUT
Substituting Lower-Fat Foods for High-Fat Items
You can eat sensibly when you eat out by choosing lower-fat foods instead of “the usual.”
| Instead of… | Try … |
| Cream-based soups | Broth-based soups with lots of vegetables |
| Quiche and salad | Soup and salad |
| Buffalo chicken wings | Peel-and-eat shrimp |
| Bread, muffins, croissants | Melba toast, pita bread, whole-grain rolls |
| Fried chicken sandwich | Grilled chicken sandwich |
| Chicken fried steak | Veggie burger |
| French fries | Baked potato, brown rice, steamed vegetables |
| Potatoes and gravy | Potatoes without gravy, baked potato |
| Creamy coleslaw | Sautéed vegetables, steamed vegetables or tossed salad |
| Hot fudge sundae or ice cream | Nonfat yogurt, sherbet or fruit ice |
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A SENSIBLE CHART FOR FAST-FOOD PLACES
Substituting Lower-Fat Foods in Recipes
You can eat sensibly at fast-food restaurants by choosing lower-fat foods instead of “the usual.”
| Instead of … | Try… |
| Danish | Small bagel |
| Jumbo cheeseburgers | Grilled chicken sandwiches, sliced meat sandwiches or even a regular hamburger on a bun with lettuce, tomato and onion |
| Fried chicken | Grilled chicken and a side salad |
| Fried chicken pieces | Grilled chicken sandwich |
| French fries | Baked potato with vegetables and/or low-fat or fat-free sour cream or margarine on the side |
