Healthy Guidelines

Trade the Bad for the Better

It’s not always easy to eat well but with a few simple swaps you can be on your way to a healthier you.

Cereals with high sugar	Cereals with the whole grains, or oatmeal
White bread and bagels	Whole grain bread and bagels
Cream cheese	Low fat cream cheese or low fat cottage cheese
Eggs	Egg whites, or egg substitutes
Fruit yogurt	Plain yogurt with fresh fruit
Sugary drinks, soda, or sports drinks	Seltzer or unsweetened ice tea
Whole Milk	Low fat milk
High sugar juices	100% Juices
Milkshake	Fruit smoothie
Meat with high fat contents	Lean or low fat meat, chicken, turkey, or fish
Bacon	Turkey bacon, Canadian bacon, or lean prosciutto
Mayonnaise	Sliced avocado
Burgers	Turkey, or Veggie Burgers
Pizza with pepperoni or sausage	Pizza on whole wheat crust with veggies
Chips	Plain pretzels, rice cakes, or popcorn
Pasta	Whole wheat pasta
White rice	Brown rice, wild rice, or pearled barley
Canned soups	Soups that are low fat and low sodium
Canned fruit in heavy syrup	Canned fruit in water or its own juices, or fresh fruit
French fries	Baked sweet potato fries
Sugary desserts	Fresh fruit
Ice cream	Sorbet, or frozen yogurt
Cookies	Graham crackers
Cake	Low fat whole wheat banana bread
Candy	Dried fruit, or nuts

Looking at the Labels

Buy foods with few ingredients, and make sure those ingredients are natural rather than man made ones. Ingredients are listed by the amount of each one found in the product. Something with sugar listed second will be less healthy then something with sugar listed last.

About Health and Breakfast

In order to meet USDA requirements, school breakfasts must contain no more than 30% of calories from fat, and less then 10% from saturated fat. In addition, breakfast must provide one-fourth of the Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein, calcium, iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and calories.

Research shows that children who eat breakfast:

are less likely to be overweight
show improvement on math, reading and standardized test scores
establish healthier habits for later in life
have fewer absences and incidences of tardiness
are more likely to behave better in school
consume more calcium, fiber, foliate and protein

Being Healthy and Active

According to the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Children ages 6 to 17 years old need:

Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity daily.

Aerobic: Most of the 60 or more minutes a day should be either moderate or vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity, and should include vigorous-intensity physical activity at least 3 days a week.
Muscle-strengthening
As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week.
Bone-strengthening
As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include bone-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week.

It is important to encourage young people to participate in physical activities that are appropriate for their age, that are enjoyable, and that offer variety.

Also adults 18 to 64 years old need:

All adults should avoid inactivity. Some physical activity is better than none, and adults who participate in any amount of physical activity gain some health benefits.

For substantial health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Aerobic activity should be performed in episodes of at least 10 minutes, and preferably, it should be spread throughout the week.
For additional and more extensive health benefits, adults should increase their aerobic physical activity to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity, or 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity. Additional health benefits are gained by engaging in physical activity beyond this amount.

Adults should also include muscle-strengthening activities that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.

Calorie Consumption

Gender	Age	Light Physical Activity Physical activity like day to day things	Moderately Active Physical activity equal to walking 1.5-3 miles a day at 3-4 mph	Active Physical Activity equal to walking 3 or more miles a day at 3-4 mph
Male and Female	2-3	1,000 – 1,200	1,000 – 1,400	1,000 – 1,400
Female	4-8	1,200 – 1,400	1,400 – 1,600	1,400 – 1,800
	9-13	1,400 – 1,600	1,600 – 2,000	1,800 – 2,200
	14-18	1,800	2,000	2,400
	19-30	1,800 – 2,000	2,000 – 2,200	2,400
	31-50	1,800	2,000	2,200
	51+	1,600	1,800	2,000 – 2,200
Male	4-8	1,200 – 1,400	1,400 – 1,600	1,600 – 2,000
	9-13	1,600 – 2,000	1,800 – 2,000	2,000 – 2,600
	14-18	2,000 – 2,400	2,400 – 2,800	2,800 – 3,200
	19-30	2,400 – 2,600	2,600 – 2,800	3,000
	31-50	2,200 – 2,400	2,400 – 2,600	2,800 – 3,000
	51+	2,000 – 2,200	2,200 – 2,400	2,400 – 2,800

A calorie is a unit of energy that measures how much energy food provides to the body. The body needs calories to function properly. (kids health. Org)

Calories consumed must equal calories expended for a person to maintain the same body weight. Consuming more calories than expended will result in weight gain. Conversely, consuming fewer calories than expended will result in weight loss. This can be achieved over time by eating fewer calories, being more physically active, or, best of all, a combination of the two.

Where should your calories come from?

The Institute of Medicine has established ranges for the percentage of calories in the diet that should come from carbohydrate, protein, and fat.

Young children (1–3 years)
Carbohydrate 45–65%	Protein 5–20%	Fat 30–40%
Older children and adolescents (4–18 years)
Carbohydrate 45–65%	Protein 10–30%	Fat 25–35%
Adults (19 years and older)
Carbohydrate 45–65%	Protein 10–35%	Fat 20–35%

Understanding What it all Means

Sodium

Fact: Virtually all Americans consume more sodium than they need. The estimated average intake of sodium for all Americans ages 2 years and older is approximately 3,400 mg per day.

A tolerable upper level intake for children 14 and under of sodium is 2,300 milligrams a day, 1,500 milligrams a day is the adequate intake for people 9 years old and older.

Americans can reduce their consumption of sodium in a variety of ways:

• Read the Nutrition Facts label for information on the sodium content of foods and purchase foods that are low in sodium.

• Consume more fresh foods and fewer processed foods that are high in sodium.

• Eat more home-prepared foods, where you have more control over sodium, and use little or no salt or salt- containing seasonings when cooking or eating foods.

• When eating at restaurants, ask that salt not be added to your food or order lower sodium options, if available.

Fats

It’s a bad idea to try to avoid fat completely, though, especially for teens. A certain amount of fat is necessary for development, especially during puberty when the body grows very quickly. (kids health .org)

The IOM established accept- able ranges for total fat intake for children and adults
children ages 1 to 3 years: 30–40% of calories;
children and adolescents ages 4 to 18 years: 25–35%;
adults ages 19 years and older: 20–35%
These ranges are associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, while providing for adequate intake of essential nutrients. Total fat intake should fall within these ranges.

Saturated Fats

Consuming less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids and replacing them with monounsaturated and/or polyunsaturated fatty acids is associated with low blood cholesterol levels, and therefore a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Trans Fats

Trans fatty acids are found naturally in some foods and are formed during food processing; they are not essential in the diet. Americans should keep their intake of trans fatty acids as low as possible.

Cholesterol
Cholesterol is found only in animal foods. The major sources of cholesterol in the American diet include eggs and egg mixed dishes, chicken and chicken mixed dishes, beef and beef mixed dishes, and all types of beef burgers. Limiting the consumption of the specific foods that are high in cholesterol can reduce cholesterol intake.

Consuming less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day can help maintain normal blood cholesterol levels.

Consuming less than 200 milligrams of cholesterol per day can help individuals that are at high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Added Sugars

Added sugars contribute an average of 16 percent of the total calories in American diets. Added sugars include high fructose corn syrup, white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, raw sugar, malt syrup, maple syrup, pancake syrup, fructose sweetener, liquid fructose, honey, molasses, anhydrous dextrose, and crystal dextrose.

Reducing the consumption of these sources of added sugars will lower the calorie content of the diet, without compromising its nutrient adequacy.

Grains

Whole grains include the entire grain seed, usually called the kernel. Whole grains are consumed either as a single food (e.g., wild rice or popcorn) or as an ingredient in foods (e.g., in cereals, breads, and crackers). Some examples of whole-grain ingredients include buckwheat, bulgur, millet, oatmeal, quinoa, rolled oats, brown or wild rice, whole-grain barley, whole rye, and whole wheat.

Refined grains have been milled to remove the bran and germ from the grain. This is done to give grains a finer texture and improve their shelf life, but it also removes dietary fiber, iron, and many B vitamins. Limit the consumption of foods that contain refined grains, especially refined grain foods that contain solid fats, added sugars, and sodium.

Enriched grains are grain products with B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid) and iron added. Most refined-grain products are enriched.

General Recommendations

Individuals should meet the following recommendations as part of a healthy eating pattern and while staying within their calorie needs.

Increase vegetable and fruit intake.
Eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark-green and red and orange vegetables and beans and peas.
Consume at least half of all grains as whole grains. Increase whole-grain intake by replacing refined grains with whole grains.
Increase intake of fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, or fortified soy beverages.
Choose a variety of protein foods, which include seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds.
Increase the amount and variety of seafood consumed by choosing seafood in place of some meat and poultry.
Replace protein foods that are higher in solid fats with choices that are lower in solid fats and calories and/or are sources of oils.
Use oils to replace solid fats where possible.
Choose foods that provide more potassium, dietary fiber, calcium, and vitamin D, which are nutrients of concern in American diets. These foods include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and milk and milk products.

Want to read more? Check the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.