Good Basic Guidelines for Those Starting on a Journey to Better Health

Packerjohn

Some solid nutrition advice from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for those starting out.

https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/resources/2015-2020_Dietary_Guidelines.pdf

High level summary:


Consume a healthy eating pattern that accounts for all foods and beverages within
an appropriate calorie level. A healthy eating pattern includes:
•A variety of vegetables from all of the subgroups—dark green, red and orange, legumes (beans and peas)
• Fruits, especially whole fruits
• Grains, at least half of which are whole grains
• Fat-free or low-fat dairy, including milk, yogurt, cheese, and/or fortified soy beverages
• A variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), and nuts,
seeds, and soy products
• Oils

A healthy eating pattern limits:
•Saturated fats and trans fats, added sugars, and sodium. Key Recommendations that are quantitative are provided for several components of the diet that should be limited. These components are of particular public health concern in the United States, and the specified
limits can help individuals achieve healthy eating patterns within calorie limits:
• Consume less than 10 percent of calories per day from added sugars
• Consume less than 10 percent of calories per day from saturated fats
• Consume less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day of sodium
• If alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation—up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men—and only by adults of legal drinking age.

In tandem with the recommendations above, Americans of all ages—children, adolescents, adults, and older adults—should meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
to help promote health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. Americans should aim to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. The relationship between diet and physical activity contributes to calorie balance and managing body weight. As such, the Dietary Guidelines
includes a Key Recommendation to:

• Meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans

Recommendations for those 18-64:
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.

https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/appendix-1/

kommodevaran

It's not that we haven't heard this before (many times), it's that implementing these guidelines into something remotely resembling a delicious diet is very difficult, and humans tend to take things into extremes, lose sight of the overall idea, and often just miss the point completely. I wish more countries would follow Brazil's example and focus on variety, balance and the family eating home cooked meals together - when those basics are covered, everything else seems to fall neatly into place.

Packerjohn

kommodevaran wrote: »

It's not that we haven't heard this before (many times), it's that implementing these guidelines into something remotely resembling a delicious diet is very difficult, and humans tend to take things into extremes, lose sight of the overall idea, and often just miss the point completely. I wish more countries would follow Brazil's example and focus on variety, balance and the family eating home cooked meals together - when those basics are covered, everything else seems to fall neatly into place.

Not to argue, but I see variety and delicious items in the guidelines, meats, dairy, poultry fish, grains fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc. None of this is extreme.

What many Americans don't like is the suggested no more than 10% of calories from added sugars, 10% from saturated fats and 1-2 alcoholic drinks per day.