New 2010 Dietary Guidelines

Good morning everyone, I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday. We are almost half way to the weekend. ;-) I live for the weekend and more time with the hubby.

Proposed New Dietary Guidelines:

I was catching up on my nutrition and health reading this morning and saw this article about the new dietary guidelines (from USDA and HHS) and thought some of you may find it interesting since I did. If you want to read the guidelines in their entirety here is a link. You will notice the sodium recommendation has been lowered to 1,500mg of everyone not just those with health concerns and a corresponding increase in potassium. Additionally the guidelines are calling for a further reduction in saturated fat consumption and increased consumption of a plant based diet.

Per the report, “On average, Americans of all ages consume too few vegetables, fruits, high-fiber whole grains, low-fat milk and milk products, and seafood and they eat too much added sugars, solid fats, refined grains, and sodium.” While I disagree with the milk and seafood comment I think the rest of the statement is spot on.

The report goes on to say, “Plant proteins can be combined to form complete proteins if combinations of legumes and grains are consumed. Plant-based diets are able to meet protein requirements for essential amino acids through planning and offer other potential benefits, such as sources of fiber and nutrients important in a health-promoting diet.” This was strong language for an agency that has been pushing meat and milk consumption for decades.

While I don’t think the guidelines go far enough, particularly if the article is right that 70% of this country has diabetes, heart disease or is obese, I think it is a reasonable start. I can’t imagine the government telling American’s to eliminate meat or dairy due to the power of those industries and their lobbyists. But if people begin to make the connection between nutrition and health, and eat accordingly, I think we will see a huge change in the overall health of this country.

Obviously these recommendations aren’t going to make any changes in our diet since we have already taken it much further. However, I wanted to post these links so that you can share them with your loved ones that are still consuming the standard American diet.

Unrelated Note:

Today I am still working on the magazine project and making good headway. I go through my magazines every year or so and each time I do I am shocked by how many I have accumulated. I will need to space out taking them to the doctor’s office so they don’t get overwhelmed. *shakes head*  I always wonder why I don't purge these more often. ;-)

Dinner last night was a quick 20 minute dish. I had to whip it together quickly which means I didn’t measure or photograph it but I wanted the share the method for those times when you need healthy food fast. I water sautéed onion, garlic and fresh ginger. In approximately 3 minutes I added quinoa, water, turmeric, freshly ground black pepper and powdered ginger and put the lid on and brought the water to a boil then reduced it to a simmer. While the quinoa cooked I prepped veggies to go with the quinoa (I used French green beans and julienned bell peppers. I added these to the pot when there was 5 minutes remaining so they would steam on top of the quinoa. I finished the dish with cashews and cilantro (parsley would be good too). This would have been good with a few cooked beans as well. If you are going to add them do so with the veggies in the last five minutes since you only need them to heat them through.

I need to get back to my to do list but I will be back tonight with a dinner recipe post. My plan is to make dinner early so it doesn’t matter how late Dan gets home from work.  Wish me luck, LOL. Talk to all again soon.