On Monday, the USDA released their 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. My friend Alex, over at I Eat Asphalt, gives a great layman’s breakdown of what changes this announcement entails. Basically, the USDA is finally taking serious the obesity epidemic that our country is facing. Most of the changes could simply be summed up as “Eat less and eat nutritiously.”
I’m happy to see the government finally making this step, but I can’t help but feel that they’re still several steps behind the rest of us. These are their messages to Americans:
Balancing Calories- Enjoy your food, but eat less.
- Avoid oversized portions.
- Avoid oversized portions.
Foods to Increase- Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
- Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
- Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
Foods to Reduce- Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals—and choose the foods with lower numbers.
- Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
- Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Please, oh please tell me that your reaction is “No. Duh.” Really USDA? This is your news flash of 2010? The saddest part is—if you followed the directions above while eating a 2000 calorie diet, you would only lose weight if you’re seriously overweight. If I followed that kind of diet, I would gain 35 pounds in a year!
What do you think? Do you USDA recommendations to guide your own diet choices? Are they behind the times?
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1 comments:
You make such a great point in your comment on my blog about the body all of a sudden being fussy. I've been doing this for 2 months and this change is amazing.
Have never heard of the halfing your plate with fruits & vegetables rule but I like it!
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