#usda guidelines

There’s A Food Poisoning Risk Top Cookbooks Don’t Tell You About by Suzy Strutner at the Huffington Post

From the article:

Researchers analyzed 1,497 recipes from 29 cookbooks that appeared on New York Times bestseller lists in 2013 and 2014. Recipes were considered “correct” if they noted the proper endpoint temperature for a meat or animal product, per guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. About 92 percent of recipes didn’t note a temperature at all.

Of the 1,497 recipes tested, only 89 provided the correct temperature to tell when meat is done cooking.

Written By Monae Byrne

January 2016

You’ve likely encountered numerous nutrition recommendations in the past, suggesting how many calories, fat, carbohydrates, protein, sugar, calcium, and iron is healthy. You’ve likely even seen the Food Guide Pyramid at some point in your life, suggesting you use fats, oils sparingly; load up on bread, cereal, rice, and pasta; and, ensure adequate amounts of fruits, dairy products, meat, and vegetables.

More recently the Food Guide Pyramid was replaced by MyPlate, a diagram recommending that half your plate be filled with fruits and vegetables, and the other half being comprised of whole grains. It also recommends that you make the switch from whole or 2% milk to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

With all the confusion over what amounts of each food group is recommended, and which foods are considered “healthy” vs. “non-healthy,” making sense of it all has left many of us feeling frustrated and even a little dizzy!

The USDA continues to strive for creating the most effective and achievable guidelines for Americans. As such, the Dietary Guidelines continue to be emphasized by health professionals as a roadmap for preventing disease and attaining optimal health.

In 2015, the Dietary Guidelines were updated and released to the public in an effort to inform Americans of modern-day nutrition recommendations. These guidelines include:

1.       Follow a healthy eating pattern across the lifespan—emphasizing healthy eating patterns, including getting appropriate levels of calories each day is necessary to support weight, maintain health and prevent disease.

2.       Focus on variety, nutrient density, and serving amounts—eating a variety of nutrient-dense foods from all food groups within the recommended caloric range.

3.       Limit calories from added sugars and saturated fats and reduce sodium intake—cutting back on high-sugar foods and beverages, along with unhealthy saturated fats and excessive sodium is optimal.

4.       Shift to healthier food and beverage choices—replacing foods with unhealthy ingredients with those that are nutrient-dense is a vital part of achieving optimal health. Part of accomplishing this is through an increased understanding of cultural and personal preferences.

5.       Support healthy eating patterns for all—regardless of the setting, all individuals should have access to healthy food items, whether in the workplace, school setting, or within the community.

Some KEYPOINTS to consider:

The primary changes in the current 2015 guidelines emphasize the importance of improved weight management aimed at preventing chronic disease—including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and various types of cancer. Previous guidelines focused primarily on individual nutrient and food groups (i.e., carbohydrates, fats, proteins, dairy, meat, grains, etc.). New guidelines promote overall healthy eating patterns, where sugar and sodium are modified, and beverages are highlighted as contributing to the daily caloric value. In plain sight, this means—eat to maintain a healthy weight throughout your lifespan; focus on nutrient-dense and quality foods; limit your intake of saturated fats, added sugars, and sodium; focus on choosing healthier alternatives to your food and beverages; and, ensure your community promotes healthy eating for all individuals.

 For more detailed information, please visit:

http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/

 Source:

Federal food policy is a very intricate and complex subject that affects the way school food service teams may feed the students whose diets are in their hands–at least for those 7+ hours they’re on campus. There may be no one who is more familiar with the effect that federal food policy has on schools, kids, and administrators than Marlene Schwartz, PhD, the Director for the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University. In the following interview, we discuss various federal policies, including the new USDA guidelines known as Smart Snacks In School, the federal school lunch program, SNAP, and more! We may not see eye-to-eye on healthy competitive foods (we believe they belong in schools!), we always welcome debate and alternate points of view.

1. You have conducted and published extensive research on school wellness policies. What has been the most useful thing you’ve learned that you can pass along to those who work on behalf of improving school nutrition?

I think that it is really important to be supportive of the food service director and staff in your school district. They have a tough job – they need to meet federal and state regulations, appeal to the kids, and balance the budget. I dream of a day that school districts see the food service as part of the overall budget – just like heat and computers – and are willing to put the money into making the cafeterias a learning lab for students.

2. What do you think of Michelle Obama’s recent proposal to limit junk-food marketing in schools?

I think it’s great. We have long advocated to keep marketing out of schools. This proposal makes complete common sense – why would you allow marketing for products you aren’t allowed to sell? Kids pick up on hypocrisy and would have noticed this double standard.

3. The White House also recently introduced a new policy stating that school districts that serve communities in which 40 percent or more of students qualify for free meals may now offer free breakfast and lunch to the entire school. What are your thoughts on this?

I also think this is a great policy. There is sometimes stigma associated with participating in the school lunch and breakfast and one of the places where participation is highest is when it’s free for the entire school. I also hope that this will help move my earlier idea forward – that the schools really embrace the food programs as part of the whole school environment. It’s part of keeping kids safe and healthy and ready to learn.