Dietary Guidlines
What do the Dietary Guidelines do for Americans
Diet-the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.
Getting enough nutrients within your calorie needs.
- Basal metabolic rate. This reflects the energy the body needs for basic functions while at rest.
- Define Nutrient-Dense Foods-is a simple way to connect nutrients with calories.
How to maintain a healthy weight.
- Inhibited growth and development. This is especially true in children and teens, whose bodies need plenty of nutrients to grow and stay healthy.
Suggestions for being physically active every day
An overweight teen (or child) should get at least 30 to 60 minutes of exercise 3 days out of the week.
Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss.
Importance of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and milk
Proteins function as building blocks for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood
Flax seeds and walnuts are not your only choices, of course
How to limit fats and cholesterol
Be choosy about carbohydrates
Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared. This does not include naturally occurring sugars such as those in milk and fruits.
Foods that are high in sugar are often calorie dense and nutrient poor. Therefore, eating too many of them can easily lead to weight gain.
Why reduce sodium and increase potassium
Nearly 9 in 10 US children eat more sodium than recommended, and about 1 in 6 children has raised blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Potassium is a very important mineral for the proper function of all cells, tissues, and organs in the human body.
Avoid alcohol
alcohol could disrupt development at a time when they're making important decisions about their lives (school, careers, relationships)
alcohol can also affect how the brain disseminates information into long-term memory, a crucial element in the process of learning
alcohol can affect visual-spatial functioning -- the ability to read distance properly or follow directions on a map