This is a helpful Dietary Guidelines tip sheet that homecare clinicians can use to provide their patients. This tips sheet is available to downloadable and use in your own clinical practice. This resources is valuable to patients who are searching for helpful dietary information on our Website.

Overview

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans has been published jointly every five years since 1980 by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Guidelines provide authoritative advice for people two years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases. They serve as the basis for Federal food and nutrition education programs.

Background Websites

• 2010 Dietary Guidelines - currently the 2005 guidance is in effect until the 2010 guidelines are finalized. Right now, the 2010 guidelines are still in the developmental stages.
• Dietary Guidelines Overview - published jointly every five years since 1980 with HHS and USDA.

Shopping and Healthier Eating Tips

• "Shopping with the Guidelines" Tip Sheets - healthy eating starts with healthy shopping.
• Tip Sheet: Healthy Eating Starts with Healthy Shopping - provides suggestions for lower fat and lower calorie foods to fill the kitchen with when one goes shopping.
• Low Calorie Shopping List - describes how to use the Nutrition Facts Label when shopping for low calorie foods.
• Fat-Free Versus Regular Calorie Comparison - describes common fat-free or reduced fat foods that do not necessarily mean low calorie foods when compared to the regular versions.
• Lower Fat, Lower Calorie Alternative Foods - great resource for offering suggestions for lower-fat versions of higher-fat foods.
• Fruit and Vegetables of the Month (CDC - Five A Day) - This link takes you to CDC's Fruit and Vegetables of the Month yearly calendar. Each month has a fruit and vegetable that is featured and information about the fruit and vegetable is provided, including its origin, nutrient information, how to shop, storage and recipes.

Dietary Fiber Guidelines:

Dietary fiber is essential for a healthy diet and offers many health benefits. It is found mainly in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes and is probably best known for its ability to prevent or relieve constipation. However, fiber can provide other health benefits as well, such as lowering your risk of diabetes and heart disease. There are two major kinds of dietary fiber - insoluble (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin) and soluble (gums, mucilages, pectins). Insoluble fiber is most frequently found in whole-grain products such as whole-wheat bread. Foods containing soluble fibers are fruits, vegetables, dry beans and peas, and some cereals such as oats. Fiber is important for proper bowel function. Some studies indicate that soluble fibers may play a role in reducing the level of cholesterol in the blood. According to recent USDA surveys, the average intake of dietary fiber by women 19 to 50 years of age is about 12 grams. Intake by men of the same age is about 17 grams.

Read more about Fiber, visit(www.mayoclinic.com/health/fiber/NU00033).

Dietary Sodium Guidelines:

Americans get far more sodium in their diet than is recommended and that could lead to serious health problems. Find out how much sodium is really needed, what high-sodium foods to avoid, and ways to prepare and serve foods without adding salt or sodium. See how sodium sneaks into your diet and ways to shake the habit. Refer to "Sodium: How to Tame your Salt Habit Now" on the Mayo Clinic Website, visit www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284.

• "Health Information for the Public" - information on the NHLBI' s Website
• Low Sodium Guidelines for Heart Failure - Planning what you eat and balancing your meals are important ways to manage your health.
• More Downloadable Sodium Resources for Clinicians...
• More Downloadable Sodium Resources for Patients...

Diets:

The American Heart Association recommends that we eat a wide variety of nutritious foods daily. Even simple, small changes can make a big difference in living a better life.

As part of a healthy diet, an adult consuming 2,000 calories daily should aim for:

• Fruits and vegetables: At least 4.5 cups a day
• Fish (preferably oily fish): At least two 3.5-ounce servings a week
• Fiber-rich whole grains: At least three one-ounce-equivalent servings a day
• Sodium: Less than 1,500 mg a day
• Sugar-sweetened beverages: No more than 450 calories (36 ounces) a week
• Other Dietary Measures:
  • Nuts, legumes and seeds: At least four servings a week
  • Processed meats: No more than two servings a week
  • Saturated fat: Less than seven percent of total energy intake. Read more about it...
  • Keeping Your Heart Healthy - Read more about it...
  • We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition) - is a national movement designed to give parents, caregivers, and entire communities a way to help children 8 to 13 years old stay at a healthy weight.

Nutritional Recipe Planning for Heart Healthy Meals

• DASH Eating Plan -(PDF) - Sample menus and recipes recalculated using 2005 nutrient content data. The "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension" eating plan features plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other foods that are heart healthy and lower in salt/sodium. Also contains additional information on weight loss and physical activity.
• "Heart-Healthy Latino Recipes" - (PDF) - Provides recipes for 26 popular easy to prepare taste-tested Latino dishes created in a heart healthy style (lower in fat and sodium than traditional versions). Includes heart healthy food substitutions, food safety, a glossary of international terms for Latino cuisine, and nutrient analyses.
• "Heart-Healthy Home Cooking African American Style" - (PDF) - Prepare your favorite African American dishes in ways that protect you and your family from heart disease and stroke. This cookbook provides recipes for 26 tested and tasty favorite African American dishes. Recipes give nutrient analyses that include carbohydrates and protein. Also covers heart healthy food substitutions and food safety.
• "Stay Young at Heart Recipe Collection" - Recipes to help keep your heart young.
• "Keep the Beat: Delicious Healthy Dinners" - A 2009 guide with 75 deliciously healthy recipes, beautiful full-color design throughout, and original food photographs. The focus is on heart healthy dinner entrees and side dishes, influenced by Asian, Latino, Mediterranean, and American cuisines. With dishes such as Thai-Style Chicken Curry, Greek-Style Flank Steak With Tangy Yogurt Sauce, Edamame Stew, and Cinnamon-Glazed Baby Carrots, the new cookbook is sure to please a variety of people.

Other Helpful Dietary Resources

• Nutritional Healthy Eating
• Food Assistance Programs
• Waist Circumference and Body Mass Index (BMI)
• A Healthier You - a one-stop easy-to-use resource that brings together nutrition science and expertise to help you make smart choices for every food group, find balance between food and physical activity, and get the most out of the calories you consume.