Americans' Dietary Guidelines

Every five year a new book of dietary guidelines for Americans, having the same name, is published the Advisory Board of Dietary Guidelines and this year the guidelines were very much expected, especially taking into consideration the high obesity rates and the predominant concern for health-related issues.

The dietary guidelines were meant to reduce these rates and promote health. But by reducing obesity rates, we reduce chronic diseases and increase life expectancy. Physical activity and healthy nutrition are the keys to a healthier nation.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans was published in 2010 and offered recommendations not just for overweight persons, but for pregnant women and people who are over the age of 50. The way they presented the information was simple and understandable, so we just hope they will be implemented by the target groups.

The four categories that the guidelines were split into are the following:
1. equilibrating the calories so that what is ingested is consumed (in terms of caloriecs) and so corporal weight is managed
2. the foods that should be reduced in quantity
3. the foods that should be increased in quantity
4. the new eating patterns to be built

If you are a lap band patient in Chicago or anywhere else and you are asking yourself which of the guidelines presented in 2010 you should follow, you have to check the following list, as we have enumerated some activities and habits that should be found among your future daily routine and your overall lap-band nutrition. You will see that if you put them in practice, your body will be healthier and you will have a better quality of life.

• Increase frequency (not necessarily length of each workout) and avoid being sedentary
• If you are consuming more than 2,300 mg of sodium daily, than you should monitor your foods and try to reduce it. More, if you have health issues like diabetes, hypertension or chronic kidney disease, than you should reduce it to as low as 500-600 mg per meal.
• You should try to avoid processed foods, meaning the foods that have partially hydrogenated oils and trans fatty acids, or eat the minimum quantity you can.
• Added sugars should also be avoided or consumed in the minimum quantity.
• You must definitely eat white bread, rice and cereals, but you mush check if they contain refined grains. If they do, than you should replace them with whole grains, as they are a lot healthier.
• Your daily menu should contain foods with more potassium, calcium, vitamin D and fibers. These vitamins and nutrients can be found in fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products, but also grains.

You have to be persistent and focused on the goal, especially if you are a lap-band surgery patient, as you have now the necessary aide to lose the weight you have always wanted.

Source:
United States Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010,