The USDA recently updated its recommendations for healthy eating. Here are the takeaway messages for men.
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Every five years, the USDA issues its Dietary Guidelines for Americans – advice to encourage healthy eating patterns based on the newest nutrition science.
According to McManus, listed below are 4 areas of the newest release that stand out.
1. Vary your food decisions.
An essential overall message, she says, is the suggestion to adopt different eating styles. “Mix it up on a regular basis, whether it's a Mediterranean-inspired diet or vegetarian, and try different foods from different cultures.”
That's because variety exposes you to an assortment of micronutrients — a wide selection of minerals like calcium, zinc, magnesium, iron, and selenium, and key vitamins. Micronutrients work alone and together to guard against heart disease, promote bone health, and help lots of your body's systems run easily.
Men over the age of fifty need specific amounts of micronutrients on a day by day basis. But their weight-reduction plan makes it difficult to fulfill these minimum amounts, which is why seniors are sometimes deficient in lots of nutrients. For example, the USDA reports that only 7% of older men get the really helpful day by day intake of calcium and vitamin D.
What to do. “One way to broaden your exposure to micronutrients is to expand your palate to different foods,” McManus says.
Focus on nutrient-dense foods, equivalent to whole fruit and veggies. Of course, that is standard fallback advice – eat more fruit and veggies. How are you able to best follow this? Instead of routinely buying the identical few varieties, take into consideration their colours – red, green, orange and yellow.
“Challenge yourself to try a different color each week,” McManus says. “Also, to broaden your selection, buy seasonal produce and shop at farmers' markets. “If you may keep things interesting and varied, you're more prone to eat more fruit and veggies regularly,” she says.
Another strategy is to experiment with various kinds of foods. Go vegetarian or meatless for one or two meals per week. Make a straightforward soup or stew with beans and spices or herbs which have a Caribbean or Latin American flavor.
2. Take a fresh take a look at fat.
Previous guidelines really helpful that adults limit their day by day fat intake to not more than 30 percent of total calories. The concept has now modified to focus more on the fats you eat. “Men should still eat less saturated fat, such as that found in red and processed meats. But don't avoid the healthy kinds, like monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, including omega-3,” says McManus. are
Healthy fats protect against heart disease. Research also suggests that it could improve cognitive function.
What to do. Great sources of monounsaturated fat include olive, canola, and peanut oils. nut butters and nuts equivalent to almonds, pecans, pistachios, and cashews; And olives and avocados. Polyunsaturated fats are present in safflower, sunflower and soybean oils, while omega-3 fatty acids are present in abundance in fatty fish equivalent to salmon, tuna and sardines, in addition to walnuts.
3. Be sour on the added sugar.
Perhaps the most important message of the rules is to avoid added sugar. It recommends that everybody, including older adults, keep their day by day sugar intake to 10% of their total calories. (According to recent data, the typical man consumes about 12 percent of his calories as sugar.)
Most of the added sugar comes from sugar-sweetened beverages—equivalent to soft drinks, flavored coffee and tea, and energy and sports drinks—and from refined foods equivalent to candy, cookies, and cakes.
The sugar in these foods and drinks can add up quickly for those who're not careful. For example, the American Heart Association says a person should not have any greater than nine teaspoons, or 36 grams, of sugar a day, but a 16-ounce cola incorporates 41 grams of sugar.
According to a study within the November 3, 2015 issue, drinking any variety of high-sugar beverage can increase your risk of heart failure. Heart. It found that amongst 42,000 men aged 45 to 79, those that drank two or more sugar-sweetened beverages per day were 23 percent more prone to develop heart failure than those that didn't drink alcohol. used to drink (Diet soda with artificial sweeteners will not be a healthy option.)
What to do. There's nothing flawed with an occasional dessert, McManus suggests. “Focus on moderation. Choose your high-sugar foods and drinks carefully, limit the amount you consume, and make a point not to eat them every day,” she says. Another option: swap out your favorite sugary drinks for water flavored with lemon, lime or orange slices, and follow plain coffee and tea without sugar or sweeteners.
4. Cut sodium, but not potassium.
Although many men should proceed to observe their salt (sodium) intake to guard against hypertension, the USDA notes that lower than 3% of older men get enough potassium. “Potassium is needed for healthy cell function, and low levels can cause muscle weakness and irregular heartbeats in some people,” McManus says.
What to do. You can get good amounts of potassium from fruits like cantaloupe, honeydew, and kiwi, and vegetables like winter squash, broccoli, tomatoes, and most greens.
Change the best way you eat.
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