KIRSTEN LUPINSKI: Latest USDA guidelines help with what goes on My Plate

Food guidelines have been around since the early 1900s but have changed over the years. We all remember the four food groups, which then became the food guide pyramid and, today, the guidelines are known as ChooseMyPlate.gov.

The recommendations have changed over the years to reflect changes in research and life in general. ChooseMyPlate.gov was created in 2011, when the USDA updated its food guidelines for Americans. I would highly encourage you all to take a look at the website www.choosemyplate.gov/.

You can subscribe to the website and receive informational emails from the USDA on nutrition recommendations and helpful information. I love this website because it is based on facts and research and provides easy to use information and realistic recommendations that we all can do. Therefore, I am going to use the next few months to tell you all about the USDA recommendations, this website and how you can take advantage of the information to make healthy changes to your lifestyle.

Let’s start with what My Plate is and what it recommends.

You will easily be able to identify the five food groups that should be the focus of your daily consumption — fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins and dairy. The guidelines from these five food groups provide recommendations for healthy choice and provide tools to make these healthy choices.

Of course, you have all heard the phrase “anything in moderation” before, and it really is true. For the majority of people who want to make changes in their eating, it is because they eat too much of one thing and not enough of another.

This is where moderation comes into play. We are all guilty of overindulging on cookies, cake or pizza at one time or another, and the key is to keep these in moderation. Yes, you can eat all of these (and you should), but not all day every day. There are so many tips and tricks on My Plate to assist you with making small healthy changes, but just to name a few:

• Use all five food groups to make healthy changes;

• Small changes truly do add up; adding one vegetable to your dinner every night instead of an extra piece of bread is just one thing that can be done;

• Watch what beverages you are putting in your body and increase your intake in water;

• Look for foods lower in sodium or make low-sodium choices; and

• Learn to read food labels.

These are all changes that can easily be made, and this wonderful resource can assist you in so many ways. As I mentioned, please take a look at this site, and next month I am going to introduce you to the tracker — a wonderful tool that you can use to keep track of food choices and intake.

This can assist you in understanding what you are eating and what changes can be made. Thanks so much, and have a super week!

Kirsten Lupinski is an assistant professor at Albany State University in the Department of Health and Human Performance. She has a bachelor’s of science in nutrition from the University of North Carolina, a master’s of science in health education from the University of Kentucky and a doctorate in education from the University of Cincinnati. She has worked in the health education field in various capacities (corporate health, community health, college health and wellness and university education) for more than 17 years. She and her husband have three young children (9-year-old twin sons and a 7-year-old daughter).