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 most recent nutrition science.
According to McManus, listed here are 4 areas of the most recent 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 a lot of your body's systems run easily.
Men over the age of fifty need specific amounts of micronutrients every day. But their food regimen makes it difficult to satisfy 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 advisable 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, akin to whole vegetables and fruit. Of course, that is standard fallback advice – eat more vegetables and fruit. 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 possibly can keep things interesting and varied, you're more more likely to eat more vegetables and fruit frequently,” 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 advisable 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, such as monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, including omega-3,” McManus says. say
Healthy fats protect against heart disease. Research also suggests that it may improve cognitive function.
What to do. Great sources of monounsaturated fat include olive, canola, and peanut oils. nut butters and nuts akin 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 akin 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 common man consumes about 12 percent of his calories as sugar.)
Most of the added sugar comes from sugar-sweetened beverages—akin to soft drinks, flavored coffee and tea, and energy and sports drinks—and from refined foods akin to candy, cookies, and cakes.
The sugar in these foods and drinks can add up quickly in case you're not careful. For example, the American Heart Association says a person shouldn’t have any greater than nine teaspoons, or 36 grams, of sugar a day, but a 16-ounce cola accommodates 41 grams of sugar.
According to a study within the November 3, 2015 issue, drinking any kind 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 more likely to develop heart failure than those that didn’t drink alcohol. used to drink (Diet soda with artificial sweeteners might not be a healthy option.)
What to do. There's nothing incorrect 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 stick with 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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