Medical

Diet

U.S. Dietary Goals

The following is a summary of the U.S. Dietary Goals published by the U.S. Government's Department of Agriculture to help individuals build a healthy and balanced diet.

The Guidelines are:

• Eat a variety of foods. Click here for food pyramid tips.
• Balance the food you eat with physical activity to maintain or improve your weight.
• Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits. 58% total calories should come from carbohydrates (48% complex carbohydrates and 10% naturally occurring sugars) and 12% of total calories should come from protein.
• Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. 30% or less total calories should come from fat. Of that 30%, 10% should come from saturated fat, 10% from monounsaturated fat, and 10% from polyunsaturated fat.
• Choose a diet moderate in sugars. Less than 10% of our calories should come from naturally occurring sugars. (The World Health Organization recommends no more than 5% of our calories should come from sugar.)
• Choose a diet low in salt and sodium intake.
• If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. Moderation is defined as no more than 1 drink per day for women and no more than 2 drinks per day for men. Count as a drink: 12 ounces of regular beer (150 calories) -- 5 ounces of wine (100 calories) and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits (100 calories).