Why Choose Dairy & Plant-Based Foods?
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Why Choose Dairy & Plant-Based Foods?
Following a healthy eating pattern—that includes a variety of foods in nutrient dense forms—is an important first step toward achieving a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.
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State of the American Diet
The average American diet is more unbalanced than ever, the result of an eating pattern that is low in vegetables, fruits, and dairy and high in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.1,2 Unhealthy diets have become a significant public health issue, leading to overweight individuals, obesity, and other diet-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, and high bloodpressure.3
The major contributors to an unbalanced diet are sugars, saturated fat, and sodium.2,3 The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommend that calories from added sugar and saturated fats not exceed 10% of the total calories in the diet3 and the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that sodium intake be limited to 1,500 mg a day.4 Unfortunately, the American diet greatly exceeds all of these recommendations.1,2 The saturated fat and added sugar recommendations from the DGA should be incorporated as part of a healthy eating pattern and should not be applied to individual
foods.
Excessive intake of unhealthy foods and inadequate intake of nutrient-dense foods results in lower-than-recommended levels of some nutrients in the American diet, including potassium dietary fiber, choline, magnesium, calcium, and vitamins A, D, E, and C.2,3 Of these, calcium, vitamin D, potassium, and fiber, are considered nutrients of public health concern because low intakes are associated with health concerns.2,3
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Healthy Eating Patterns
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming a healthy eating pattern that accounts for all foods and beverages within an appropriate calorie level.2,3
A healthy eating pattern includes2,3 a variety of vegetables and whole fruits; whole grains; non fat or low fat dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese, and/or fortified soy beverages); protein foods, including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes (bean and peas), and nuts, seeds, and soy products; and oils. A healthy eating pattern limits saturated fats and trans fats, added sugars, and sodium.2,3
There is more than one way to achieve a healthy eating pattern.2,3 An eating pattern can be tailored to suit an individual’s dietary, cultural, and personal needs and preferences.2,3
There is strong evidence that healthy eating patterns are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). There’s also evidence that healthy eating patterns are associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, overweight, and obesity.2,3
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A healthy eating pattern, that includes both plant-based foods and non fat or low fat dairy, offers the combined benefits of the two and may help increase consumption of nutrients of public health concern.
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References:
1. Krebs-Smith SM, Guenther PM, Subar AF, Kirkpatrick SI, Dodd KW. Americans do not meet federal dietary recommendations. J Nutr. 2010;140:1832–38. 2. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015. 8th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2015. 3. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. 2015. Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015, to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Washington, DC.
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