Gold Standard: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
Recommended for adults:
Limit total sugar intake to no more than 40 grams per day
Carbohydrates are a major nutrient needed in our diet that gives us energy. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate found naturally in food (ie milk and fruit). It is also added to the food supply as a sweetener at the table, during preparation or processing. Find added sugar amounts on package nutrition fact labels. When counting your sugar intake for the day, take a look at your beverages first, whether milk, juice or soda. Most of us get more than half of our sugars from those sources.
Limit total fat intake to no more than 25-30% of calories per day
Fat is a major nutrient. It is needed in our diet for many reasons. It's used in our cells, is involved in many body functions, including hormone production, and carries important vitamins such as Vitamins A, D, E, K and Carotenoids throughout the body.
Fats are either:
Unsaturated (naturally found in plant foods)
Saturated (naturally found in animal foods)
Trans fats or hydrogenated - man made fat that changes unsaturated fats through a chemical process.
When eating or cooking with fats in the diet, find your range of grams of fat recommnded (see toolkit) and use the following guidelines:
Enjoy Unsaturated Fats
Limit Saturated Fats
Avoid Trans Fats
Keep sugar intake to no more than 40 grams per day and choose healthy fats over unhealthy fats to help Achieve a Healthy Weight. The more foods you eat that have large amounts of added sugars, the more difficult it is to eat enough nutrients without gaining weight. Learn to monitor total fat intake and type of fat to achieve weight control. Check out the toolkit for some tips and resources Take your first STEP to Health!
Complete the Contract now and Take a Step toward a healthier lifestyle!
To download and print a CONTRACT to fax or mail or to get more valuable information to help you achieve your goal, click on "DOCUMENTS" link to the left.
Connecting HANDS Nutrition Coalition
May 2006