New 2010 Food Guidelines Released - key messages to promote healthier eating

Today was a big day with the release of the new 2010 USDA food guidelines.  

Every five years the USDA releases and updated version of the Food Guidelines designed to help us eat healthy so that we can avoid heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Here are the key highlights and messages that the USDA featured in the updated guidelines.

• Enjoy your food, but eat less.
• Avoid oversized portions.
• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals – and choose the foods with lower numbers.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

Over the next few blogs we will go into more detail about what each of these messages means and practical ways on how we can incorporate that in to our daily lives.

Helping kids learn about the Food Pyramid Healthy Foods guidelines printables:

Understanding the Food Pyramid Article Learn how to create a balanced meal from foods from each of the food groups

MyPyramid Learning Sheet – Fun colorful Food Pyramid page printable that teach kids about healthy eating and exercise (Spanish version)

Food Pyramid Servings Learning Sheet – Food Pyramid Servings and Portion Chart (Spanish version)

Food Pyramid Colorful Guide – Food pyramid food groups and colorful guide for kids (Spanish version)

Food Pyramid Foods Learning Sheet – Balanced meal with foods from all the food groups. (Spanish version)

MyPyramid Food Group Learning Sheet – Food Pyramid guide for kids with food groups (Spanish version)

My Pyramid Food Groups Learning Sheet – Colorful information printable to teach kids about all the food groups (Spanish version)

Food Pyramid and a Healthy Heart Learning Sheet – Fun coloring page printable that teach kids about the healthy foods for the heart in each of the food groups (Spanish version)

Recommended Grade Level(s) 3 - 5^thMy Pyramid Food Group Healthy Serving Size Sheet – Colorful informational printable to teach children about what is a serving from each of the food groups (Spanish version)