Experts working to help Virginians use new dietary guidelines

One small change at a time might be a way Virginians can eat a healthier diet. Virginia Tech experts are helping Virginians learn how to make some small changes that might prevent weight gain in the hope that the small changes will add up to large differences.

Health researchers know it is difficult to make drastic changes. Most people can’t dramatically change their eating style long enough to make a difference in their health. “But they can make small changes,” said Eleanor Schlenker, professor of human nutrition, foods and exercise in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The new dietary guidelines, issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services in early January have research-based recommendations on what makes a healthy diet.

“We want to help Virginians put the guidelines into practice in their lives,” she said. “The goal is to eat a healthy diet.”

Schlenker suggests that people make one change, and when that becomes the norm, then make another positive change.

For example, change to lower fat milk. Milk comes in many varieties — whole, 2 percent, 1 percent, and fat free or skim. They all have the calcium and vitamins, so families can select one lower in fat and calories. The difference in calories between a serving of whole or 1 percent milk is 50 calories.

“Choose smaller portions,” she said. The difference between a large and medium serving of french fries is 100 calories. “We are accustomed to large portions and sometimes think that the size portion some restaurants serve is one portion,” Schlenker said. For example, the food guide pyramid considers a hamburger to be 2 to 3 ounces of ground meat. Many restaurants are serving hamburgers and meat portions that are two times that size.

The dietary guidelines emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat free or low fat milk or milk products. Schlenker said most Virginians are not eating the recommended amounts of these, especially the fruits and vegetables. She suggested families plan a meal around a vegetable main dish such as a stir-fry. Make sure fruit is easily available in the home. A bowl of fruit in easy reach can be a quick low-calorie snack.

“Be aware that beverages can have many calories,” she said. The specialty coffees with whipped cream or fruit drinks with added sugar can be high calorie and sometimes Americans don’t realize how many calories they are consuming as they sip these drinks. “Often we have these high calorie drinks as we do something else so we are unaware of the impact on the diet,” Schlenker said.

“Keep physically active,” she said. It helps control weight and has other health benefits. Walking is good exercise and a 10-minute walk, several times a day can add up to the 30 minutes that the dietary guidelines recommend.

There are other suggestions that are small steps to control weight, Schlenker said. Eat your favorite high-calorie snack less often, perhaps every other day instead of every day, or eat only half as much; have fruit for a dessert in place of cake or pastry; change to a breakfast cereal without added sugar; don’t eat when doing something else — for example watching television — so you can monitor how much you eat. When you have a salad, reduce the amount of salad dressing you use by half or use 1 tablespoon of dressing. Add another serving of a vegetable to your diet.

Read labels so you know how many calories and what nutrients are in the food you eat. Being aware of, for example, the amount of sodium in many prepared foods, might encourage Americans to try to consume less sodium. The recommended amount of sodium is about 2,300 milligrams a day or about a teaspoon of salt.

The goal is to build a healthy diet pattern you can live with over time, Schlenker said.