Posted Mar 17, 2011
National nutrition experts told us this year that they want us to hold the salt, eat more whole grains and focus more on the quality of the calories we consume.
None of that surprised watchers of federal policy guiding Americans about what to put on their plates, and not much of it was entirely new. But nutrition experts say that it will unquestionably shape the food choices in our stores, schools, hospitals and restaurants.
Salt content, in particular, will continue to demand more attention from food manufacturers, diners, doctors and others.
The guidelines call for Americans to consume fewer than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day. The recommendation drops to 1,500 milligrams for people 51 or older, African-Americans and those who have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease. That includes about half the U.S. population.
“Unless you’re going to cook everything from scratch, you just can’t do that,” said Pat McKnight, a dietitian and assistant professor of nutrition at Mount Carmel College of Nursing. “If the food manufacturers don’t help us — and they’ve said they will — it’s going to be very difficult for hospitals and long-term care and Meals on Wheels and others.”
Sodium levels already have started to creep down in processed foods, which have far surpassed the salt shaker as the main culprit contributing to Americans’ high-sodium diets.
“I think it will be pretty cool to see how much more (food manufacturers) can reduce sodium and increase fiber and whole grains to make foods overall healthier,” said Olivia Vaughn, a clinical dietitian at Mount Carmel East.
Hospitals have been working for years to improve their offerings, so the new guidance is unlikely to create major change there, Vaughn said. “We’ve already been promoting variety and balanced meals.
“I do see a potential to further decrease the sodium content, and we can get even better at incorporating whole grains and more fruits and vegetables.”
In schools, expect more and more products in which whole grains replace enriched flours and lower-sodium varieties replace common ingredients such as cheese, said Susan Patton, coordinator of team nutrition and the fresh fruit and vegetable program at the Ohio Department of Education.
So instead of getting rid of pizza, schools might offer pizza with whole-wheat crust and low-salt cheese, she said.
“The schools will be making changes gradually so we can get used to the changes,” Patton said.
She said she also expects that more high-nutrient fruits and vegetables — spinach, winter squash and the like — will appear in lunchrooms.
Patton said schools and others also will look to the new guidelines’ direction that the calories Americans take in should be of higher quality.
In other words, a handful of chips and a side salad are not equals, despite sharing the same calories.
Jessica Karr, culinary-arts instructor and food-service director at the Career & Technology Education Centers of Licking County, said she hopes the newest guidelines will help push forward more-positive changes in schools nationwide.
Karr’s program is special. She has 22 students who prepare healthy meals from scratch for their classmates. They grind chicken as a replacement for ground beef; offer salads that aren’t just iceberg lettuce; and use whole-wheat flour in their baking.
They’re working on a menu-planning project that incorporates federal guidelines on healthful diets.
There are other options for students, but many seem to gravitate toward the foods that are better for them, Karr said. Since the students began preparing homemade salad dressings, for instance, salad sales have gone up.
“I have had students who haven’t had asparagus before realize they really like it.”
But Karr realizes that a widespread evolution in school cafeterias isn’t simple and will continue to challenge many districts.
“We have a remarkable and unique favorable situation,” she said. “I think overall it’s the direction that all school lunch programs are going. Obviously, there are going to be challenges.”
One of the past challenges to implementing federal nutrition advice has been that Americans have been confused about the guidelines, said Ann Weidenbenner, manager of the Creating Healthy Communities program at the Ohio Department of Health.
The newest guidelines, which include practical advice such as keeping more than half your plate full of fruits and vegetables, might make the messages easier to convey, she said.
“This is our message to translate to the public, and we do take (the guidelines) seriously.”
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mcrane@dispatch.com
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