Posted Jan 31, 2011

Potassium, calcium, vitamin D and fiber … These are the nutrients that the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Report for 2010 state are shortfall nutrients in the American diet. Throw in sodium and you have the 5 hot nutrients for 2011.

First, let’s look at sodium. Sodium is the nutrient that you will start to hear more about but start to see less in your food. According to the CDC, we are consuming about 50 percent more than we should. The Dietary Guidelines may even decrease the amount we should eat from 2300mg to 1500mg a day. The best way to start to watch your sodium intake is by reading labels and eating out less. There are lots of new choices out there that are low sodium or have no salt added. Lunchmeats, soups and no salt added canned are good examples. Instead of eating out, try making your own premade meals by making extras on nights you have time and freezing them. By knowing how much you need a day and using the labels and menus to guide you, it will be easy to start to watch your sodium levels.

Next are the nutrients you need to start getting. They are going to start to be in everything from energy drinks to snack foods. But is this where you should be getting these nutrients? It is nice to get some good nutrients from those foods but they are still cookies, chips or sugary beverages … foods that you should only eat every once in a while. It would be better to eat foods that are natural sources of these nutrients from food groups that most of us need to eat more often. Here are my suggestions:

Get two for one with fruits and vegetables. Many are good sources of potassium including tomatoes, potatoes and oranges. All have at least 2-3g of fiber per serving. Try to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. French Fries, fried vegetables and fruit snacks don’t count. No more than 1/2 cup fruit or vegetable juice either. If we get all of our vegetables and fruits from juice we may miss out on the fiber and get added sugars. Try adding fruits and vegetables to the foods you already eat. Saute your chicken in canned diced tomatoes or put some no sugar added mandarin oranges on top of your salad. If you try to eat a fruit or vegetable at every meal you will be surprised at how full you are and it will help you limit more calorie dense foods.

Dairy knocks off 3 nutrients. Many dairy products are good sources of potassium, calcium and fortified with vitamin D. You need about 3 servings of dairy a day which is sometimes hard to do without planning. Ice Cream, cream in coffee and extra cheese on your nachos don’t count. Look for skim or 1 percent milk, low fat yogurts including Greek yogurt, low fat cheese (string cheese and Laughing Cow are my favorites) and low fat cottage cheese. A serving is 1 cup of milk, 6 oz of yogurt and 1 oz of cheese.

Finish by making half of your grains whole grains. Whole grains provide fiber and many other nutrients that can help support a healthy heart. You don’t have to eat whole grain everything, just at least half of your grains. If you love regular pasta, change your bread to whole grain or use half whole grain pasta and half regular. You decide. Eat more oatmeal, popcorn and quinoa which are some of my favorite whole grains. Remember to watch your total intake of grains. We often over eat this food group. I like adding extra fruits and vegetables when I eat grains to help me control my portions.

Let 2011 be the start of change in your diet by really looking at the food choices you make and thinking about how you can incorporate more of the food groups that have hot nutrients you need.

Sarah Ludmer RD, LDN is the senior nutritionist for Del Monte Foods.

© 2011,

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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