I am
where I am
today
because of
the choices
I made
yesterday.

    Eleanor Roosevelt

The Obama administration unveiled new dietary guidelines on Thursday.

In a nutshell:

• Consume <10% of calories from added sugars
• Consume <10% of calories from saturated fat
• Eat <2,300mg sodium/day 

The 2015 guidelines urge Americans to eat more: Veggies (especially dark greens); whole fruits; whole grains; fat-free or low-fat dairy; a wider variety of protein foods including seafood, lean meats, poultry, nuts, and legumes; and oils incl. canola, corn, olive, peanut, sunflower, soybean.

What do registered dietitians and nutritionists think of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and how much do they ultimately matter, since the gulf between what Americans are told to eat – and what they actually eat - remains huge?
Dietitians respond to 2015 Dietary Guidelines: ‘The American public needs more forceful messages.’

The guidelines do serve up three different dietary patterns - healthy, Mediterranean and vegetarian. It's good to see the vegetarian option spelled out, but I wish there was more than one sentence on vegan.

It's also quite disappointing that environmental and sustainability [factors] did not make the final cut, especially since we have a plethora of data demonstrating that meat production takes a serious toll on the environment.

Note to BeWell Participants:

Starting January 2nd, you may take your SHALA for 2016. Go to the BeWell website to begin SHALA.

SHALA is a requirement to be eligible for discounted fitness classes. Please complete it before registering for any fitness classes.

NEW: A $20.00 administrative fee will be deducted from any refund if the SHALA is not completed prior to registering.