Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s – AGING NEWS

The newly released 8th edition of the Dietary Guidelines reflects advancements in scientific understanding about healthy eating choices and health outcomes over a lifetime. This edition recognizes the importance of focusing not on individual nutrients or foods in isolation, but on the variety of what people eat and drink—healthy eating patterns as a whole—to bring about lasting improvements in individual and population health.

The specific recommendations fit into five overarching guidelines in the new edition:

• Follow a healthy eating pattern across the lifespan. Eating patterns are the combination of foods and drinks that a person eats over time.
• Focus on variety, nutrient-dense foods, and amount
• Limit calories from added sugars and saturated fats, and reduce sodium intake
• Shift to healthier food and beverage choices
• Support healthy eating patterns for all

Healthy eating patterns include a variety of nutritious foods like vegetables, fruits, grains, low-fat and fat-free dairy, lean meats and other protein foods and oils, while limiting saturated fats, trans fats, added sugars and sodium. A healthy eating pattern is adaptable to a person’s taste preferences, traditions, culture and budget.

Importantly, the guidelines suggest Americans should consume:

• A variety of vegetables, including dark green, red and orange, legumes (beans and peas), starchy and other vegetables
• Fruits, especially whole fruits
• Grains, at least half of which are whole grains
• Fat-free or low-fat dairy, including milk, yogurt, cheese, and/or fortified soy beverages
• A variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), soy products, and nuts and seeds
• Oils, including those from plants: canola, corn, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean, and sunflower. Oils also are naturally present in nuts, seeds, seafood, olives, and avocados.

Further, Americans should be encouraged to consume:

• Less than 10 percent of calories per day from added sugars. ChooseMyPlate.gov provides more information about added sugars, which are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared. This does not include naturally occurring sugars such as those consumed as part of milk and fruits.
• Less than 10 percent of calories per day from saturated fats. The Nutrition Facts label can be used to check for saturated fats. Foods that are high in saturated fat include butter, whole milk, meats that are not labeled as lean, and tropical oils such as coconut and palm oil.
• Less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day of sodium for people over the age of 14 years and less for those younger. The Nutrition Facts label is a helpful tool to check for sodium, especially in processed foods like pizza, pasta dishes, sauces, and soups.

Based on a review of current scientific evidence on nutrition, the 2015 edition includes updated guidance on topics such as added sugars, sodium, and cholesterol and new information on caffeine. For example, the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines is the first edition to recommend a quantitative limit to consume less than 10 percent of calories from added sugars. This edition also reaffirms guidance about the core building blocks of a healthy lifestyle that have remained consistent over the past several editions, and suggests there is still work to be done to encourage more Americans to follow the recommendations outlined in the Dietary Guidelines.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines was informed by the recommendations of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which was composed of prestigious researchers in the fields of nutrition, health, and medicine, and by consideration of public and federal agency comments.

Since 1980, HHS and USDA have shared a responsibility to the American public to ensure that advancements in scientific understanding about the role of nutrition in health are incorporated into the Dietary Guidelines, which is updated every five years. USDA has also released updates for consumers onChooseMyPlate.gov, and new resources will soon be available on Health.gov from HHS that will help health professionals support their clients and patients in making healthy choices.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is available at dietaryguidelines.gov.

Seminar on MAKOplasty® surgery scheduled for Jan. 21

Do you ever wonder why your knees and hips often cause discomfort as you age?

Health Quest will host a seminar from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21, in the Fishkill Ambulatory Surgery Center reception area, Suite 330, 200 Westage Business Center Drive, Fishkill.

The seminar will discuss a robotic surgical system that can help ease the pain of common knee and hip ailments. The seminar is an opportunity to find out if MAKOplasty® partial knee resurfacing or MAKOplasty® total hip replacement is the correct choice for your medical needs.  Dr. Frank Lombardo of Orthopedic Associates of Dutchess County will give the lecture about this innovative surgical system. Lombardo is a member of the medical staff at Vassar Brothers Medical Center and Northern Dutchess Hospital.

“MAKOplasty partial knee resurfacing provides an excellent surgical option without having a full knee replacement,” Lombardo said. “MAKOplasty allows for precise placement of the components and provides nearly immediate functional improvement.”

For reservations or for more information, call 845-483-6088 (TTY 1-800-421-1220).

Cancer support groups meet at Health Quest facilities

Support Connections Inc. will host support group sessions for women with breast, ovarian or gynecological cancers at two Health Quest facilities. The dates for January include:

·         Vassar Brothers Medical Center: 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 28.

Preregistration for all groups is required. To register or learn more, women may call 914-962-6402 or 1-800-532-4290.

MORE AGING NEWS ONLINE:

Bonding With Others May Be Crucial for Long-Term Health

(HealthDay News) — Social ties are as important to your long-term health as exercise and healthy eating, a new study suggests.

Sleep Deprived? Some Tips To Help You Recover

Researchers found single parents, particularly single moms, are the most sleep-deprived people in the United States. Here are tips on how to recover from sleep deprivation to get you through the day until you can make up for lost sleep.

Lack of deep sleep may play a part in Alzheimer’s disease:  http://act.alz.org/site/MessageViewer?autologin=true&em_id=205626.0&dlv_id=233361&utm_campaign=enews-2016-01-11&utm_medium=email&WT.mc_id=enews2016_01_11&utm_source=enews-aff-118