Nutrition Information

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005  Dietary Guidelines for Americans are published jointly every 5 years by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Guidelines provide authoritative advice for people two years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases. The 2005 edition of the Guidelines was released January 12, 2005.

Dietary Guidelines Fact Sheet from USDA

• Be Salt Savvy - cut Back on Sodium for Healthier School Meals
• Include Fiber-Rich Foods for Healthier School Meals
• Jazz Up Your Menu With Fruits for Healthier School Meals
• Limit Saturated Fat & Cholesterol for Healthier School Meals
• Meeting the Challenge of Rising Food Costs for Healthier School Meals
• Serve More Dry Beans and Peas for Healthier School Meals
• Serve More Whole Grains for Healthier School Meals
• Trans Fats
• Trim Trans Fats for Healthier School Meals
• Use Low-fat Milk, Cheese, and Yogurt for Healthier School Meals
• Vary Your Vegetables for Healthier School Meals

Food Pyramid Graphic This is the USDA's website MyPyramid.gov with the graphic and educational materials that were released in April 2005. Create your own pyramid plan using this website's interactive planner. In September 2005 this page added a 'For Kids' section with games and resources for those working with children. A Spanish tab is included to translate the MyPyramid into Spanish.

• Schools can receive an introductory MyPyramid packet, including one full-size poster, one tear-pad of 50 MyPyramid mini-posters, and one Anatomy of MyPyramid handout. To receive this packet, send your name, mailing address, and request to publication@cnpplusda.gov.
• School food service personnel may order free resources from the USDA Food and Nutrition Services Team Nutrition website.
• Bulk copies can be purchased either through the Government Printing Office, 1-866-512-1800 or Purdue University Press, 1-888-398-4636.
• Chinese MyPyramid Poster available for downloading - Front and Back

Resources for Educators on the Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid

1. UW-Extension Family Living Programs
2. The University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension

American Dietetic Association Nutrition Fact Sheets - These cover a wide range of topics for healthy eating tips and recipes.

Food and Nutrition Information Center - This USDA website provides a directory to credible, accurate, and practical resources for consumers, nutrition and health professionals, educators and government personnel. Visitors can find printable format educational materials, government reports, research papers and more.

Fruits and Veggies More Matters (Formerly 5 A Day) - This is the Produce for Better Health Foundation website with information for the whole family. The kids section has activity sheets, tracking table, coloring pages, fun links and recipe tips.

Healthy School Meals Resource System - This USDA website has a wealth of information for persons working in USDA's Child Nutrition Programs.

Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids - This document was produced by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) for use as a one page handout or a newsletter article. There is also a more extensive list of snack ideas for people and programs that want more details on the CSPI website.

Lactose Intolerance

• USDA's Recommendation About Milk Substitutes
• Inside the Pyramid - Provides tips for those who choose not to consume milk products and has a table of non-dairy food sources of calcium

Milk Marketing Board - Wisconsin Dairy Council Website includes nutritional resource on-line catalog, nutrition links, menu assistance, workshop listings and more.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Educational Materials

• We Can (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition) - We Can is a national program designed as a one-stop resource for parents and caregivers interested in practical tools to help children 8-13 years old stay at a healthy weight. This site also has an excellent index of many nutritional topics listed under Resources.
• Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active - Is designed to help young people ages 11-13 become aware of how media may influence the choices they make. An after-school program that consists of 10 lessons and a major project.

Nutrient Fact Sheets from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction School Nutrition Team

• Calcium and School Meals
• Fiber and School Meals
• Guide for Reducing Salt and Other Sodium Containing Additives in School Meals
• Iron and School Meals
• Tips for Lowering Fat and Saturated Fat in School Meals
• Vitamin A and School Meals
• Vitamin C and School Meals
• Whole Grains

Nutrition Education: School Year at a Glance - A full year of nutrition education ideas, complete with lesson plans and handouts.

Nutrition Education Resources - Lesson plans and activities focused on fruits and vegetables.

Society for Nutrition Education - The SNE MyPyramid e-Catalog is designed to help nutrition educators find and use nutrition education tools/curriculums that incorporate substantive content from MyPyramid and the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This searchable listing includes a description of the material, a review by two or more nutritional professionals, and a link to the actual material and/or ordering information. To search for educational materials, click on Access Reviews.

USDA Healthy Eating Index - This is a summary measure of overall diet quality. It provides a picture of the type and quantity of foods people eat and the degree to which diets comply with specific recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines and the Food Guide Pyramid.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - Small Steps - This site has two versions, a children's version and teen/adult version. The children's includes food and health facts, exercise tips, nutrition advice, games and interactivity. The teen and adult versions include small-step tips, as well as information about the consequences of poor diets. Resources include and activity tracker, recipes, newsletter and help sorting health fact from fiction.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration - Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition - This site provides information on food labels, trans fat and food allergens.

Whole Grain Information

• DPI Educational Handout - Includes more web links for educator resources and recipes.
• DPI Whole Grains Fact Sheet - Includes an exercise on determining if a product is considered whole grain.
• Go With Whole Grains for Fiber - An American Dietetic Association Fact Sheet
• Whole Grains Council - Information on whole grains including how to identify them, examples and sources for recipes.

Wisconsin Dietetic Association - Nutrition Tips - Short fact sheets on a variety of nutrition related subjects.

Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program - This program, funded by the USDA, provides schools with 51% or more of it students receiving free or reduced lunches with free nutrition education in the classroom. Please contact your local University of Wisconsin-Extension office for further information.

For questions about this information, contact Julie A. Cox (608) 267-9206

Last updated on 7/2/2009 4:16:22 PM