By: Rachel Nannola
The USDA MyPlate visual has proven to be very helpful in teaching people of all ages about good nutrition. With the Dietary Guidelines for Americans undergoing changes for 2015-2020, a new MyPlate visual specifically for older adults has recently been released.
This new MyPlate visual is similar to the visual for all ages; it just has a few additions that makes it more suited for older adult nutrition guidelines. Some of the items pointed out in the new visual include:
- How frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are good choices because of convenience for older adults
- How older adults should keep salt to a minimum and should substitute herbs and spices to flavor their food
- It emphasizes the importance of fluids, since older adults might not realize they’re thirsty as often as younger adults
- It shows that healthy oils are important to include for essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins
- It has a reminder about staying active
The items above are healthy reminders for all ages, but they’re things that might be more important for older adults, which is why this new and more detailed MyPlate visual will be a good teaching tool for older adult nutrition.
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