National Nutrition Month

March 8, 2023

March is National Nutrition Month, a great time to learn about the importance of making informed food choices and developing healthy eating habits. To help Americans make healthier food choices, Dietary Guidelines for Americans is now available for sale from the U.S. Government Bookstore.

Dietary Guidelines, authored by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition experts and Health and Human Services (HHS), are designed to help individuals and families stay on track to consume a healthy diet. The information in the Dietary Guidelines is used to develop, implement, and evaluate food, nutrition, and health policies for Americans.

It provides science-based advice to promote health and reduce the risk of major chronic diseases through diet and physical activity. It summarizes and synthesizes knowledge regarding individual nutrients and food components into recommendations for a pattern of eating that consumers can quickly adapt.

It’s important to remember that a healthy dietary program does not have to be based on a rigid prescription. These Guidelines feature a customizable framework, core elements from which individuals can tailor an affordable series of healthy choices to meet personal, cultural, and lifestyle preferences.

How long have you been contemplating changing to a healthier diet? Purchase Dietary Guidelines now for new ideas.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?

Sign up to receive promotional bulletin emails from the US Government Online Bookstore.

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy a vast majority of eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Order by Phone or Email: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publications and Information Sales Office.

Images and additional content provided by Government Book Talk Editor Trudy Hawkins. Trudy is the Senior Marketing & Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication & Information Sales Office supporting the U.S. Government Online Bookstore (https://bookstore.gpo.gov).

2 Comments | Consumers, Department of Health & Human Services, Family, health, Health care, Libraries, U.S. Department of Agriculture | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

National Wellness Month

August 22, 2022

August is National Wellness Month, a great time to focus on eating a healthy diet and maintaining physical wellness. Incorporating healthy habits into your lifestyle makes for a better quality of life. To help Americans make healthier food choices, Dietary Guidelines for Americans is now available from the U.S. Government Bookstore.

Dietary Guidelines, authored by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition experts and Health and Human Services (HHS), are designed to help individuals and families stay on track to consume a healthy diet. The information in the Dietary Guidelines is used to develop, implement, and evaluate food, nutrition, and health policies for Americans.

It provides science-based advice to promote health and reduce the risk for major chronic diseases through diet and physical activity. It summarizes and synthesizes knowledge regarding individual nutrients and food components into recommendations for a pattern of eating that consumers can quickly adapt.

It’s important to remember that a healthy dietary program does not have to be based on a rigid prescription. These Guidelines feature a customizable framework, core elements from which individuals can tailor an affordable series of healthy choices to meet personal, cultural, and lifestyle preferences.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?

Sign up to receive promotional bulletin emails from the US Government Online Bookstore.

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy a vast majority of eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Order by Phone or Email: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.  Email orders to ContactCenter@gpo.gov

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publications and Information Sales Office.

Images and additional content provided by Government Book Talk Editor Trudy Hawkins. Trudy is the Senior Marketing & Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication & Information Sales Office supporting the U.S. Government Online Bookstore (https://bookstore.gpo.gov).

4 Comments | Agriculture, Department of Health & Human Services, Family, health, Health care, Libraries | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Physical Wellness Month

April 13, 2021

April is Physical Wellness Month. Physical wellness includes both physical fitness as well as nutrition. According to Dietary Guidelines for Americans, available at the U.S. GPO Bookstore, even though infections disease rates have dropped, the rates of chronic diet-related diseases have risen in part to changes in lifestyle behaviors. Also according to the publication, more than two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of children and youth in America are overweight or obese.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage Americans to:

  1. Follow a healthy eating pattern across the lifespan
  2. Focus on variety, nutrient density, and amount
  3. Limit calories from added sugars and saturated fasts and reduce sodium intake
  4. Shift to healthier food and beverage choices
  5. Support healthy eating patterns for all

The guidelines explain that Americans should eat vegetables from all subgroups—dark green, red and orange, legumes, starchy, and other. A healthy eating pattern also includes fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy, and a variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes, and nuts.

Healthy eating patterns limit saturated and trans fats, added sugars, and sodium. Check out the publication to learn what percent of your calories each day can be from added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium.

Also helpful are the guideline’s suggestions for shifting current eating patterns to healthier patterns. For example, choose plain popcorn instead of buttered, whole grain bread instead of croissants, and fruit rather than cake or cookies for dessert.

Coming very soon to the GPO Bookstore is the newest version of this publication, Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025, from the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. Check our online bookstore periodically for the latest version and get on track for Physical Wellness Month!

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?

Sign up to receive promotional bulletin emails from the US Government Online Bookstore.

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy a vast majority of eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Order by Phone or Email: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.  Email orders to ContactCenter@gpo.gov

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Cat Goergen is the P.R. Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations office.

Leave a Comment » | Consumers, Department of Agriculture, Family, health, U.S. Department of Agriculture | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Eat Fit – Get Fit

February 3, 2017

With the start of a new year, there’s no better time than now to reset your body and spirit by not just thinking about fitness but acting on your best instincts. Turn on the TV and you’ll see many fancy dieting regimens, expensive cycling systems and “fool proof” ways to trim down (guaranteed of course!) If it was only so easy!

Or, take a moment, go online to the Government Publishing Office’s web site at https://bookstore.gpo.gov/ and check out an amazing variety of dietary guidelines and exercise guides produced by the Department of Health and Human Services and by the Department of Agriculture for your kids, family– all the way to the over 55 set. The best part is most of the materials are free in various eBook formats.

017-300-00025-3_page_001A great example is the Exercise and Physical Activity eBook. A FREE guide to how you can age well through simple exercises and good eating habits.

You can download in minutes here and be ready to take control the very same day or night.

Scan the many publications your federal government has designed for you to get started and stay engaged in better health practices.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised there’s a publication to fit the needs of everyone in your family -You included! Don’t wait.

How can I obtain health resources from the Federal government?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office.

Leave a Comment » | Agriculture, Consumers, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health & Human Services, ebooks, Family, Health care, NIH | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

A New Guide for the American Diet

September 15, 2016

001-000-04771-0Americans, your dietary guidepost for the next four years is here! The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Dietary Guidelines for Americans is now available through GPO. It’s designed to help folks “improve their overall eating patterns — the complete combination of foods and drinks in their diet.” Plainly put, it’s a plan for eating better.

In this latest edition of HHS and USDA’s twice-a-decade nutrition publication, you’ll see terms like “nutrient-dense” and “food pattern” over and over again. That isn’t just trendy jargon to impress policymakers and health professionals. The words have real meaning, and they represent a shift in thinking about the way Americans should eat.  That is, “people do not eat food groups and nutrients in isolation but rather in combination”—people eat food in patterns.

eat-carrot-peaDietary Guidelines doesn’t just prescribe what to eat, it reminds us why to eat. Science tells us that healthy eating patterns “can help prevent chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.” Improved nutrition staves off disease. And when Americans make healthy choices in their daily lives, the long-term benefits support a healthier next generation.

001-000-04771-0_dietary-guidelines-for-americans-2015-2020-003

Click on image to enlarge.

And now, snack on a few science-based recommendations:

  • There’s more than one way to pattern and adapt your eating. Dietary Guidelines provides examples of healthy eating patterns,
  • Nutrient-dense foods are only nutrient dense if they’re made with little or no added solid fats, sugars, refined starches, and sodium. So, cut down on those things,
  • Find new ways to sneak more veggies into dishes you already prepare,
  • Women, limit yourself to one drink per day. Men, your limit is two,
  • Lifelong healthy eating begins with small changes.

If you want a handy takeaway message, it’s this: make small dietary shifts and follow a healthy, lifetime eating pattern that combines a variety of nutrient-dense foods. Or simpler yet, eat for the long run, eat to live.

Update: The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, is now available in a variety of convenient digital formats compatible with mobile phones, tablets, and e-readers.

See all the available formats for the Dietary Guidelines.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS PUBLICATION?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

 Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

Leave a Comment » | Agriculture, Consumers, Department of Agriculture, Family, Health care | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Now Available: Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

March 4, 2015

(Image source nationalnutritionmonth.org)

(nationalnutritionmonth.org)

March is National Nutrition Month, a great time to focus on the importance of developing good eating habits. To coincide with this important event about maintaining a healthy diet, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has just released its 2015 scientific report. The report which includes recommendations that will eventually be incorporated into the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015 provides new changes, in contrast to previous guidelines. For instance, until now, overconsumption of cholesterol was long considered to be bad for the American diet. However, according to the recommendations outlined in the new report, cholesterol is no longer “a nutrient of concern.” To read more about this and other eye opening revelations contained in the report, which is now available through the DietaryGuidelines.gov website, see information below.

From HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP)

Get Involved: The “Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee” (Advisory Report) is now open for public review and comment. An official announcement will also publish in the Federal Register. To read the Advisory Report and submit your comments, visit DietaryGuidelines.gov.

Advisory Report: An advisory committee of independent experts – the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (or Committee) – has submitted its report to the Secretaries of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA). The “Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee” describes findings from the Committee’s review of the scientific evidence on diet, nutrition, and health, and will help inform the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines.

Upcoming Public Meeting: HHS and USDA will host a public meeting at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 to receive public oral comments on the “Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.” Meeting registration for in-person and webcast registration will open March 9, 2015 on www.DietaryGuidelines.gov.

Those interested in providing oral testimony will be able to specify their request upon registration. Capacity for oral testimony is limited to 70 individuals with 10 on stand-by. Testimony participants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The meeting facility provides ample space for in-person attendance and live webcast viewing will be available. Oral testimony can only be given in-person.

Next Steps: HHS and USDA will use the Advisory Report along with input from federal agencies and public comments to develop the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. HHS and USDA will release the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015 by end of the year.

Interested in more information on diet and nutrition? The U.S. Government Bookstore offers the following publications on diet, nutrition, and health.

About the author: Trudy Hawkins is Senior Marketing and Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication & Information Sales Division supporting the U.S. Government Online Bookstore (http://bookstore.gpo.gov).

Leave a Comment » | Agriculture, Consumers, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health & Human Services, Family, Health care, Office of Women's Health, U.S. Department of Agriculture | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Cooking (and Eating) With Uncle Sam

June 20, 2011

 The National Archives  just opened a new exhibit that has piqued my interest. “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?” is intended to “explore the records of the National Archives that trace the Government’s effect on what Americans eat.” Although I haven’t had a chance to visit the exhibit yet, it’s been getting great press in the New York Times (subscription required, I’m afraid) and the Washington Post.

Awhile back I discussed one of the Government’s efforts to inform the public about food preparation: Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes. In those days, thrifty, filling meals were the order of the day – comfort food that could nourish people struggling through the Great Depression with very little spare cash.The Government is still a player in the food game today, but now the problem seems to be obesity rather than malnutrition. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has replaced its venerable Food Pyramid with MyPlate, but the aim remains the same: educating the public on portion control and which foods to increase or decrease in the American diet.

This brings me to another 2011 Library Journal notable Government document: the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s Grow It, Try It, Like It: Preschool Fun with Fruits and Vegetables, a kit aimed at parents and teachers who want to provide young children with food and nutrition information in a fun way while teaching them all kinds of other things, like growing and cooking vegetables. Kids can improve their small motor skills while getting their hands dirty in a constructive way and then serve up the results – and maybe even acquire a taste for fruits and veggies, that perennial hope of parents everywhere. The kit includes seven booklets, with names like “Spinach Lane,” “Sweet Potato Hill,” and “Peach Tree Orchard,” each one explaining a particular fruit or vegetable’s nutritional value, how to grow it, recipes, and lots more. There are plenty of puzzles and other fun activities, too. Since we’re way past Aunt Sammy these days, technologically speaking, the kit also includes a CD-ROM with more information and a DVD of “Cool Puppy Pup’s Picnic and Lunch Parties.”

So what’s cooking at the Federal level? Quite a bit! You can view Grow It, Try It, Like It here or browse through its components in a library. I suspect that even a lot of us who are way past the Cool Puppy Pup stage might learn something from these booklets – I didn’t inherit my grandmother’s green thumb, so maybe they could actually help me grow some of this stuff!

25 Comments | Agriculture | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by govbooktalk

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