MENU PLANNING FOR A HEALTHIER DIET

If you don't yet have confidence in your ability to plan your own menu within the new nutrition guidelines, you might adopt or adapt the menu plans on pages 24-25 that were designed with adequate nutrition, variety, and moderation in mind.

The Human Nutrition Center of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has also devised some meal plans to help people meet the general dietary guidelines established in 1980 with the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (see pages 26-27). These are the center's recommendations.

Eat a variety of foods.

Maintain ideal weight.

Avoid a lot of fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.

Avoid a lot of sodium and salt.

Avoid a lot of sugar.

Eat foods with starch and fiber.

Drink only moderate amounts of alcohol.

The menus are planned for adults but can be adapted for family use. The 1,600-calorie menu for adult females can meet the needs of school-aged children by adding one to two glasses of low-fat or skim milk a day. For teenage girls, add two to three glasses of milk a day. For teenage boys, add two to three glasses of milk to the 2,400-calorie menu designed for the adult male. Two days of menus, plus recipes for the starred items, are included here. You can obtain the complete seven-day guide with explanatory text and lists of acceptable menu choices. Copies of "Ideas for Better Eating" are for sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C. 20402.

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