sardine and sun-dried tomato pasta in honor of another seafood-supporting report
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, a prestigious panel of smarty-pants that suggests how the government can give better nutrition advice, has been working on their report for the last 20 months. It seems like its been a slow process I could have completed another masters degree or conceived and delivered at least one child in the amount of time this has taken but when I saw the report I completely understood why.Its exhaustive and very, very lengthy.However, the takeaways are ironically straightforward.The following nuggets just about sum what to eat up:
o Shift food intake patterns to a more plant-based diet that emphasizes vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. In addition, increase the intake of seafood and fat-free and low-fat milk and milk products and consume only moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry, and eggs.
o Significantly reduce intake of foods containing added sugars and solid fats because these dietary components contribute excess calories and few, if any, nutrients. In addition, reduce sodium intake and lower intake of refined grains, especially refined grains that are coupled with added sugar, solid fat, and sodium.
Phew, because thats how I like to eat. Case in point, my lovely lunch of sardine and sun-dried tomato pasta. I took a picture of the ingredients before combining them so you could see how simple it is a few silvery canned sardines, chopped shallots, shredded basil (mine was a fancy red variety Im growing), and sliced sun-dried tomatoes. Yummy and surprisingly mild.
Sardines, by the way, are a superfast way to get to the 250 mg per day of long-chain [omega-3] fatty acids the report suggests.This amount found in about 2 servings of a variety of fish per week prevents heart disease and boosts brain development. Thats why everyone, especially pregnant women, should increase [their] intake of seafood.
