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# Nutrition Guidelines

Nutrition guidelines, such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) and Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI), provide direction for creating healthy menus for senior nutrition programs. Dive into these guidelines and learn how to meet the basic requirements of Title III-C nutrition programs.

## Infographics

**DGA Infographics**
                    - The Guidelines  — Infographic of 2020-2025 DGAs
                    - Top Sources of Added Sugars  — Top sources and average intakes
                    - Consumer Resources  — Brochures, handouts, and printed materials
                    - Current Intakes: Ages 60 and Older  — Average daily food group intakes compared to recommended  intake ranges
                    - Dietary Guidelines — Top ten things you need to know about the DGAs
                    - Dietary Guidelines for Americans Toolkit for Health Professionals  — CDC handouts available in English and Spanish                       - Build a Healthy Eating Routine as You Get Older
                      - Cut Down on Added Sugars
                      - Cut Down on Saturated Fat
                      - Cut Down on Sodium
                      - How to talk to Your Patients and Clients About Healthy Eating Routines
                      - Make Healthy Drink Choices 
                    - Eat Healthy to Be Healthy  — Infographic on how the DGAs improve health
                    - One Day at a Time  — Sample one day menu of nutrient dense meals
                    - One Food or Beverage at a Time  — Examples of typical foods and more nutrient dense alternatives
                    - One Meal at a Time  — Comparison of a meal and a more nutrient dense version
                    - Saturated Fats  — Top sources and average intake
                    - Sodium  — How to reduce sodium intake                       - Sodium  — Top sources and average intake 

##  Quick Guides

                    - Dietary Reference Intakes: Too Little, Too Much?  — Learn about Dietary Reference Inakes (DRIs) and how to apply them within the Older Americans Act
                    - Quick Tips: Nutrition Guidelines  — Information and resources related to common questions  about OAA Title III-C nutrient requirements

##  Guides

                    - Nutrition Requirements of the Older Americans Act  — Basics for Title III-C
                    - Purchasing Foodservice Software Guide  — Considerations around nutrient analysis software and comparison of software

## Guidance

                    - 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans  — Current guidelines with the theme “Make Every Bite Count”

## Fact Sheets

                    - Adult Day Care Food Allergy Fact Sheets  — ICN resources about all nine major food allergens, managing food allergies in adult day cares, and common questions about food allergies
                    - From DietaryGuidelines.gov:                       - Top 10 Things You Need to Know About the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025
                      - Customizing the DGA Framework  — Foods, food groups, preparation styles
                      - Dietary Intakes Compared to Recommendations  — Data on consumption for 60+
                      - Healthy Eating Across the Lifespan  — How DGAs promote health
                      - Make Every Bite Count Overview  — One-page DGA explainer  
                    - From the Nutrition & Aging Resource Center:                       - Fiber Intake
                      - Protein
                      - Vitamin D
                      - Vitamin B-12
                      - Vitamin B6 
                    - Calcium  — Fact sheet from NIH
                    - Aging Vibrantly  — National Dairy Council fact sheet for older adults

## Tools & Toolkits

                    - Food Substitution List  — List to use when changing menu items
                    - DGA Toolkit  — Toolkit to help senior nutrition programs align with the DGAs
                    - Sodium Reduction Toolkit  — Resources for creating healthy, appealing, low-sodium meals
                    - Menu Creation Toolkit  — Examples and resources to create menus
                    - Online DRI Calculator  — USDA's interactive tool to calculate daily nutrient recommendations
                    - Food Service Guidelines  — CDC resources for implementing food service guidelines
                    - FoodData Central  — USDA integrated data system
                    - USDA Databases  — Research on supplements and food  

##  Presentations

                    - Reducing Sodium in Senior Meals: Tips and Tricks (YouTube)  — Webinar on how local congregate sites and national home-delivered meal providers reduced sodium                        - Reducing Sodium in Senior Meals Slides 
                    - Reducing Sodium, Not Flavor! (YouTube)  — FDA update on federal initiatives to help limit sodium and improve health

## Research

                    - Nutrient Recommendations: DRIs  — NIH tables and reports

*Last modified on 01/29/2024*

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ACL funds the Nutrition and Aging Resource Center to build the capacity of senior nutrition programs funded by the Older Americans Act to provide high-quality, person-centered services and enhance program sustainability and resiliency.

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