Protein

A World of Flavors

colorful plate of international foods

The world of nutrition spans different cultures. Have you ever considered celebrating and learning about different cuisines? Have you ever wondered what your plate would look like with Asian cuisine? Filipino cuisine? Latin American cuisine? The possibilities are endless. You can use MyPlate as a guide and  enjoy  various cuisines from all over the world.

The dietary guidelines recommend  consuming at least half your grains as whole grains, increasing your overall fiber intake. Sources include fruits, vegetables, and grains. It is  recommended to eat lean protein, which can be fish, chicken, beef, and other animal products. Healthy fats are important for heart health and can be found in nuts, seeds, and oils.

 Ginisang Gulay is a sautéed vegetable dish that has okra, squash, okra, eggplant, string beans, and shrimp. Shrimp is a protein that provides vitamin B12, selenium, and choline.  Pinakbet is also a great choice, since it contains vegetables with beans, a plant-based protein, and can be served with whole grain noodles. This dish is a 4-food group powerhouse!

Who doesn’t like yogurt? It contains protein, probiotics, and taste great! In the middle eastern dish Keshek, there is sundried powder yogurt and stir-fried lean ground beef. Double protein, double the yum! You can incorporate grains and fruit by adding a piece of whole grain pita bread and side of fruit. Now for an important question, who likes pancakes? I know I do! Besan cheela are savory pancakes made from chickpea flour and vegetables. In this dish you are getting grains, vegetables, and protein. All from pancakes, sounds too good to be true right?

One of my personal favorite dishes is the Salvadorean pupusa. The pupusa is made of masa or a corn cake texture and can be filled with different meats, cheese, topped with salsa, and curtido, a type of fermented cabbage. The curtido is fermented in vinegar and contains probiotics, which can help with gut health. From this dish there is protein when meat is added, dairy from the cheese, vegetables from the curtido, and grains from the masa.

All the dishes listed both demonstrate how you can still get your fruits, vegetables, protein, and grains from trying different international cuisine. Do these foods sound delicious?  

Interested in learning and trying more international foods? This month try cooking a new international food so you can learn how to cook with different ingredients. If you normally pan or deep fry, try baking, air frying, or grilling, which can reduce fat by 50-80%. On top of experimenting with new food you can also learn about the countries culture and symbolism of using certain spices and food pairings. Happy eating!

Written by: Ashley Denise Ascenio, Intern with Wood County Extension, Bowling Green State University Graduate Student in Food and Nutrition, asencia@bgsu.edu

Reviewed by: Susan Zies, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, OSU Extension Wood County.

Dietary Guidance Changes Through the Decades

Picture of a family holding hands and the 1943 USDA bulletin with the words National Wartime Nutrition Guide. U. S. Needs US Strong, Eat the Basic 7 Every Day.

In January, I wrote about the newly introduced Dietary Guidelines for Americans. However, did you know that the United States Department of Agriculture has been providing dietary recommendations for well over 100 years? The first dietary advice by USDA was a Farmers Bulletin created in 1894, by W. O. Atwater. Atwater was the first person to publish tables of food composition and dietary standards. He recommended diets for American males based on protein, carbohydrate and fat content and their minerals. Interestingly, many minerals and vitamins were not even known back in 1894. The concept of eating a variety of foods, eating a well balanced diet, watching portion sizes and moderation for health and well being is the basis for today’s Dietary Guidelines, and its roots go way back to 1894.

If we look at dietary guidance over the years, some have certainly changed, however, many things still resonate today. In the 1920’s the government was concerned about food safety and foodborne Illness was prevalent in the USA. Our refrigeration technology was certainly not what it is today. For example, not all Americans had a refrigerator with a freezer. Therefore, perishable products such as milk and meat would go bad quickly. As we moved to the 1930’s there were more advancements in science and nutrition. We learned more about vitamins and minerals and their role in the body. In 1943, USDA released the Basic Seven Food Guide, a publication called the National Wartime Nutrition Guide. The Basic Seven advised choosing specific foods such as green/yellow vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, milk and milk products.

After World War II, USDA developed Food and Fitness- A Daily Food Guide. This publication focused on four groups; milk, vegetables and fruit, bread and cereal. It focused on eating with family, healthy meals and budgeting. This was the first time serving sizes were introduced. In 1977, the Dietary Goals of Americans was released. The focus was to address the issue of Americans consuming too much sugar, fat and salt. In 1980, the first Dietary Guidelines as we know it today was published “Nutrition and Your Health- Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” Since then, USDA has published recommendations on Dietary Guidelines every five years, to the most recent Dietary Guidelines 2020 to 2025.

The format of these documents have evolved from  paper copy bulletins, websites, blogs, pictorial images such as My Pyramid and MyPlate. Yet, USDA has been providing dietary guidance for over a century. The research has certainly expanded over the years to keep up with todays lifestyles and food consumption. However, in spite of all these rapid changes, the more things change, the more they resemble the past.

Written by: Susan Zies, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Wood County, Zies.1@osu.edu

Reviewed by: Shannon Smith, MFN, RD, LD, CDCES, Program Coordinator, OSU Extension, Wood County, Smith.11604@osu.edu

Sources:

  • History of the Dietary Guidelines | Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Dietaryguidelines.gov. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/about-dietary-guidelines/history-dietary-guidelines. Published 2021. Accessed March 1, 2021.
  • Jahns L, Davis-Shaw W, Lichtenstein A, Murphy S, Conrad Z, Nielsen F. The History and Future of Dietary Guidance in America. Advances in Nutrition. 2018;9(2):136-147. doi:10.1093/advances/nmx025
  • https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/42215/5831_aib750b_1_.pdf
  • Schneeman B. Evolution of dietary guidelines. J Am Diet Assoc. 2003;103(12):5-9. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2003.09.030
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov.