Nutrition & Healthy Living
The USDA is responsible for providing a safety net for millions of Americans who are food-insecure and for developing and promoting dietary guidance based on scientific evidence.
🍽️ Food security means access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life!
USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) has more:
Food access, consumption, demand, diet & nutrition, obesity, and more from the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS):
Make Tasty, Affordable Holiday Menus with SNAP-Ed Connection recipes! All recipes meet the USDA's MyPlate Kitchen Criteria.
This guide can help you explore different fruits and vegetables throughout the year. Seasonal produce in your area will vary by growing conditions and weather.
Use the USDA's MyPlate tool to find cost-saving opportunities in your local area and discover new ways to prepare budget-friendly foods. Open Shop Simple with MyPlate on your phone, tablet, or computer.
FNS administers 15 federal nutrition assistance programs including WIC, SNAP, and school meals.
The child nutrition programs are administered by the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).
Healthy food choices don't have to cost a lot. Use the Shop Simple with MyPlate to discover new ways to prepare budget-friendly foods!
SNAP-Ed teaches people to shop for and cook healthy meals. SNAP-Ed can help people learn how to make their SNAP dollars stretch.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
WIC is the third largest USDA domestic food and nutrition assistance program
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is designed for nutrition and health professionals to help individuals (ages 2 years and older) and families to consume a healthful and nutritionally adequate diet.
Product information and recipes for USDA Foods available to households through the FDPIR, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and TEFAP.
The USDA's food and nutrition assistance programs help address the needs of low-income Americans. ERS examines how income, income volatility, and participation in various food and nutrition assistance programs:
Other Resources From Our Nutrition & Healthy Living Community Partners:
A new healthy lifestyle is a big deal, especially if you're struggling financially. 13 million+ Americans were food insecure at some point during 2019 but MoneyGeek.com has food assistance resources:
Healthy Eating Choices for Seniors with Diabetes 🍠
Managing diabetes through lifestyle and dietary choices doesn't have to be only about excluding certain foods from your diet. Learn more about the beneficial and not so beneficial foods for diabetes via SeniorAdvice.com
Maintaining a healthy and nutritious diet doesn't have to be expensive. There are several ways for aging adults to stretch their dollars, meal plan, and eat well - learn more via SeniorAdvice.com:
💧 Why Are Seniors More At Risk for Dehydration?
Recognize the signs of dehydration and understand the complications associated with seniors who are more susceptible to severe dehydration - with help from SeniorAdvice.com
How to Eat Healthy When Food Costs Are On the Rise
Learn how to maintain a healthy diet and afford nutritious foods despite rising costs, with resources from MoneyGeek.com:
How to Find Food Security Support & Hunger Assistance Resources
With the influx of challenges brought on by COVID-19, many individuals are at risk of facing hunger issues at any time. Knowing where and how to get help is the first step in fighting hunger - MoneyGeek.com
Understanding Appetite Loss in Seniors
While many people think of malnourishment as an issue that specifically relates to a lack of resources or of access to food, today it is most common among seniors. Learn more from SeniorAdvice.com:
From Our Nutrition & Healthy Living Archives:
United States Department of Agriculture
Nutrition Recipes
New for 2014: USDA Foods household fact sheets, the recipes included on the fact sheets, and the recipes in the cookbook developed for FDPIR entitled “A Harvest of Recipes with USDA Foods’ will be a part of a new database at a new USDA Web site entitled “What’s Cooking? USDA Mixing Bowl”.
United States Department of Agriculture
Recipe Finder
We invite you to search the database of recipes submitted by nutrition and health professionals and organizations. Nutrition educators in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other FNS nutrition assistance programs and their partners are encouraged to use the database to support their nutrition education messages.
Food For Seniors Could Save Some States Money
Meals for seniors
Home-delivered meals bring not only food to seniors but also the opportunity to remain in their homes. A new study by Brown University public health researchers projects that if every U.S. state in the lower 48 expanded the number of seniors receiving meals by just 1 percent, 1,722 more Medicaid recipients avoid living in a nursing home and most states would experience a net annual savings from implementing the expansion.
Senior Menu Planning
Sample Menus
The food many seniors eat at an adult day care program will be the tastiest and healthiest food they will have all day. This link will review the following: Cultural/ethnic and regional food preferences, menu planning, cycle menu development, menu evaluation, menus for special diets, and sample menus.
Food Research and Action Center
Federal Food and Nutrition Programs
Counterintuitively, obesity plagues low-income people in this country just as hunger and food insecurity do. FRAC is leading the efforts to identify and communicate the connections among poverty, hunger, inadequate resources for healthy diets, and obesity among low-income people. FRAC also is working to broaden the reach of and improve the quality of public nutrition programs as a strategy to reduce obesity.
Food Research and Action Center
Federal Food and Nutrition Programs
Counterintuitively, obesity plagues low-income people in this country just as hunger and food insecurity do. FRAC is leading the efforts to identify and communicate the connections among poverty, hunger, inadequate resources for healthy diets, and obesity among low-income people. FRAC also is working to broaden the reach of and improve the quality of public nutrition programs as a strategy to reduce obesity.