Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Older Adults: Toolkit for Senior Nutrition Programs
This toolkit is designed to help senior nutrition programs develop policies that meet the Older Americans Act requirements to align with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Older Adults: Policy and Practice Implications for Senior Nutrition Programs — Review of nutrition policy examples from multiple states
- Older Adults DGA Tip Sheet — Nutritional guidelines, dietary principles, and menu considerations
- Menu Creation Toolkit — Menu pattern with portion size equivalents
- Calcium and Potassium Tip Sheet — Nutrient requirements, food sources, and menu tips
- Protein Tip Sheet — Dietary guidelines, menu planning tips, and sources of protein
- Dietary Fiber Tip Sheet — Increasing fiber tips, high-fiber foods, and nutrition education
- Vitamin D and Vitamin B-12 Tip Sheet — Nutrient requirements and ways to incorporate vitamins into menus
- Common vs. Nutrient Dense Food Tip Sheet — Examples and benefits of nutrient dense foods
- Dairy Requirements in Senior Nutrition Programs Tip Sheet — Explanation of Senior Nutrition Program requirements and alternative ways to meet calcium needs
- Limiting Sodium, Saturated Fat, Empty Calories, and Refined Grains Tip Sheet — Tips for reducing sodium in the menu
- Purchasing Foodservice Software Guide — Considerations around nutrient analysis software and comparison of software features
- SUA Training Presentation (PPT) — Overview of the DGAs and relation to SNP programs
- Toolkit References — List of resources used in DGA Toolkit development
- Salad Bar Guide — Materials on providing salad bars as part of nutrition services
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 (YouTube)— Two-minute USDA primer on the updated guidelines
Trainings & Network Discussions
Dietary Guidelines & Dietary Reference Intakes Overview:
ACL training recording (YouTube) | PowerPoint slides
Description: This webinar provides an overview of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) and Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), what they are, how much flexibility they offer, and how states and Area Agencies on Aging share ultimate discretion on establishing their own specific nutrition and menu policies to best meet their community’s needs.