Elisabetta Politi, Nutrition Director at the Duke Diet & Fitness Center

Elisabetta Politi, nutrition director at the Duke Diet & Fitness Center, comments on the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Currently, more than half the daily intake for the average American comes from mixed dishes, snacks, sweets and drinks. The new guidelines push for more plant-based foods and reducing reliance on quick and cheap processed snacks.

• Quotes: “The 2015 dietary guidelines focus on healthy eating habits and less on including or eliminating individual nutrients,” says Elisabetta Politi, nutrition director at the Duke University Diet & Fitness Center. “This is essential, because your whole diet impacts your health and disease risk. Americans should be shifting their diets to more plant-based foods like veggies and fruits such as the popular Mediterranean Diet, which includes a lot of healthy fats and whole grains. The guidelines emphasize the value of making meals and snacks from scratch instead of relying on processed foods. With shortcuts like frozen veggies, or pre-washed and packaged produce, preparing healthy meals for your family really can be easier than most people think.”
• Bio: Elisabetta Politi, nutrition director at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center, has spent more than 20 years as a registered dietitian. Her career has been dedicated to the prevention of chronic diseases through diet and weight management. She is also a certified diabetes educator and holds a master’s degree in Public Health Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Politi has been interviewed by The TODAY Show, NBC Nightly News, Discovery Health Channel and regularly offers eating tips and cooking demonstrations for television in the Duke Diet & Fitness Center test kitchen.
• Archive video interview (Back-to-school breakfasts): http://wncn.com/2015/08/26/quick-and-healthy-back-to-school-breakfasts-for-the-family/