Nutrition Guidelines
Nutrition guidelines, such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) and Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), 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.
- Older Adults Dietary Guidelines for Americans Tip Sheet — Document reviews the DGAs main goals, SNP menu considerations, and nutrients of concern in the older population (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2026)
- Protein Tip Sheet — Resource reviews protein requirements for older adults, menu planning tips, meat alternatives, and high protein food sources (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2026)
- Dietary Fiber Tip Sheet — Resource reviews fiber requirements for older adults, menu planning tips, meat alternatives, and high fiber food sources (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2026)
- Dairy Requirements in Senior Nutrition Programs — Resource that answers questions about serving milk in the senior nutrition program, meal planning tips, nutrition education, and Calcium rich food sources (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2026)
- Common Choice vs. Nutrient-Dense Foods — Tip sheet to help older adults make more nutrient-dense food choices by comparing common foods with healthier alternatives (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2026)
- Underconsumed Vitamins and Minerals — Menu tips, nutrient requirements, and food sources for calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12, to help increase nutrient intake and support healthy aging (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2026)
- Incorporating Seafood into Older Adult Meals — Guide to help incorporate nutrient-rich seafood into senior nutrition program meals, with strategies for using convenient options (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2026)
- Sodium, Saturated Fat, Highly Processed Foods, and Refined Grains — Guide to help senior nutrition providers limit sodium and saturated fat, reduce highly processed foods and refined grains, and promote nutrient-dense menu choices (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2026)
- Quick Tips: Nutrition Guidelines — Information and resources related to common questions about OAA Title III-C nutrient requirements (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Dietary Reference Intakes: Too Little, Too Much — Learn about DRIs and how to apply them within the OAA Title III-C programs (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Nutrition Requirements of the Older Americans Act — Basics nutrition responsibilities for Title III-C programs (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Purchasing Foodservice Software Guide — Considerations around nutrient analysis software and comparison of software features (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Fiber Intake — Nutrition Needs for Older Adults (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2020)
- Protein — Nutrition Needs for Older Adults (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2020)
- Vitamin D — Nutrition Needs for Older Adults (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Vitamin B-12 — Nutrition Needs for Older Adults (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2020)
- Vitamin B6 — Nutrition Needs for Older Adults (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2020)
- Calcium— Fact sheet for consumers (National Institutes of Health)
- Sodium— How to reduce sodium intake (Dietary Guidelines)
- Adult Day Care Food Allergy Fact Sheets— Toolkit for managing food allergies in adult day cares operating the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and common questions about food allergies (Institute of Child Nutrition)
- Food Substitution List — Sample resource list to use when changing menu items (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Online DRI Calculator— Tool to calculate daily nutrient recommendations (USDA)
- Food Service Guidelines — Implementation toolkit (CDC, 2024)
- FoodData Central— Data system to search for the nutrients a food contains (USDA)
- Eat Healthy to Be Healthy— Infographic on how the DGAs improve health (Dietary Guidelines, 2020)