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| A) | Restrict dietary fat, count calories, and avoid animal products | ||
| B) | Minimize food processing, consider food preparation methods, and recognize multiple ways to eat healthfully | ||
| C) | Purchase organic foods, eliminate carbohydrates, and consume standardized portion sizes | ||
| D) | Prioritize supplements, follow a single dietary pattern, and avoid culturally specific foods |
The Dietary Guidelines for Texans, developed by the Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee (TNAC) and published by the Texas Department of State Health Services, are built on three foundational pillars [1]:
Foods without a lot of processing are best for your body.
How you prepare your food matters.
There are many ways to eat healthy.
| A) | Minimally processed foods always contain fewer calories | ||
| B) | Ultra-processed foods contain no beneficial nutrients | ||
| C) | The level of processing may independently affect weight and cardiometabolic outcomes | ||
| D) | Minimally processed foods eliminate the need to monitor portion size |
A 2025 randomized crossover trial in Nature Medicine directly compared MPF and UPF diets matched to national dietary guidance. Participants consuming MPF diets lost significantly more weight over eight weeks (–2.06% body weight) compared to those on UPF diets (–1.05%) [6]. These findings suggest that processing level may influence outcomes beyond macronutrient composition.
| A) | A plate consisting primarily of grilled chicken and white rice | ||
| B) | A plate with half devoted to vegetables and fruits of different colors | ||
| C) | A plate with fruit juice replacing whole vegetables and fruits | ||
| D) | A plate with one serving of vegetables and no fruit |
TNAC recommends filling half the plate with vegetables and fruit at every meal to support digestion and overall health [1]. The guidelines encourage a variety of colors: red/pink (beets, tomatoes, strawberries), orange/yellow (carrots, sweet potato, cantaloupe), green (spinach, broccoli, okra), blue/purple (berries, cabbage), and white (cauliflower, onion, potatoes). Each color family represents distinct phytonutrients with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cardioprotective effects. Encouraging color diversity is a practical, memorable tool for patients to ensure a breadth of micronutrient intake.
| A) | Continue the sausage because all protein sources are nutritionally equivalent | ||
| B) | Eliminate all animal protein and obtain protein exclusively from supplements | ||
| C) | Replace the sausage more often with minimally processed options such as eggs, beans, seafood, or poultry | ||
| D) | Reduce protein intake to one serving per day |
The guidelines recommend three or more daily servings of unprocessed or minimally processed protein to support muscle, brain, bone, and skin health. Acceptable sources include beans, peas, lentils, seafood, poultry, beef, pork, lamb, wild game, eggs, nuts, and seeds [1].
Critically, the guidelines do not exclude animal proteins. TNAC notes that unprocessed or minimally processed meats and dairy can be part of a healthy diet when balanced with high-fiber plant foods [1]. This is clinically useful when counseling patients from cultural backgrounds where animal protein is central to the diet, including many Texas communities with Indigenous, Hispanic, or Southern food traditions.
| A) | Consume only calcium supplements because foods cannot provide sufficient bone-supporting nutrients | ||
| B) | Include foods such as canned salmon with bones, tofu, fortified plant-based milk, leafy greens, seeds, and beans | ||
| C) | Avoid plant-based calcium sources because they do not support bone health | ||
| D) | Increase refined-grain intake to obtain calcium and vitamin D |
For lactose-intolerant patients or those avoiding dairy (a significant portion of patients with Hispanic or Asian heritage), excellent alternatives include:
Canned sardines and salmon with bones (calcium + vitamin D)
Tofu and fortified plant-based milks (calcium)
Kale, mustard greens, collards, bok choy, and turnip greens (vitamin K, calcium)
Sesame, chia, flax, and poppy seeds (calcium, magnesium)
Black-eyed peas and garbanzo beans (calcium, magnesium)
| A) | Replace brown rice with white rice | ||
| B) | Replace whole oats with a refined breakfast pastry | ||
| C) | Replace refined corn tortillas with whole-grain corn tortillas | ||
| D) | Replace barley with a sugar-sweetened cereal |
The Texas guidelines recommend whole grains, including brown rice, corn, barley, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, whole oats, farro, and whole wheat, emphasizing that they should be unprocessed or minimally processed [1].
The cardiovascular case for whole grains is among the strongest in nutrition science. A landmark 2026 meta-analysis of 87 randomized controlled trials found that consuming 60–100 grams of whole grains per day (approximately 4 to 6 servings) provided high-certainty evidence that intake reduced body weight, waist circumference, total cholesterol, and IL-6 (a marker of inflammation), plus moderate-certainty evidence for improvements in LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, and systolic blood pressure [7]. The American Heart Association has similarly noted that replacing refined grains with whole grains leads to improvements in cardiovascular risk factors, citing observational data linking whole grain consumption to lower risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome [8].
A patient swapping white rice for brown rice or moving from refined corn tortillas to whole-grain corn tortillas is making a meaningful, evidence-backed shift, one that aligns with culturally familiar foods [1,7].
| A) | Use artificially sweetened beverages as the primary fluid source | ||
| B) | Drink fruit juice throughout the day instead of water | ||
| C) | Use water as the primary fluid source and consider reducing or avoiding alcohol | ||
| D) | Add artificial creamers to coffee to improve its nutritional value |
The guidelines name water as the primary fluid source and recommend reducing or eliminating sugar, sugar substitutes, and artificial creamers in tea and coffee. Perhaps most notably, TNAC states there is no safe amount of alcohol and recommends considering reducing or avoiding it entirely [1]. This is a stronger position than many other guidelines and reflects emerging evidence on the relationship between alcohol and cancer risk.
| A) | Steam the vegetables and season them with herbs and spices | ||
| B) | Deep-fry the vegetables and add excess salt | ||
| C) | Heat the vegetables in their plastic packaging | ||
| D) | Smoke the vegetables at every meal |
The second pillar of the Texas guidelines focuses on food preparation, an often-overlooked dimension of dietary counseling [1]. Key recommendations include [1]:
Preferred cooking methods: Bake, broil, roast, poach, lightly sauté, stir-fry, or steam to preserve nutrients.
Use caution with: Smoking, frying, and grilling, as these methods can generate harmful compounds (e.g., heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). The guidelines recommend using these methods less often rather than eliminating them, which is a realistic and respectful position.
Season with herbs and spices rather than excess salt, sugar, or fat to enhance flavor while helping prevent disease.
Avoid heating food in plastic packaging, which can transfer endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
Frozen, canned, or jarred produce without added salt, sugar, or preservatives are good choices, validating convenient, affordable options that are often dismissed.
| A) | Require the patient to adopt a standardized dietary pattern | ||
| B) | Eliminate all culturally significant foods before discussing other dietary changes | ||
| C) | Work within the patient's food traditions to emphasize minimally processed foods and balance animal foods with high-fiber plant foods | ||
| D) | Avoid discussing cultural food preferences because they are unrelated to adherence |
The third pillar is one of the most clinically practical: the explicit recognition that multiple dietary patterns can support health [1]. TNAC states [1]:
Traditional diets emphasizing seafood, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats support health and help prevent chronic disease.
Mostly minimally processed, plant-forward eating is a healthy approach.
Foods from animals, including unprocessed meat and dairy, can be part of a healthy diet when balanced with high-fiber plant foods.
| A) | Provide a standardized meal plan without discussing the patient's circumstances | ||
| B) | Recommend fresh organic produce and specialty foods regardless of cost | ||
| C) | Assess access, time, cooking skills, food meaning, and clinical needs before developing the nutrition plan | ||
| D) | Delay nutrition counseling until the patient has access to a full kitchen |
THE TNAC DECISION-MAKING FRAMEWORK
| Factor | Clinical Application |
|---|---|
| Access | Does the patient live near a grocery store? Do they rely on a food pantry or SNAP? |
| Time | Are they working multiple jobs? Caring for dependents? |
| Skills | Do they know how to cook? Are kitchen tools/facilities limited? |
| Meaning | What cultural, religious, or personal significance does food have for them? |
| Needs | Do they have chronic conditions (diabetes, CKD, CVD) with specific dietary requirements? |