It is important to have a simple informative image that at a quick glance delivers easy actionable ways for older adults to improve their diet and lifestyle. This new image provides general suggestions for making small shifts in food choices that will result in sustained healthier eating patterns.
Expertise Behind MyPlate for Older Adults
Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc
Senior Scientist and Director, Cardiovascular Nutrition Lab at the HNRCA
Stanley N. Gershoff Professor of Nutrition Science and Policy, Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University
Dr. Lichtenstein is a senior scientist and director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the HNRCA, the Stanley N. Gershoff Professor of Nutrition Science and Policy in the Friedman School, both at Tufts University. She holds secondary appointments in Medicine and the Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies at Tufts Medical Center, the Department of Public Health and Family Medicine Tufts University School of Medicine, and an honorary doctoral degree from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Kuopio, Finland. At the HNRCA, Dr. Lichtenstein’s research group focuses on assessing the interplay between diet and heart disease risk factors.
Simin Nikbin Meydani, DVM, PhD
Center Director, Senior Scientist and Lab Director, Nutrition and Immunology Lab at the HNRCA
Professor, Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University
Professor, Immunology, Tufts University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Dr. Meydani serves as the Director of the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. She is professor of nutrition and immunology at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and the Tufts Sackler Graduate Program in Immunology. Dr. Meydani’s scientific interests include the impact of nutrition on the aging process and age-associated diseases, the role of nutrition on immune and inflammatory responses and predisposition to infectious diseases in developed and less-developed countries, on which she has published extensively.
People who want to take greater control over their health and the aging process will find MyPlate for Older Adults is an excellent tool to use when making nutrition decisions.
Simin Nikbin Meydani, DVM, PhD
Alexandra Lewin-Zwerdling, PhD, MPA
Senior Advisor on the Hunger Impact team at the AARP Foundation
Alex is currently a Senior Advisor on the Hunger Impact team at the AARP Foundation. She leads up the team’s Hunger as a Health Issue platform including research, communications, partnerships and events with a specific focus on integrating nutrition and healthy eating into a broader food security strategy. In addition to working for the AARP Foundation, Alex is the President of FoodSpeak, LLC. She maintains the FoodSpeak blog and consults for a range of food, health, and nutrition clients.
We are thrilled to release MyPlate for Older Adults in partnership with the Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (HNRCA). As the fastest growing demographic and one with unique health and dietary needs, the 50+ population can use this exciting new tool to make more informed, nutrition-focused decisions.