Federal dietary guidelines released last week urged Americans to fill up their plates with fruits and vegetables, cut back on sodium and in general, just eat less.

The United States Department of Agriculture issues new nutritional guidelines every five years, but with the prevalence of obesity and other weight-related diseases on the rise, officials said this year’s are the most to-the-point guidelines yet.

The key points include: eating less, avoiding oversized portions, filling half of a plate with fruits and vegetables, cutting back on sodium consumption and drinking water instead of sugary drinks.

“These messages are critical considering 64 percent of adults in Pennsylvania are overweight and 28 percent are obese,” Holli Senior, deputy press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, wrote in an e-mail.

Some students said the approach the USDA takes in the guidelines is a good one and that it is necessary to do something to help curb the increasing weights of Americans.

But some question the feasibility of these guidelines for everyone.

“With American food, it’s seems pretty unrealistic. Unless they require every business and restaurant to make changes, it’s hard,” Katherine Feliz (junior-health policy and administration) said.

College can be a particularly tough time to try and abide by these guidelines, Christopher Rote (junior-physics) said.

“There’s not a whole lot of variety of what we can eat, and the foods that are more healthy are generally just not as good,” Rote said.

University Health Services registered dietician Kelly Hoffheins offered students some pointers that might help make adhering to these guidelines, and in turn leading healthier lives, a little bit easier.

To cut back on sodium intake, students can read nutrition labels and look for lower sodium options, Hoffheins said.

A lot of processed food, canned foods, snacks or take-out are generally high in sodium, so making an effort to cut back in those areas can help, she said.

“And don’t add insult to injury — don’t add salt to foods,” she said.

Avoiding oversized portions and eating more fruits and vegetables can all be accomplished using something called the “plate method,” Hoffheins said.

“The plate method involves eating on a smaller plate than what most people have —about an eight or nine inch plate. Then fill one half with vegetables and split the other half with a protein source in one quarter and some sort of starch such as rice in the other quarter,” she said.

Using your hands is another excellent way of measuring portion size. A fist is equivalent to a good serving size of starches and a palm is good guide for serving of meat, Hoffheins said.

If you use your hands, there’s no reason not to always monitor your portion control.

“You always have your hands,” Hoffheins said.