New Dietary Guidelines For Americans

The government have issued the first update in five years of their "Dietary Guidelines for Americans."

But, despite significant talk about the U.S. obesity crisis, many of the major cornerstones of those previous guidelines have remained intact.

On the upside, the guidelines do emphasize the need for physical activity, and encourage eating more foods like vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, seafood, and also cutting back on sodium, trans fats, sugar, and refined grains.

To help translate the information into everyday life the guidelines contain advice, such as:

• Enjoy your food, but eat less.


• Avoid oversized portions.


• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.


• Switch to fat free or low fat (1%) milk.


• Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals - and choose the foods with lower numbers.


• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

Here are some of the daily limits or targets set out by the new guidelines:

• Fat intake - 20% to 35% of total calories.


• Saturated fat - less than 10% of total calories (mono and polyunsaturated fats may be substituted).


• Trans-fats - less than 1% of calories.


• Cholesterol - less than 300 mg.


• Fiber - 14 g per 1,000 calories.


• Potassium - 4,700 mg.


• Fruits and vegetables - at least 2.5 cups.


• Refined grains - less than 3 oz.


• Sodium - under 2,300 mg of sodium a day, and less than 1,500 mg for all African Americans, and those with hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease (including children), as well as people older than 50.

The sodium recommendations have upset The American Heart Association, who wanted to see blanket advice on reducing sodium intake over the whole population, not just specific groups of individuals. AHA President, Ralph Sacco, MD, said this;

For the sodium issue, the guidance misses the fact that most Americans either have high blood pressure or are at risk of developing it during their lifetime. All of these clearly support the need for a national commitment to reduce sodium consumption to less than 1,500 mg a day for all Americans.

Personally, it bothers me that these guidelines seem to be a regurgitation of past advice. But, what do you think, have the government went far enough with these updated guidelines? What would you have liked to see them tackling?

The full report is available here.

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