New dietary guidelines: lean meat OK, cut the added sugars

“Choose nutrient-dense foods and beverages across and within all food groups in place of less healthy choices”. “The latest edition of the Dietary Guidelines provides individuals with the flexibility to make healthy food choices that are right for them and their families and take advantage of the diversity of products available, thanks to America’s farmers and ranchers”.

For the first time, the government gives a limit to the amount of added sugar that people should consume on a daily basis.

Saturated fats, too, should account for no more than 10% of a person’s daily calorie intake, the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines recommend.

According to the guidelines, sugary drinks comprise 47 per cent of the added sugars that Americans drink and eat every day. Approximately 70% of Americans are at or above recommended intake levels for added sugar. In a blog post, she said she would have preferred an explicit call to limit sugar-sweetened beverages. Today’s announcement states that a long-awaited updated Nutrition Facts label that separately lists added sugars will be forthcoming. This controversial proposal, some have argued, would confuse consumers who may not be able to distinguish between added and total sugar.

Nestle added that “sodium” is a euphemism for processed foods and junk foods, and “saturated fat” is a surrogate for meat. The guidelines are also stricter for particular populations. The natural sugar in foods such as raisins, apples or milk are not considered added sugars. “This means that there is reasonable certainty of no harm under the intended conditions of use because the estimated daily intake is not expected to exceed the acceptable daily intake for each sweetener”. In other words, the kind of cholesterol in the foods we eat isn’t the driving factor for the kind of cholesterol doctors care about.

The committee noted in the draft guidance that whole grains are a “shortfall nutrient” in American diets. Whole grains and seafood, too. “By omitting specific diet recommendations, such as eating less red and processed meat, these guidelines miss a critical and significant opportunity to reduce suffering and death from cancer”, said Dr. Richard Wender of the American Cancer Society. The committee of experts advising the guideline drafters cited mounting research showing that caffeine intake equivalent to three to five cups of coffee is not only safe, but also appears to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adults.

But instead the United States government released a report that many experts say shows just how much it succumbed to pressures by the meat and the soda industry – yet again. The proposal had come under heavy criticism from the meat industry.

Rhode Islanders who want to follow the federal government’s new dietary guidelines may find it a challenge, especially when it comes to sugar.

The sodium recommendations changed, too.

Alcohol should be drank in moderation, defined as up to one drink per day for women and up to two daily drinks for men. The guidelines recommend shifting to polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. The guidelines recommend people “eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible” while building a healthy diet. On one side, groups such as the American Heart Association largely agree with the government warnings about saturated fats.

That recommendation poses the guidelines’ toughest challenge for Americans, said Tom Brenna, professor of chemistry and human nutrition at Cornell University.

“The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is one of many important tools that help to support a healthier next generation of Americans”, said Secretary Vilsack.

“The administration has clearly put the financial interests of the meat industry over the weight of the science and the health of the American people”, Hamerschlag said.

The new version of the Dietary Guidelines also slightly softens the warning about salt.

“Today, about half of all American adults-117 million people-have one or more preventable, chronic diseases, many of which are related to poor quality eating patterns and physical inactivity”, Burwell and Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack say in an introduction to the report. In 2008, the medical costs linked to obesity were estimated to be $147 billion. Diabetes alone costs the US $245 billion, according to the guidelines.

Whether these guidelines help-considering that many recommendations are not much different from years past-remain to be seen.