Kudos, criticism for new dietary guidelines

The guidelines say three to five small cups a day are healthy, as long as you don’t add the sugar, flavorings or toppings.

Eating less red meat is linked to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as a lower risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer, the guidelines say.

New federal dietary guidelines announced yesterday (Jan 7) urge Americans to drastically cut back on sugar and for the first time have singled out teenage boys and men for eating too much meat, chicken and eggs.

Initial recommendations by scientific advisors suggested Americans could be more environmentally friendly by cutting back on meat.

This year’s guideline says we should eat a variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes, soy products, and nuts and seeds, but it also says that we should get less than 10 percent of daily calories from saturated fats and meats that are high in saturated fat.

The guidelines suggest Americans should consume a variety of vegetables that include dark green, red and orange, beans and peas, starchy and other vegetables. “As recommended by the IOM, individuals should eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible while consuming a healthy eating pattern“. The 2010 guidelines recommend Americans cap cholesterol daily to no more than 300 milligrams. According to the report, those make up about 13 percent of daily calories in the average American diet.

After years of doctors saying that Americans shouldn’t eat too many eggs, recommendations for cholesterol have also shifted.

New federal dietary guidelines are getting strict about sugar. As for sodium, it should be kept under 2,300 milligrams per day. For example, the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines is the first edition to recommend a quantitative limit to consume less than 10 percent of calories from added sugars. ChooseMyPlate.gov provides more information about added sugars, which are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared.

The new guidelines emphasize the need to limit added sugars, especially the sugary drinks that experts blame for contributing to America’s obesity epidemic. They form the basis of school lunch programs and help shape national food assistance programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. Lustig said the new guidelines are a big deal for the almost trillion dollar food industry.

“Sugar is what causes increased triglycerides, which in turn lead to increased heart disease, increased abdominal fat, diabetes”, she said.