US Diet Guidelines Urge People To Eat Less Sugar

The guidelines, which are updated every five years, are aimed at helping Americans eat healthier, both directly and indirectly, and prevent health problems like heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Barack Obama’s administration unveiled dietary guidelines on Thursday that urge Americans to limit their sugar intake and call on men and boys to eat less protein but eased previous recommendations on cholesterol and sodium. To put that in perspective, one serving of root beer already has about ten teaspoons of sugar in it. After that, drink you’re already creeping on your max for the day. Too much sugar is blamed for the epidemic of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

Eating plenty of lean protein, fruits and vegetables and drinking 3 to 5 cups of coffee a day can also be part of a healthy diet, the guidelines say.

The 2015 to 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans differs from the 2010 version in that it does not focus on food groups and nutrients, but instead on the overall diet.

For the first time, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture advise a limit on daily intake of added sugars, saying it should be no more than 10 percent of calories.

“In fact, the dietary guidelines promote consumption of red meat as long as it is lean, which is not what the science supports”.

Those aged 14 and younger were advised to consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.

Surprisingly, there is a drop in the longstanding recommendation to limit cholesterol-rich foods to 300 milligrams a day (equivalent to just about two eggs).

The USDA says its process is “robust and transparent”, and the new guidelines reflect “advancements in scientific understanding about healthy eating choices and health outcomes over a lifetime”.

“I’m very pleased the secretaries went back and reviewed the large body of science that does exist supporting lean meats like beef in a healthy dietary pattern”, said Jennifer Leheska, a dietitian for TCFA. Created to take the confusion out of what constitutes healthy eating for consumers, the guidelines were developed by an external advisory committee that included researchers and scientists in the fields of nutrition, health and medicine, which met in public meetings from June 2013 to December 2014.

“The message to eat more seafood, legumes and other protein foods really does mean substitute those for red meat”, Brenna says.

By law, the Dietary Guidelines serve as the basis for federal nutrition policy.

“Cholesterol in eggs, poultry, cheese, and meat contributes to heart attacks and other health risks”, said Neal D. Barnard, MD, President of the Physicians Committee.

The full list of dietary guidelines for Americans can be found online.