UNMC physician reacts to new federal dietary guidelines

The final document does not weigh in on sustainability recommendations, which were widely condemned by the food industry as outside the charter of dietary advice.

For women ages 31-50, who should eat about 1,800 calories a day, a limit of 180 calories would allow for one 12-oz. can of soda (140 calories), but not two.

While 90 percent of Americans still eat too much salt, the 2015 guidelines back away from strict limits on daily salt intake. While much of the advice remains unchanged, there are several key revisions. “About half of all American adults-117 million individuals-have one or more preventable chronic diseases, many of which are related to poor quality eating patterns and physical inactivity”, the report states.

The latest guidelines also call for saturated fats to make up less than 10 percent of daily calories and Americans to cut their salt intake by a third, to about a teaspoon a day. The guidelines recommend people “eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible” while building a healthy diet.

“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.

Registered dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, LD, says that the recommendations on eating patterns are a good start, but are not specific enough. Boys and men, however, are advised not to take in too much protein.

The updated recommendations also remove the limit on dietary cholesterol. The average American consumes 3,400 milligrams of salt per day, “an excessive amount”, SF Gate reports, “that raises blood pressure and poses health risks”. But the new lawsuit suggests the majority of research on dietary cholesterol is funded by the egg industry, and this could have important repercussions for Americans’ health.

For the first time the guidelines limit added sugar…to no more than 10 percent of daily calories.

After what seems like a nonstop holiday splurge, most folks are loading up on more fruits and vegetables and less on refined sugars and processed foods.

“We’re not talking about the large mocha”, she said.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines was informed by the recommendations of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which was composed of prestigious researchers in the fields of nutrition, health, and medicine, and by consideration of public and federal agency comments. But there are also a few new, or altered, recommendations worth pointing out, especially since nobody’s got time to read it cover to cover.

A year-end spending bill simply said the guidelines must be “based on significant scientific agreement” and “limited in scope to nutritional and dietary information”.