The Dietary Guidelines for Americans have the potential to influence the diets of millions of Americans. Many recommendations aren’t new, but some are, such as the one on added sugar. But watch the added sugars _ especially the sugary drinks. The guidelines suggest limiting sugar to 10 percent of your daily calories. That’s about 12 teaspoons.
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The guidelines also suggest cutting back on salt and saturated fat and increasing the amount of fruit, vegetables and whole grains in our diet.
“More than three quarters of sodium in the American diet is estimated to come from processed and restaurant food, which gives consumers little choice when it comes to lowering daily intake”, the CDC report noted. Plus, it’s a misconception that dietary cholesterol affects blood cholesterol levels-study after study has disproved this, as Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., author of The Great Cholesterol Myth told us in High Cholesterol Foods Are Off The Dietery Hit List. But this isn’t a green light to chow down on butter and bacon. This involves eating more healthier choices while consuming less saturated fat, less sodium and, most of all, a lot less sugar. But after Congress intervened last month, the guidelines dropped “sustainability” language that encouraged all of us to consider a diet based more on plants because that would do less damage to the environment. American adults also consume about 50 percent more sodium than the Dietary Guidelines recommends.
A healthy eating pattern includes protein sources such as lean meats. But the meat industry objected, so instead there is more general encouragement to eat other protein such as seafood and nuts.
The guidelines which were issued by the United States Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments also urged teenage boys and men to limit their intake of too much protein and advised them to lower their consumption of poultry and red meat. That’s the equivalent of 1 teaspoon of salt.
“Strong and consistent evidence shows that consumption of coffee within the moderate range…is not associated with increased risk of major chronic diseases”, wrote the federal advisory committee that helped draft the 2016 nutritional recommendations as mentioned by Washington Post. Cardiologist Steve Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic feels the cholesterol advice is still too vague, and not firmly based in science. I feel better when I don’t eat sugar.
Saturated and trans fats: Less than 10 percent of daily calories should come from saturated fats. Regarding meat, he said this can include lean red meat on occasion.
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Lean meat is now back on the dinner table, at least as a healthy recommendation from the federal government.
