“The guidelines do follow the science in recommending that added sugars make up no more than 10 percent of daily calories”. However, a big one point is that they say less than ten percent of calories a day should come from added sugars.
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Not everyone will be happy with the final guidelines, which get rewritten every five years, but they are based on sound science, said Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell.
“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 said in an introduction to the report. The guidelines encourage Americans to adopt a series of recommendations to improve how they eat and to reduce obesity and prevent chronic diseases. The recommendation is part of a larger push to help consumers isolate added sugars from naturally occurring ones like those in fruit and milk. Keep in mind for 2,000 calorie diet, 10% is not very much-a mere 200 calories a day to allocate to soda, cookies or desserts, sugary cereal, sugar in your coffee, or whatever else you crave. From school lunch menus and public nutrition programs to food labels and medical research grants, these standards will inform dozens of government health programs and policies.
The report also states that some literature suggests that red meat plays a role in disease: “Moderate evidence indicates that these eating patterns are associated with reduced risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer in adults”.
The Agriculture Department, which released the guidelines along with the Department of Health and Human Services, also modified the “My Plate” healthy eating program icon to include the new slogan: “My Wins”.
It suggests instead people start incorporating other forms of protein into their meals, like nuts, seeds and seafood. The guidelines have also allowed to have food that is rich in cholesterol.
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”. For example, the new guidelines remove a daily limit on dietary cholesterol.
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“The NAMA team is undertaking a careful review of the Dietary Guidelines released this morning”, said National Automatic Merchandising Association president and chief executive Carla Balakgie. The average person eats 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day, and the guidelines say everyone should lower that amount to 2,300, or about a teaspoon.
