It also suggests Americans to consume no more than 10 percent of calories per day from foods and beverages with added sugars and those that have trans fat and saturated fat like butter and whole milk.
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According to US Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, “Protecting the health of the American public includes empowering them with the tools they need to make healthy choices in their daily lives”.
The guidelines are updated every five years with the aim of reducing obesity and preventing chronic diseases, such as type-2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, the government said in a statement. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, a panel of independent experts, called eating large amounts of red and processed meat “detrimental”.
The federal government issued new dietary guidelines today that, for the first time, advise Americans to cut back considerably on their consumption of added sugars.
Michael Jacobson, president of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the group was “disappointed that the guidelines downplayed the importance of consuming less dietary cholesterol, especially from eggs”, but said that overall the advice “is sound, sensible and science-based”.
According to the guidelines, eggs may be better for you than once thought.
“I think (people) will see this in the news, and they’ll cherry pick certain things”, she said, noting that this could mean gleaning that all coffee – no matter the additives – is good after a report about the benefits of coffee.
Some critics say the guidelines should further lower the recommended limit for salt, which stays at about one teaspoon a day. This move is hoped to encourage people to check the amount of added sugars they consume, such as those from sugary drinks, which comprise 47 percent of all added sugars consumed daily. Sodium consumption should be limited to 2,300mg a day – or one teaspoon. The government, however, said that people should eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible to stave off cardiovascular disease.
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).
They also made no mention of the advisory committee’s recommendation that Americans seek a diet that is more environmentally friendly and sustainable, higher in plant-based foods and “lower in calories and animal-based foods”.
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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”. This year’s guidelines no longer recommend a limit for cholesterol.
