The Obama administration’s new dietary guidelines, released Thursday, also back off the strictest sodium rules included in the previous version, while still asserting that Americans consume too much salt.
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In one major change, the new dietary guidelines suggest that Americans should limit sugars to 10% or less of their diet.
But unlike the 2010 guidelines, the government set a specific limit for added sugars: 10 percent of total daily calories, about the amount in a single can of soda. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said that it may seems to be a big task to change the way Americans eat, but it can be accomplished.
The guidelines are updated every five years and aim to reduce obesity and prevent chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, the government said in a statement. The average USA diet is made up of closer to 13 percent of added sugars, with children and teens consuming as much as 17 percent.
The government says people should figure out what healthy eating style works for them while still hewing to the main recommendations. “But the newest research shows that those foods with cholesterol like shrimp are not as unhealthy as we previously thought”.
The new regulations suggest a little bit of plain coffee each day is considered part of a healthy diet. That’s about twelve teaspoons a day.
The guidelines also recommend that you eat more fruit, vegetables and whole wheat, and highlight that most Americans do not have a very healthy diet, and many are overweight and at an increased risk of heart disease and other illnesses.
The five overarching guidelines will not be a surprise, with a focus on eating healthy by avoiding saturated fats, sodium and added sugars in favor of nutrient-dense foods. That’s why it’s important to emphasize that every food choice is an opportunity to move toward a healthy eating pattern. The 2010 guidelines said that Americans should limit their dietary cholesterol to 300 mg a day, or about two eggs, but that key recommendation is now absent.
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While some groups like the American Medical Association praise and support the guidelines, critics say the recommendations don’t go far enough – And they’ve accused the government of playing politics with Americans’ health. Since most high-cholesterol foods (such as fatty meats and high-fat dairy products) also happen to be high in saturated fat, limiting saturated fats should keep your cholesterol under control too.
