Dietary Guidelines Released
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services released the new U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans to criticism from some health experts.
Those folks say the final guidelines don’t follow the recommendations made by the
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee released earlier this year.
The scientific committee said Americans should consume less than 6% of daily calories from added sugars — a reduction from 10% in previous guidelines.
The committee also suggested tightening alcohol consumption limits for men from two drinks per day to one drink — the same recommendation for women — on days when alcohol is consumed.
The American Public Health Association encouraged the changes:
“Alcohol is responsible for lots of mortality. Alcohol-related deaths have doubled over the last two decades. Excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of preventable death in the US.”
The government didn’t take this advice and kept the same limitations on both alcohol and sugar consumption from previous guidelines.
The government did accept scientific advice that said children younger than 2 should completely avoid foods and drinks with added sugars.
The first-time advice for children also says infants and toddlers should:
Consume only human milk for the first six months of life, be given supplemental vitamin D soon after birth, be introduced to potentially allergenic foods, and limit intake of foods and drinks high in sodium
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans will serve as the basis of school lunch programs, nutrition education efforts, national health objectives, and disease prevention initiatives for the next five years.
The full report is found at www.dietaryguidelines.gov.
