Nutrition Tip - What You Need to Know About the New Dietary Guidelines

“What You Need to Know about the New Dietary Guidelines”

At the end of December, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and of Agriculture (USDA) released the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This is a joint report outlining nutritional and dietary guidelines for the general public. The report is released every 5 years and uses the most up-to-date research to form diet and lifestyle recommendations to help in the prevention of chronic disease and nutritional deficiencies.

In past reports, the dietary guidelines focused largely on single foods, nutrients, and food groups. This year’s report is based more on eating patterns. The focus is less on individual nutrients and food groups and more on how you balance your diet throughout the day. Most of us don’t eat just one food group, we eat a combination of foods. It only makes sense to tailor the guidelines to Americans’ actual eating habits.

The Dietary Guidelines outlines five guidelines for a healthier eating pattern:

1. The first guideline is to follow a healthy eating pattern across the lifespan. Healthy eating starts as a young child. Nutritious food and beverage choices should be emphasized at all ages, not just in adulthood when the presence of disease and obesity have already been diagnosed.
2. The second guideline is to focus on variety, nutrient density, and amount. To avoid nutrient deficiencies, you want to be sure you are consuming nutrient rich foods, not empty calories from many of the processed foods available. Consume nutrient rich foods from all food groups: grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, nuts/legumes, and protein and stay within the proper portions for your body.
3. The third guideline is to limit calorie intake from added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats. Added sugars are all too prevalent in our food supply and are causing serious health issues for our country like obesity and diabetes. Start reading labels and ingredient lists to identify added sugars in the foods you eat. Many of the foods high in added sugars will also have a high amount of salt. Limit these salty sugary foods. Avoid salting your food and frequently eating at restaurants. Saturated fat is also high in many restaurant foods in addition to processed meats like sausage and bacon. Other saturated fat sources include full-fat dairy products, butter, cream, and foods made with these like desserts.
4. The fourth guideline recommends switching overall food intake to healthier food and beverages. This means eating more whole, fresh foods from all the food groups. You should limit unhealthy, empty-calorie choices like sugar-sweetened beverages and processed, junk foods like chips, crackers, cookies, candy, etc.
5. The last guideline is to help others develop healthy eating patterns as well. Teach your children and coworkers. Support those around you and they will support you.

A few of the key recommendations based on the guidelines above include:

• Consume less than 10% of your total calorie intake from added sugars
• Consume less than 10% of total calorie intake from saturated fats
• Consume less than 2300 mg of sodium daily

We shouldn’t be looking for the next miracle food or cutting out one major food group. A balanced diet with a variety of nutritious foods is the best diet you can have. Follow the tips above and you will be on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

Source: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Executive Summary.” http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/executive-summary/