Newly Revised Dietary Guidelines for Americans

New Guidelines Encourage Eating Nutrient-Dense Foods

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled a revised set of Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The report identifies 41 key recommendations, of which 23 are for the general public and 18 for special populations.

The bottom line of the new guidelines is simple: we need to eat fewer calories and exercise more. The panel also made many specific recommendations, such as to increase consumption of often under-consumed foods, such as low-fat and nonfat dairy, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Focus on Calories and Weight Management
Since sixty percent of Americans are either overweight or obese, it is no surprise that the new guidelines have a strong emphasis on weight management.

Age-old wisdom for weight control is the cornerstone of the guidelines:

• To maintain body weight in a healthy range, balance calories from foods and beverages with calories expended.
• To prevent gradual weight gain over time, make small decreases in food and beverage calories and increase physical activity.

However, to keep from gaining weight in the future, you may need to increase your activity to 60 minutes a day. Sixty to 90 minutes is recommended to lose weight or to keep from regaining lost weight. A wide variety of activities would count toward this physical activity goal, such as walking, bicycling, gardening and recreational sports.

Food Groups to Encourage
The report also recommended increasing numbers of foods that recent research has found wards off disease and improves health.

• Consume 3 cups per day of fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent milk products.
• Consume 3 or more servings of whole-grain products per day, with the rest of the recommended grains coming from enriched or whole-grain products.
• Consume a sufficient amount and variety of fruits and vegetables while staying within energy needs. Two cups of fruit and 2½ cups of vegetables per day are recommended for a reference 2,000-calorie intake. In order to ensure variety, select from five vegetable subgroups (dark green, orange, legumes, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables) several times a week.

Fats
Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat and less than 300 mg/day of cholesterol, and keep trans fat consumption as low as possible.

Keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.

When selecting and preparing meat, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products, make choices that are lean, low-fat, or fat-free.

Carbohydrates
Choose fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains often. Choose and prepare foods and beverages with little added sugars or caloric sweeteners, such as amounts suggested by the the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Guide or the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Eating Plan.

Reduce the incidence of dental caries by practicing good oral hygiene and consuming sugar- and starch-containing foods and beverages less frequently.

Sodium and Potassium
Consume less than 2,300 mg (approximately 1 teaspoon of salt) of sodium per day.

Choose and prepare foods with little salt. At the same time, consume potassium-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

Adequate Nutrients Within Calorie Needs
Consume a variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages within and among the basic food groups while choosing foods that limit the intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, salt, and alcohol.

Meet recommended intakes within energy needs by adopting a balanced eating pattern, such as the USDA Food Guide or the DASH Eating Plan.

Alcoholic Beverages
Those who choose to drink alcoholic beverages should do so sensibly and in moderation -- defined as the consumption of up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men.

Alcoholic beverages should not be consumed by some individuals, including those who cannot restrict their alcohol intake, women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, pregnant and lactating women, children and adolescents, individuals taking medications that can interact with alcohol, and those with specific medical conditions.

Putting it All Together
If the recommendations outlined in the Dietary Guidelines represent a major lifestyle shift for you, consider making small changes over time. Maybe you could increase the size of your salad and reduce the size of your meat portion. Maybe you could snack on almonds and a glass of nonfat milk rather than chips and soda. Maybe you could walk at your lunch break rather than read the paper. Be creative and find lifestyle changes that you can stick with.

The next government guideline due for a makeover is the Food Guide Pyramid. This system is currently under review and a revised or new graphic is expected to be released sometime this spring.

Source: Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005