The Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services today jointly released the latest iteration of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).
In the guidelines, the agencies advise cutting back on added sugars and saturated fats and recommend a diet with a variety of fruits, vegetables and protein foods, including lean meats, a food choice the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee had previously shunned. The advisory committee had suggested sustainability be added as an additional rationale to follow the guidelines.
The new guidelines include five overarching recommendations for American diets:
• following a healthy eating pattern across one’s lifespan;
• focusing on a variety of nutrient-dense foods and the amount of those foods consumed;
• limiting calories from added sugars and saturated fats, as well as reducing sodium intake;
• shifting to healthier food and beverage choices; and
• supporting healthy eating patterns.
Agriculture groups applauded the announcement of the new guidelines.
Agri-Pulse reports this round of guidelines focuses less on recommendations for individual nutrients and more on broader dietary patterns. The DGA website says, “People do not eat food groups and nutrients in isolation, but rather in combination, and the totality of the diet forms an overall eating pattern.”
The goal behind this approach is to help people meet the guidelines within their own dietary pattern, “enabling Americans to choose the diet that is right for them.” This is also evidenced by recommendations tailored to different gender and age groups –“teen boys” and “adult men,” for example–based on needed nutrient intake.