2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Dietary Guidelines from Health.gov
The USDA releases a new set of dietary guidelines for Americans every 5 years. The goal of the Dietary Guidelines is to help Americans eat better. The Dietary Guidelines are created for policy makers and health professionals, but can be viewed and accessed by anyone. The key points in the Dietary Guidelines 2015:
Focus on eating patterns not nutrients
A healthy eating pattern limits:
The macronutrient values are listed as AMDR, Acceptable Macronutrient Density Range. This is just a long name for describing what intakes individuals need for their carbohydrates, fat and protein. These recommendations have not changed.
Recommended Macronutrient Intake:
Carbohydrate 45-65%
Fat 20-35%
Protein 10-35%
Focus on eating patterns not nutrients
- people eat food, not individual nutrients. Healthy eating patterns are associated with improved health, more so than consuming specific individual nutrients.
- Variety of vegetables of all colors (all subgroups)
- Whole fruits (not processed fruits or fruit juice)
- Grains (at least half should be whole grain)
- Fat-free, low fat dairy (or fortified soy)
- A variety of protein foods (lean meat, legumes, nuts, seeds, seafood)
A healthy eating pattern limits:
- saturated fat (< 10% per day)
- trans fat
- sodium (< 2,300 mg per day)
- added sugar (< 10% per day)
- alcohol (if consumed, in moderation)
The macronutrient values are listed as AMDR, Acceptable Macronutrient Density Range. This is just a long name for describing what intakes individuals need for their carbohydrates, fat and protein. These recommendations have not changed.
Recommended Macronutrient Intake:
Carbohydrate 45-65%
Fat 20-35%
Protein 10-35%
Key Changes to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines
No limit on cholesterol
- Previously, cholesterol recommendation was < 300 mg a day. This is no longer included due to Americans consuming < 300 mg/day on average, and continued research demonstrating only weak associations between cholesterol intake and disease. We'll learn that there are many other factors that have a much greater impact on blood lipids (aka blood cholesterol). This doesn't mean that you should eat all the red meat you want! The focus is on the food, not the nutrient.
- Finally! the guidelines have put limits on added sugar. The recommendation is less than 10% of total calorie intake. Many say this is a step in the right direction, but not enough. In this class, you will use the American Heart Disease recommendation of < 5% of total calories from added sugar as the upper limit.
- Previous recommendations stated that individuals over the age of 51 should limit intake to 1500 mg/day. Research has demonstrated that sodium is not as important in managing hypertension as once originally thought. We'll learn that the balance between sodium and other electrolytes, as well as weight and physical activity, is much more important in preventing hypertension. Individuals with hypertension may see improvements with reductions to 1500 mg/day.
- The new guidelines suggest that moderate coffee consumption may decrease the risk of chronic disease. Those who do not drink coffee are not encouraged to begin. It's also important to note that this is black coffee, not specialty drinks with added sugar, cream and artificial flavors. This is also not a recommendation to increase caffeine.
- Research demonstrates that these two groups are consuming too much animal protein (meat, poultry and eggs), which is displacing intake of whole fruits and vegetables.
- There is no longer an emphasis for a low-fat diet (finally!). Although there are still recommended limitations on saturated and trans fats, unprocessed, unsaturated fats can be part of a healthy diet.
Controversies and Problems with the Guidelines
Processed meat is a carcinogen:
Half of the diet should be refined grains?
Reduce added sugar, but not soft drinks
- One important topic that I will refer to on many pages on this site, is the association between red meat, processed meat and the development of chronic diseases. The World Health Organization deemed red meat and processed meat carcinogenic to humans in 2015.
- Processed meat was placed into Group 1 carcinogens, the same category as tobacco and asbestos. There was minimal emphasis on this in the Guidelines, to the disappointment of many.
Half of the diet should be refined grains?
- If half of the grains consumed should be whole grains, that means the other half can be refined. This means that crackers, processed cereals, white rice and white breads are considered part of a healthy diet. This is my personal issue with the guidelines.
- Refined grains are associated with chronic disease development, such as diabetes and heart disease, and consumption should be limited.
Reduce added sugar, but not soft drinks
- Soda, soft drinks and other sugary drinks contribute to the majority of the added sugar consumption in the American diet, but are only indirectly addressed.
References
- Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Health.gov. Dietary Guidelines. Last accessed February 26, 2016. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/
- FDA. Labeling and Nutrition. Guidance for Industry: A Food Labeling Guide. Last accessed February 27, 2016. http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064916.htm
- IARC Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat. International Agency for Research on Cancer. World Health Organization. October 15, 2016. Last accessed April 7, 2016. https://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2015/pdfs/pr240_E.pdf
- Header image from the the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Dietary Guidelines. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/.
Last updated April 7, 2016.