New 2010 Dietary Guidelines

Earlier this week, the new 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released, after 5 awaited years. The new guidelines are "tools to give better information about how to stay healthy, how to become healthier, how to make children better students and be prosperous in the future."  

• It primarily recommended limiting daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams (about 1 teaspoon) a day for most people and to less than 1,500 milligrams among people aged 51 or older, all blacks and people who have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease, regardless of their age. Given the current chronic health problems, the 1500 mg recommendation applies to half the US population! In fact, today the average American is consuming 3,400 mg per day! On another hand, the American Heart Association, believes that "the 1,500 mg recommendation should apply to all Americans: children & adults. 
• More emphasis on getting people to choose healthier types of fats >> no more than 10 % of calories should come from saturated fat and, in their place, eating monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fatty acids.  
• Americans are also being urged to eat more seafood, particularly cold water fish, "in an attempt to increase the consumption of healthier fats like omega-3 fats. This was not specifically stated in past guidelines. 
• More recommendations focused on eating smaller portions, reducing calorie consumption and increasing physical activity.
  

Specifically, the guidelines suggest: 

- Making half your plate fruits and vegetables and eating more whole grains to get more of needed nutrients. 
- Eating more lean meats and poultry, legumes and nuts and seeds.
- Using fat-free or low-fat (1 %) milk. 
- Staying away from added sugars, refined grains and solid fats, which tend to have many calories but few essential nutrients. 
- Making sodium comparisons for foods such as canned soup and frozen meals, then select those foods with the least salt. 
- Consuming less than 300 milligrams per day of cholesterol. 
- Avoiding trans fatty acids. 
- Gleaning nutrients primarily from eating nutritious food, instead of relying on supplements. 
- Consuming alcohol only in moderation, meaning one drink or less for women per day and two drinks for men. 
- Drinking water instead of sugary sodas or other sweetened drinks. 

"This is very much what many health professionals have been saying for years. But these guidelines are evidence-based, they're based on science  of healthy eating, weight loss and how nutrients promote our health but tend to get lost among all the hypes of the fad diets out there."

Brought to you from MedlinePlus; you can download the whole DietaryGuidelines pdf.