Clocking in at more than 500 pages and compiled by an advisory committee of 14 outside experts in medicine, nutrition and public health, the Dietary Guidelines report has been issued every five years since its 1980 inception. The report makes recommendations for food consumption and physical activity for all Americans older than two years old.
The food industry, media, medical professionals, school administrators, and everyone along the distribution chain for our nation’s food and beverages eagerly await the report. That’s because the recommendations largely determine federal nutrition policy, outreach, education and food assistance by public and private concerns, agencies and educators. It potentially can alter everything from school lunches to advertising, and doctors, nurses and nutritionists across the country closely monitor the advice. In short, this is the official position on what’s working for our nation’s diet and what is not.
The guidelines are created using what’s believed to be the most comprehensive and timely scientific information available. The process of preparing the final report is arduous – preparations for the 2015 report started two years earlier with nominations and selection to the committee. Then the committee sifts through reams of data and information and issues a scientific report and recommendations for the new guidelines. There’s also a public comment period during which input from the general population and other professionals is solicited for the preliminary findings.
Finally, after all that, the report is released to the public. Sometimes the public and the food industry heed the recommendations, other times not. It’s purely a recommendation, and some may not like the message or choose to ignore it for economic or other reasons. But one thing is certain – the findings will have an impact and certainly will garner a lot of media attention because it affects the daily activity of every living person.
The American Diet Is Not Optimal
In the cover letter of the 2015 report, Barbara Millen, the chairperson of the 2015 Dietary Advisory Committee, described the American diet as “sub-optimal.” She noted that roughly half of all adults have a diet-related chronic disease and an under-consumption of vital vitamins and minerals related to that diet.
But perhaps the most shocking new finding is the report’s note that “cholesterol is not considered a nutrient of concern for overconsumption,” a recommendation that flies in the face of previous wisdom. “Available evidence shows no appreciable relationship between consumption of dietary cholesterol and serum (blood) cholesterol, consistent with the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology report.”
That advice differs from dietary recommendations about cholesterol for more than 50 years. So while it’s not a license to eat high-cholesterol foods like shrimp, eggs and lobster each day, it’s not necessary to be as restrictive as previously thought. It’s anticipated that the egg industry in particular will greet the news joyously.
The report also mentioned that Americans are not getting enough of vitamins D, A, E and C, or ingesting enough calcium, magnesium, folate, potassium and fiber. For young females and premenopausal women, iron is also falling short of recommended levels. Much of that is related to what’s termed “food insecure households,” which are people who do not have the best access to fresh food and vegetables. It is estimated that more than 49 million people live in this type of household.
The Salt of the Earth
Most people are eating too much salt and saturated fat. Despite previous warnings and recommendations, food manufacturers continue to load their products with salt, added sugars and solid fats. The resulting consumption of them has led to the obesity epidemic.
The good news is that very young children ages 2 to 5 are eating healthy amounts of fruit and dairy products. As for the rest of us, the committee continued past warnings and recommendations, noting that a healthy diet is one in which vegetables, whole grains, fruit, nonfat or low-fat dairy, legumes, seafood and nuts are prominent players. The committee said Americans should cut back on drinking alcohol, red meat consumption, and sugar-sweetened foods, drinks, and highly processed and refined grains.
The absolute recommendations for the general population included the following consumption guidelines:
1) Don’t eat more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day;
2) Less than 10 percent of calories should come from saturated fat;
3) Don’t exceed 10 percent of total calories from products containing added sugar.
The committee cautioned that these reductions are part of an overall healthy, balanced diet plan that focuses on swapping out unhealthy foods with healthier choices. In other words, exchange saturated fat for unsaturated fat (especially polyunsaturated fatty acids), drink water instead of artificially sweetened or sugary beverages, and flavor your foods with spices and herbs rather than adding salt.
More Than Lip Service
While the committee's recommendations are advisory, there is clearly a lot at stake when it comes to the national health. The diseases caused by poor dietary choices are preventable, the report notes, and conditions like hypertension, type 2 diabetes and diet-related cancers can be quelled with some lifestyle and diet changes. More than two-thirds of adults and one-third of children can be classified as obese or overweight, and the conditions are related to poor choices.
This has an enormous economic impact and “must be reversed,” according to the committee’s report. “Dramatic paradigm shifts are needed to help individuals and families take more active roles in their personal health and to incentivize health care and public health services, programs and research to focus more on prevention and personal diet and lifestyle management.”