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ROUSES.COM
51
EAT RIGHT
with
ROUSES
The
New
Dietary Guidelines
by
Esther, Rouses Dietitian
T
heAgriculture andHealth andHumanServicesDepartment
released its newest version of the Dietary Guidelines for
Americans (DGA). The guidelines are updated every five
years and made to reflect the most recent and relevant nutrition
research. While it’s always been, and always will be, recommended
to eat more fruits and vegetables and maintain a well-balanced diet,
some things have changed that you may or may not appreciate.
The 2015-2020 guidelines recommends limiting your intake of
added sugars to less than 10% of your total daily calorie intake,
down from 15% last edition. This is equal to about 50 grams of
added sugar a day for someone on a 2,000 calorie diet, the equivalent
of four cups of Fruit Loops or one king-sized Snickers bar. The
specification has prompted the FDA to suggest there be a change in
nutrition facts labels, making the distinction between natural sugars
and added sugars in a product.
A theme of the DGA is that it’s more about type. For instance, it’s
not overall sugar that’s bad; it’s added sugars.The same is true for the
recommendations on fats. The current DGA remains consistent on
limiting fat consumption to about 20-35% of your total caloric intake,
but it puts more emphasis on the types of fats than the amount. It
still suggests we limit saturated fats to no more than 10% of our
daily intake (are you noticing the theme of 10?) but advises that we
concern ourselves more with consuming heart-healthy fats: mono-
and polyunsaturated fats found in foods like avocado, nuts, and seeds.
It’s time to eat the whole egg again!
In 2010, the DGA recommended limiting dietary cholesterol to
less than 300 milligrams a day, but the newest dietary guidelines
completely removed any quantitative recommendations on dietary
cholesterol, as most recent research doesn’t
show solid evidence that dietary cholesterol
impacts blood cholesterol levels. Again, it’s
all about the type — dietary cholesterol
versus blood cholesterol.The removal of the
recommendation is partly to thank for the
overall decline in cholesterol consumption
among Americans since 2010— the average
was lower than 300mg a day.
The creators of the DGA are aware of the
newest high protein craze, and they single
out teenage boys and men for eating too
much meat protein and suggest they include
more vegetables in their diets. Besides this
comment, the recommendations for meats
and protein remain the same, specifically
suggesting we consume lean meats, poultry,
eggs, soy, nuts and beans, limiting processed
meats. For a person on a 2,000-calorie diet,
they recommend consuming 26 ounces of
protein a week, or about 20% of your daily
intake.
The recommendation to limit sodium consumption still remains, and
the DGA recommends adults limit their sodium consumption to
less than 2,300mg a day — that’s less than a teaspoon! Furthermore,
it suggests reducing sodium intake to 1,500mg a day for those with
prehypertension or hypertension (high blood pressure).
I’ll leave you with good news — coffee fanatics can keep drinking!
The long debated subject is finally being addressed. It’s a brand
new topic added to the DGA and states that moderate coffee
consumption (three to five 8-ounce cups a day) can be incorporated
into healthy eating patterns. However, if you don’t currently drink
coffee, it doesn’t recommend you start.
While the DGA always provides specific recommendations, this
time more than ever it stresses the importance of overall healthy
lifestyle and eating patterns, which I’m much in favor of. Fill your
plate full of produce, whole grains, and lean proteins, but don’t beat
yourself up over one cookie — everything in moderation!