On February 10, The Washington Post published a headline that got a good amount of attention: “The U.S. government is poised to withdraw longstanding warnings about cholesterol.”
Every five years, the Department of Health and Human Services, along with the Department of Agriculture, issues “Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” a federal publication that has far-reaching implications on what we eat. The guidelines affect everything from the way companies can advertise their products, to what’s in your child’s school lunch, to the diet advice offered up by nearly every doctor and nutritionist in the country.
Remember the food pyramid from when you were growing up? Today’s iteration, MyPlate, relies on these guidelines as well. They’re also the basis for the information on nutrition facts labels on just about all food packaging.
So you can see why so many people are anxiously awaiting the 2015 update.
The 112-page report from 2010 included 23 recommendations for the general population and six additional recommendations for specific population groups, such as pregnant women. The three major goals emphasized were:
• Balance calories with physical activity to manage weight.
• Consume more of certain foods and nutrients such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products and seafood.
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“Sources of saturated fat should be replaced with unsaturated fat, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids. Similarly, added sugars should be reduced in the diet and not replaced with low-calorie sweeteners, but rather with healthy options such as water in place of sugar-sweetened beverages. For sodium, emphasis should be placed on expanding industry efforts to reduce the sodium content of foods and helping consumers understand how to flavor unsalted foods with spices and herbs.”
What’s next?
“For decades, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been at the core of our efforts to promote the health and well-being of American families,” said HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a joint statement. “Now that the advisory committee has completed its recommendations, HHS and USDA will review this advisory report, along with comments from the public — including other experts — and input from other federal agencies as we begin the process of updating the guidelines.”
The public is now encouraged to view the independent advisory group’s report and provide written comments for a period of 45 days. Look for the government’s final, updated guidelines by the end of the year.
Meantime, remember what Mom always told you: Eat your fruits and veggies — that is, if you want to have dessert.
CNN’s Debra Goldschmidt and Jen Christensen contributed to this report.
