New dietary guidelines for Americans

Dietary guidelines for America

The Department of Agriculture has issued new dietary guidelines to improve the health of America. Yet the new dietary guidelines are steps that Americans have previously attempted to avoid, such as cutting back on salt, sugar and saturated fats, while increasing their intake of fruit and vegetables.

The preliminary version of the latest 'Dietary Guidelines for Americans' is not much different from recommendations that were issued 30 years ago. However, the growing mountain of evidence linking an overweight, sedentary lifestyle to disease and high medical costs may give the new guide added urgency.

The Nutritional Dietary Guidelines have been published every five years since 1980, and was first initiated by Congress. The present 2010 edition by the USDA and US Health and Human Services Department has been in the works for over the past two years.

"The basic advice is the same. The new twist is that they're recognizing the fact that it's very hard for people to follow that advice," said Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Acknowledging the lack of progress, the USDA Guidelines Advisory Committee said the new dietary guidelines were aimed at "an American public of whom the majority are overweight or obese and yet undernourished in several key nutrients."

Obesity is described as the fastest growing public health challenge the nation has ever faced. In fact, if obesity rates continuing growing at the rate they currently are, by 2018 103 million American adults will be classed as obese.

About one in three children aged two to 19 is overweight or obese, according to the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity. Obesity-related medical expenses were an estimated $147 billion in 2008, according to a government-sponsored study. The dietary panel's recommendations are in line with First Lady Michelle Obama's focus on childhood obesity.

Both the increasing severity of the problem and its cost are reflected in the new recommendations on salt.

Salt consumption in the new dietary guidelines

Currently, Americans consume an average of 3,400 milligrams of salt daily. Excessive intake has been implicated in heart disease, strokes and other maladies costing billions of dollars annually.

The new guidelines lower the recommended maximum daily intake of salt from 2,300 milligrams to 1,500 milligrams. In 2005, the lower figure was the recommended maximum for African Americans, people of all races who were middle-aged and older, and people with high blood pressure.

But now, 70 percent of the US population falls into at least one of those categories, so the committee recommended applying the 1,500 milligram standard to the entire population.

The lower number is in line with a recommendation made in April by the Institute of Medicine and a request by the Food and Drug Administration that food and beverage makers cut the amount of salt in their products.

Nutritional information

The committee of 13 nutrition and health experts recommended that the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services develop a national strategy involving better nutritional education.

The panel called for improvements in the teaching of nutrition literacy and cooking skills to encourage preparation of healthy foods at home; increased emphasis on health, nutrition and physical education in schools; and increased availability of fresh produce for consumers.

Although few Americans may be familiar with details of the guidelines beyond the government's widely publicized food pyramid, the document influences decisions in school breakfast and lunch programs, which feed more than 30 million children a day, Meals on Wheels, food labeling and in discussions on regulatory issues such as food marketing to children.

This year's preliminary guidelines will be reviewed by government agencies and are subject to comment by the public. A final version of the new dietary guidelines is expected by the end of the year.

Jodie Humphries

Jodie Humphries graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA Hons in Creative Writing in 2008. She has worked for GDS Publishing for the digital group since July 2009. She has previous experience with writing for the web, running her own website since April 2007.

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