Dietary Guidelines and Your Health

Use plant foods as the foundation of meals

Most of the calories in your diet should come from a variety of whole-grain products, vegetables, and fruits. Plant foods provide a variety of vitamins and minerals essential for health, and most are naturally low in fat.

The Guidelines recommend incorporating all the vegetable subgroups—dark green, red and orange, legumes (such as beans and peas), and starchy—into your eating patterns. (You can have some of each throughout the week, for example.)

Plant foods—such as whole-grain breads and cereals, vegetables, and fruits—provide fiber, which is important for proper bowel function and may lower the risk for heart disease and some cancers. Because there are different types of fiber in foods, choose a variety of foods daily. You want whole grains to make up at least half of your overall grain intake.

Get enough calcium-rich foods

Consume some low-fat or fat-free milk or an equivalent amount of calcium each day through other calcium rich foods or a dietary supplement. Soy beverages that are fortified with calcium (like soy milk) are considered equivalent to milk in nutritional and calcium content, but plant-based “milks” (almond, rice, coconut, hemp) are not.

Note: There is some controversy about the amount of dairy you should consume each day. The Dietary Guidelines recommend 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk or equivalent dairy each day for adults. The Harvard School of Public Health recommends only one to two servings per day and argues that there is little, if any, evidence that high dairy intakes protect against osteoporosis, while high intakes are associated with increased risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer.

Keep saturated and trans fats low (and total fat intake moderate)

Saturated fat and trans fatty acids raise blood cholesterol more than other forms of fat. Keep saturated fats to less than 10 percent of calories and keep trans fatty acids as low as possible. The fats from meat, milk, and milk products are the main sources of saturated fats in most diets, so select lean meats, poultry, fish, and low-fat milk products. (The Advisory Committee behind the guidelines specifically recommends reducing consumption of red and processed meats to help prevent chronic diseases.) Many bakery products are also sources of saturated fats and trans fatty acids, such as palm oil and partially hydrogenated oils.

The Dietary Guidelines recommend shifting from solid fats to oils in food preparation (for example, using vegetable oil instead of butter in cooking).

Restrict sugar and salt

healthy plate of food, including rice, nuts, and vegetables The best way to avoid unwanted sugar, salt, and other additives is to prepare whole food from scratch as much as possible. This gives you total control not only over the flavor and quality of your food, but also over any unwanted ingredients hidden through processing. The naturally occurring sugars, salts, and fats in our food are important components of a healthy diet and are not to be mistaken for the multitude of artificial sugars, salts, and fats commonly added to foods.

Because maintaining a nutritious diet and a healthy weight is very important, sugars should be used in moderation. People with low-calorie needs should limit sugar intake even more. The Dietary Guidelines recommend that you consume less than 10% of your daily calories from added sugars.

Many studies in diverse populations have shown that a high sodium intake is associated with higher blood pressure. Most evidence suggests that many people at risk for high blood pressure reduce their chances of developing this condition by consuming less salt or sodium. The Dietary Guidelines recommend keeping sodium intake below 2,300 mg/day.

Eat moderate portions

Pay particular attention to portion sizes—the portions in restaurants and on food labels are often far larger than recommended for weight management. Be especially careful to limit portion sizes of foods high in calories, such as baked goods, French fries, and fats and oils.

Use alcohol in moderation

Alcohol provides empty calories and is harmful when consumed in excess. Some people should not drink at all, such as children and adolescents, pregnant women, those with liver or other diseases, those taking certain medications that interact with alcohol, and those who can't restrict their drinking. Moderation is defined as one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. (One drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor.)

Criticisms of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines

The USDA’s 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines are based in part upon scientific evidence gathered in a report by an Advisory Committee made up of nutritionists and health experts. But many of those experts have voiced loud criticism about key findings that were not mentioned in the final Guidelines, including:

Sodas and sugary beverages contribute to chronic disease.
Red and processed meats contribute to cancer.
Beef production has a significantly negative impact on the environment.

Learn more

Critics of the Dietary Guidelines believe that these findings should have produced clear recommendations to avoid sodas, sugary drinks, and red and processed meat. While the Dietary Guidelines do not endorse these foods directly, it does not emphasize the health and environmental risks of consuming them.

Where can I learn more?

When trying to understand information about health, it’s always a good idea to look for the source and read up on the entire conversation. What scientific studies is this information based upon? Who is funding the dissemination of information? Where does the consensus in the scientific community lie?

If you would like to learn more, you can start by reading the Advisory Committee’s original scientific report. Dr. David Katz, the President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, outlined his criticisms of the Guidelines in an article on Huffington Post. And the Boston Globe published an article that describes the concerns of many nutritionists, including Walter Willett from the Harvard School of Public Health. The American Cancer Society and the World Health Organization also recommend avoiding red meat.

Salmon, tomatoes, and asparagus on a plate

Sample Mediterranean menu

Check out these healthy meal ideas that focus on whole, natural foods that are low in trans-fatty acids.

Ideas to try

Breakfast

Whole grain bread (toasted)
Almond butter
Apple slices
Goat cheese

Lunch

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup (Pacific Foods brand, as an example)
Pre-made humus, whole grain crackers and baby carrots
Yogurt spooned over cut up grapes and strawberries

Mid-Afternoon Snack

Dried apricots
Walnuts

Dinner

Halibut sautéed in olive oil with lemon and thyme
Boxed couscous with added diced tomatoes, parsley, and chickpeas
Asparagus drizzled with olive oil sprinkled with pepper
Mixed greens salad with olives (green or black), cucumbers, tomatoes, and parmesan cheese dressed with oil and vinegar

Special nutrition needs

An individual's age and health must be factored into their nutritional choices. Growing children, teenagers, women, pregnant women, and older adults have a higher need for some nutrients. For example:

✔Older adults need extra vitamin D.

✔Adult women need almost one-third more calcium intake than adult men of similar age. (Women will most likely need to add calcium supplements to achieve adequate calcium intake.)

✔Pregnant women (and those considering pregnancy) should take folic acid supplements to prevent birth defects. They frequently need to add iron supplements and calcium rich foods to supplement their diet.

Expert Contributor: Barb Leonard, PhD, RN, PNP

Reviewed by: Linda Armstrong, RD, LD, MBA Jenny Breen, MS Ed, MPH, Professional chef Carolyn Denton, LN Archelle Georgiou, MD

http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/

http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/

http://www.health.harvard.edu/plate/healthy-eating-plate

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/dairy-amount.html

He, F.J., Li, J., MacGregor, G.A. (2013). Effect of longer-term modest salt reduction on blood pressure (Review). The Cochrane Collaboration, Issue 4.

Willett, W.C., Stampfer, M.J. (2013). Current evidence on healthy eating. Annual Review of Public Health; 34, 77-95.