New dietary guidelines: lean meat OK,
cut the added sugars
By Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press on 01.12.16
Word Count 802
‘The U.S. government released naw dietary guidelines on Jan. 7, 2016, The guidelines recommend vegetables, whole
Grains and lean meats, and warn against added sugars. Photo: Pabay
WASHINGTON — Some Americans might not have to cut back on eggs and salt as much
as they once thought, and eating lean meat is still OK. But watch the added sugars,
especially the sugary drinksCurbing America’s sugar appetite
New U.S. dietary guidelines recommend limiting intake of
added sugars to no more than 10 percent of total calories.
Average added sugar intake as a percentage of total diet:
@ Male Female
20 percen Recommended
IAT AP AT 16 maximum: 10%
15 15
ne ii it I 1212 1212
i | I I
Age i in years
Sources of added sugars for U.S. population ages 2 and up:
Grains 8 > Dairy 4
|
Beverages 47%* Snacks/Sweets 31
Mixed dishes 6
“Includes soft drinks (25%), fruit ,
drinks (11%), coffee and tea (7%) oor ioe a ees
sporlenergy drinks (3% :) and s
icoholic beverages (1%). Does not Fruits, fruit juices,
include milk or 100% fruit juice. vegetables 2
SOURCE: Department of Health and Humar
The Obama administration's new dietary guidelines, released Thursday, Jan. 7, back off
the strictest sodium rules included in the last version, while still asserting that Americans
‘consume too much salt. The guidelines reverse previous guidance on the dangers of
dietary cholesterol and add strict new advice on sugars.
After a backlash from the meat industry and Congress, the administration ignored several
suggestions from a February report by an advisory committee of doctors and nutrition
experts. That panel suggested calling for an environmentally friendly diet lower in red and
processed meats and de-emphasized lean meats in its list of proteins that are part of a
healthy dietBut, as in the previous years, the government still says lean meats are part of a healthy
eating pattern.
Released every five years, the guidelines are intended to help Americans prevent disease
and obesity. They inform everything from food package labels to subsidized school
lunches to your doctor's advice. And the main message hasn't changed much over the
years: Eat your fruits and vegetables. Whole grains and seafood, too, And keep sugar, fats
and salt in moderation
This year, one message the government wants to send is that people should figure out
what type of healthy eating style works for them, while still hewing to the main
recommendations. The Agriculture Department, which released the guidelines along with
the Department of Health and Human Services, is also releasing a tweaked version of its
healthy "My Plate" icon to include a new slogan: "My Wins."
"Small changes can add up to big differences,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack
‘One new recommendation is that added sugar should be 10 percent of daily calories.
That's about 200 calories a day, or about the amount in one 16-ounce sugary drink. The
recommendation is part of a larger push to help consumers isolate added sugars from
naturally occurring ones like those in fruit and milk. Added sugars generally add empty
calories to the diet.
Sugar-sweetened beverages make up a large portion of those empty calories, According
to the guidelines, sugary drinks comprise 47 percent of the added sugars that Americans
eat every day.
‘Americans also need to lower salt intake, the government says. New figures from the
Centers for Disease for Disease Control and Prevention show that around 90 percent of
people eat too much. The average person eats 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day, and the
guidelines say everyone should lower that amount to 2,300, or about a teaspoon.
Lowering sodium intake was the major push of the 2010 guidelines, and that document
recommended that those most at risk of heart disease, or about half the population, lower
their intake to 1,500. The new guidelines drop that lower amount as part of the top
recommendations. Still, advice buried deeper in the guidelines says that those with high
blood pressure and prehypertension could benefit from a steeper reduction
Atter years of doctors saying that Americans shouldn't eat too many eggs,
recommendations for cholesterol have also shifted, The 2010 guidelines made a key
recommendation that Americans consume less than 300 mg a day of dietary cholesterol,
or about two eggs. That recommendation is gone, following increasing medical research
showing the amount of cholesterol in your bloodstream is more complicated than once
thought. Some more recent studies have shown little relationship between heart disease
and how much dietary cholesterol one eats.
Still, egg lovers aren't completely off the hook. Discussion of cholesterol deeper in the
document says ‘individuals should eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible while
consuming a healthy eating pattern.”As in previous years, the report advises limiting saturated fats to 10 percent of total
calories. And while lean meats are promoted, the government does suggest certain
populations, such as teen boys and adult men, should reduce their meat intake and eat
more vegetables. Data included in the report shows that males ages 14 to 70 consume
more than recommended amounts of meat, eggs and poultry, while women are more in line
with advised amounts.
While the guidelines always have been subject to intense lobbying by food industries, this
year's version set off unprecedented political debate, fueled by Republicans’ claims the
Obama administration has gone too far in telling people what to eat
Congress got involved, encouraging the administration to drop the recommendations
based on environmental impact and at one point proposing to set new standards for the
science the guidelines can use. That language did not become law, however. A year-end
spending bill simply said the guidelines must be "based on significant scientific
agreement and ‘limited in scope to nutritional and dietary information.”Quiz
Read the sentence from the article.
This year, one message the government wants to send is that people
should figure out what type of healthy eating style works for them,
while still hewing to the main recommendations.
Which of the following words is closest to the intended meaning of the word "hewing’ in the
sentence?
(A) adhering
(8) dissecting
(C) restraining
(0) extracting
Read the sentence from the article.
While the guidelines always have been subject to intense lobbying by
food industries, this year's version set off unprecedented political
debate, fueled by Republicans’ claims the Obama administration has
gone too far in telling people what to eat.
Which of the following words would BEST replace the word "unprecedented! in the sentence
without changing the meaning of the sentence?
(A) unforeseen
(8) inconsistent
(C) incomparable
(0) unthinkable
Which question can be answered using the information in the charts?
(A) Why do women ages 19-50 tend to consume more added sugars than men
in the same age range?
(8) Whats the greatest source of a
females ages 4 to 8 years old?
jed sugars in the
(C) Which source of added sugars is most likely pushing the average U.S. diet
above the recommended maximum amount of added sugar intake?
(0) How did the Department of Health and Human Services decide the
recommended maximum for added sugar intake is 10 percent of overall
calories?Which sentence from the article explains why the charts only include added sugars?
(A) The guidelines reverse previous guidance on the dangers of dietary
cholesterol and add strict new advice on sugars.
(8) One new recommendation is that added sugar should be 10 percent of daily
calories,
(C) The recommendation is part of a larger push to help consumers isolate
added sugars from naturally occurring ones lke those in fruit and milk.
{D) According to the guidelines, sugary drinks comprise 47 percent of the
added sugars that Americans eat every day.Answer Key
1
Read the sentence from the article.
This year, one message the government wants to send is that people
should figure out what type of healthy eating style works for them,
while still hewing to the main recommendations.
Which of the following words is closest to the intended meaning of the word "hewing’ in the
sentence?
(A) adhering
(8) dissecting
(C) restraining
(0) extracting
Read the sentence from the article.
While the guidelines always have been subject to intense lobbying by
food industries, this year's version set off unprecedented political
debate, fueled by Republicans’ claims the Obama administration has
gone too far in telling people what to eat.
Which of the following words would BEST replace the word "unprecedented! in the sentence
without changing the meaning of the sentence?
(A) unforeseen
(8) inconsistent
{C) incomparable
(0) unthinkable
Which question can be answered using the information in the charts?
(A) Why do women ages 19-50 tend to consume more added sugars than men
in the same age range?
(8) Whats the greatest source of a
females ages 4 to 8 years old?
jed sugars in the
{C) Which source of added sugars is most
diet above the recommended maximum amount of added sugar intake?
(0) How did the Department of Health and Human Services decide the
recommended maximum for added sugar intake is 10 percent of overall
calories?Which sentence from the article explains why the charts only include added si
(A) The guidelines reverse previous guidance on the dangers of dietary
cholesterol and add strict new advice on sugars.
(8) One new recommendation is that added sugar should be 10 percent of daily
calories.
{C) The recommendation is part of a larger push to help consumers isolate
added sugars from naturally occur
ing ones like those in fruit and milk.
{D) According to the guidelines, sugary drinks comprise 47 percent of the
added sugars that Americans eat every day.