11/24/21, 11:12 PM Dietary Recommendations - Improving America's Diet and Health - NCBI Bookshelf

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Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Dietary Guidelines Implementation; Thomas PR, editor. Improving
America's Diet and Health: From Recommendations to Action. Washington (DC): National Academies Press
(US); 1991.

APPENDIX A Dietary Recommendations

As described in Chapters 1 and 2, the term dietary recommendations is used throughout this
report to refer as a group to the dietary advice in (1) the Diet and Health report of the Food and
Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences, (2) The Surgeon General's Report on
Nutrition and Health, and (3) the Dietary Guidelines for Americans report by the U.S.
Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. These three sets of dietary guidance
are presented below.

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE DIET AND HEALTH REPORT1

1. Reduce total fat intake to 30% or less of calories. Reduce saturated fatty acid intake to less
than 10% of calories, and the intake of cholesterol to less than 300 mg daily. The intake of fat
and cholesterol can be reduced by substituting fish, poultry without skin, lean meats, and
low-or nonfat dairy products for fatty meats and whole-milk dairy products; by choosing
more vegetables, fruits, cereals, and legumes; and by limiting oils, fats, egg yolks, and fried
and other fatty foods.

2. Every day eat five or more servings of a combination of vegetables and fruits, especially
green and yellow vegetables and citrus fruits. Also, increase intake of starches and other
complex carbohydrates by eating six or more daily servings of a combination of breads,
cereals, and legumes.

3. Maintain protein intake at moderate levels.

4. Balance food intake and physical activity to maintain appropriate body weight.

5. The committee does not recommend alcohol consumption. For those who drink alcoholic
beverages, the committee recommends limiting consumption to the equivalent of less than 1
ounce of pure alcohol in a single day. This is the equivalent of two cans of beer, two small
glasses of wine, or two average cocktails. Pregnant women should avoid alcoholic beverages.

6. Limit total daily intake of salt (sodium chloride) to 6 g or less. Limit the use of salt in
cooking and avoid adding it to food at the table. Salty, highly processed salty, salt-preserved,
and salt-pickled foods should be consumed sparingly.

7. Maintain adequate calcium intake.

8. Avoid taking dietary supplements in excess of the RDA [Recommended Dietary

Allowances2]in any one day.

9. Maintain an optimal intake of fluoride, particularly during the years of primary and
secondary tooth formation and growth.

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE SURGEON GENERAL OF THE UNITED

STATES3

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Issues for Most People

1. Fats and cholesterol: Reduce consumption of fat (especially saturated fat) and cholesterol.
Choose foods relatively low in these substances, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grain
foods, fish, poultry, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products. Use food preparation methods
that add little or no fat.

2. Energy and weight control: Achieve and maintain a desirable body weight. To do so, choose
a dietary pattern in which energy (caloric) intake is consistent with energy expenditure. To
reduce energy intake, limit consumption of foods relatively high in calories, fats, and sugars,
and minimize alcohol consumption. Increase energy expenditure through regular and
sustained physical activity.

3. Complex carbohydrates and fiber: Increase consumption of whole grain foods and cereal
products, vegetables (including dried beans and peas), and fruits.

4. Sodium: Reduce intake of sodium by choosing foods relatively low in sodium and limiting
the amount of salt added in food preparation and at the table.

5. Alcohol: To reduce the risk for chronic disease, take alcohol only in moderation (no more
than two drinks a day), if at all. Avoid drinking any alcohol before or while driving,
operating machinery, taking medications, or engaging in any other activity requiring
judgment. Avoid drinking alcohol while pregnant.

Other Issues for Some People

6. Fluoride: Community water systems should contain fluoride at optimal levels for prevention
of tooth decay. If such water is not available, use other appropriate sources of fluoride.

7. Sugars: Those who are particularly vulnerable to dental caries (cavities), especially children,
should limit their consumption and frequency of use of foods high in sugars.

8. Calcium: Adolescent girls and adult women should increase consumption of foods high in
calcium, including low-fat dairy products.

9. Iron: Children, adolescents, and women of childbearing age should be sure to consume foods
that are good sources of iron, such as lean meats, fish, certain beans, and iron-enriched
cereals and whole grain products. This issue is of special concern for low-income families.

DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS4

1. Eat a variety of foods.

2. Maintain healthy weight.

3. Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.

4. Choose a diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits, and grain products.

5. Use sugars only in moderation.

6. Use salt and sodium only in moderation.

7. If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

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Footnotes
1. Source: National Research Council. 1989. Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk.
Report of the Committee on Diet and Health, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences. National
Academy Press, Washington, D.C. 749 pp.

2. National Research Council. 1989. Recommended Dietary Allowances, 10th ed. Report of the Subcommittee on
the Tenth Edition of the RDAs, Food and Nutrition Board, Commission on Life Sciences. National Academy
Press, Washington, D.C. 284 pp.

3. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 1988. The Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and
Health. DHHS (PHS) Publ. No. 88-50210. Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 727 pp.

4. Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 1990. Nutrition and
Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 3rd ed. Home & Garden Bulletin No. 232. U.S. Department of
Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 28 pp.

Copyright © 1991 by the National Academy of Sciences.

Bookshelf ID: NBK235267

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