What are the Dietary Guidelines for Americans?
The Dietary Guidelines are recommendations for healthy individuals ages two years and older. These recommendations allow individuals to select their favorite foods, including ethnic foods. The food guide pyramid allows people to make daily food selections based on personal preferences and needs. Every food imaginable fits inside the pyramid. These broad and flexible guidelines promote the key concepts of healthful eating as balance, variety and moderation. The Dietary Guidelines issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Health and Human Services, recommends: Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars. How can we possibly implement the dietary guidelines? We are not all scientists…. You are correct to think nutrition science is complex. However, the dietary guidelines can e
