New diet guidelines stress calories, nutrient density

The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 take a four-pronged approach to improving dietary habits by recommending balancing calories and exercise to achieve a healthy body weight, restricting sodium and saturated fat, increasing consumption of whole grains and healthy fats, and developing mindful behaviors around eating and food preparation.

We are putting some of the best information in people’s hands, and that’s a big step forward. The guidelines are a joint effort of the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture.

The guidelines, intended for children aged 2 years and older and adults, include 23 recommendations in four categories, plus six additional recommendations for specific population groups. The  guidelines are meant to include those at increased risk of chronic disease. The four categories are:

• Balancing calories to reduce weight: Recommendations in this category include getting more exercise and balancing it against calorie intake as appropriate for weight maintenance or weight loss.

• Reducing certain foods and food components. The guidelines call for consuming less than 2,300 mg of sodium daily. The recommendation is no more than 1,500 mg for blacks, people aged 51 years and older, and anyone regardless of age who has hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease.

• Increasing certain foods and nutrients: The recommendations repeat previous dietary guidelines that call for whole-grain foods to comprise half of Americans’ grain intake. Other recommendations include replacing solid fats, eating more seafood instead of some red meat and poultry, and consuming a variety of protein-rich foods including eggs, beans, nuts, and soy.

• Building healthy eating patterns and behaviors: The new guidelines include three recommendations that are less food specific: Select an eating pattern that meets nutrient needs over time at an appropriate calorie level; keep a food journal to assess food and beverage choices; and follow food safety recommendations when cooking and eating to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

Women of childbearing age should boost iron intake by eating foods with easily absorbed heme iron and vitamin C-rich foods that enhance iron absorption. Additional recommendations include adding 400 mcg of folic acid daily for women, in addition to the folate found in a healthy diet.

Individuals aged 50 years and older should consume vitamins B12-fortified foods as part of a daily diet or as supplements, but guidelines did not recommend a specific amount of daily B12 for this population.