The new Dietary Guidelines were issued by the FDA formally in late January and now most food chemists and nutritionists are reviewing and understanding the impact. We have to admit in this country that the No 1 health risk is truly obesity. It is not cancer, heart disease, etc. Yes these latter diseases are serious problems, but obesity even is beginning to affect our children.
The most recent edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasizes stronger caloric reduction and increasing physical activity. The guidelines contained no major deviations from the original draft released by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee last June, but the final iteration did seem to water down the recommendation on sodium. The recommendation is a gradual reduction in sodium from 2300 mg per day to 1500 mg per day. The final guidelines leave it at 2300 mg but specifically recommend 1500 mg for various segments of our population, which actually applies to about 50% of our US population.
Some of the other key aspects of the Guidelines are: 1) consume less than 10 %calories from saturated fatty acids by replacing them with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids., 2) consume less than 300 mg per day of dietary cholesterol, 3) keep trans fatty acid comsumption as low as possible by limiting foods that contain synthetic sources of trans fat, as partially hydrogenated oils, 4) reduce calories from solid fats and added sugars, 5) limit the consumption of foods that contain refined grains, esp refined grain foods that contain solid fats, added sugars, and sodium, 6) if you consume alcohol, do so in moderation.
Many food processors are looking to revising and reviewing many of their formulations. So stay tuned as I can report on that in future blogs, till them take care.
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