January 31, 2011
New Dietary Advice From Government: Just Eat Less
By ANDREW MARTIN
The latest nutrition guidelines released Monday by the federal government reiterate much of the advice from previous years: eat less salt and saturated fats, eat more fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
But there is a startling difference. This time, the government suggests that Americans also just eat less.
More specifically, the guidelines urge Americans to drink water instead of sugary drinks like soda, and it suggests that they avoid fatty foods like pizza, desserts and cheese (albeit deep in the report).
While all of that may seem obvious, given the nation’s obesity problem, it is nonetheless considered major progress for federal regulators who have long skirted the issue, wary of the powerful food lobby.
“They are blunter here than they’ve ever been before, and they deserve credit for that,” said Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at New York University and a critic of government nutrition guidance. “They said, ‘Eat less!’ I think that’s great, and to avoid oversized portions. That’s the two best things you should do.”
Margo Wootan, the director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said previous guidelines — which are revised every five years — offered “big vague messages” about reducing cholesterol, salt and sugar. The guidelines released Monday, she said, were “much more understandable and actionable.”
As an example, she noted that the guidelines suggested that half of a plate should be covered in fruits and vegetables.
“Before, the dietary guidelines said eat more fruits and vegetables but that could mean add a slice of tomato to your hamburger,” she said.
Among the recommendations: anyone 51 or older, all African-Americans, children, and adults with hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney disease should cut their salt consumption to 1,500 milligrams a day; the recommendation for everyone else is 2,300 milligrams, which equates to a teaspoon.
In addition, the guidelines recommend consuming less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids, replacing them with so-called good fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
The guidelines suggest making fruits and vegetables half of a plate, choosing fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and eating more whole grains and seafood. While the guidelines are ostensibly for consumers and federal nutrition programs, they are just as much directed at the food industry, which will now have to consider reformulating its products. The sodium recommendation in particular may prove challenging, since Americans consume most of their salt by eating processed foods, and manufacturers have struggled to significantly cut salt.
Similarly, restaurants continue to serve oversized portions, even though nutrition experts have railed for years about them being too large and contributing to the obesity crisis.
“If companies don’t change their practices and reformulate their products, people don’t have a chance of following the dietary guidelines,” Ms. Wootan said.
The Department of Agriculture revises the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a thick booklet that lays out an ideal diet to maintain health, every five years. The panel produces a draft that is then reviewed and tweaked by regulators and eventually made public.
In 2005, the last time the guidelines were revised, the government urged Americans to eat more whole grains and less sugar. It was the first time the guidelines recommended replacing refined grains with whole grains, and it prompted major changes in the ingredients used by food manufacturers.
General Mills, for instance, replaced refined grains with whole grains in its breakfast cereals, and many bread makers did the same.
The 2005 guidelines were used to revise the government’s popular Food Pyramid.
But nutrition experts have previously complained that the process has been skewed by politics, particularly the influence of the powerful meat and dairy lobby. In addition, they complain that the guidelines never go far enough, telling Americans what they should eat but rarely being specific about what they should not.
And given the level of obesity in America, some question if anyone is paying attention.
“I must admit personally that I never read the dietary guidelines until I got this job,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at a Monday morning news conference. But he said he carefully read the guidelines and changed his eating habits after he realized how far apart his diet was from the guidelines.
“Personally my life has changed,” he said.
Though praised by nutrition experts, they nonetheless had their quibbles.
Ms. Nestle said government regulators could be even more blunt. She said they continue to cite specific foods when telling people what to eat more, while they tend to use nutrients when telling people what to eat less. For example, the guidelines say, “Limit the consumption of foods that contain refined grains, especially refined grain foods that contain solid fats, added sugars and sodium.”
“It means eat less junk food,” she said.
And Ms. Wootan said she wished regulators were more explicit in their advice “to reduce the intake of calories from solid fats and added sugars,” which she described as worthless.
Instead, she suggested, “Cut back on cheese, hamburgers, pizza, cookies and pastries.”
