I will preface this entry by reminding my readers that I am not a medical doctor, dietitian, or nutritionist. However, I think the information below is very important for anyone trying to eat a healthy diet, so I thought it was worth sharing.
Every five years, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and HHS (Health & Human Services) are tasked with updating the US Dietary Guidelines. These guidelines are supposed to basically tell us how we should be eating in order to have a healthy diet and lower our risk/prevent certain types of diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, etc.
This year happens to be the update year, and a draft of the new proposed guidelines were released in a report published on June 15. These proposed guidelines will now go through a series of various committee meetings, be reviewed by a number of people/organizations, etc. before the final version of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines are released later this year. Until that time, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines remain in effect.
I glanced over the Executive Summary (PDF file) of the proposed 2010 guidelines, and there are definitely a few changes that are significant. The one that jumped out to me the most was the new guideline for sodium intake. The new recommendation will lower from 2300mg per day down to 1500mg per day, and that’s not for people on a sodium-restricted diet. That’s for everyone! Given the average American consumes nearly 3500mg per day, that’s a massive difference.
Here are the key points from the new proposed guidelines:
- Eat no more than 7% of daily calories from saturated fat (current recommendation is no more than 10%)
- Replace saturated fats with healthier monounsaturated fats
- Avoid trans fats from industrial sources (pre-packaged/processed foods that contain hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils)
- Aim for no more than 300mg of dietary cholesterol per day. For people at risk for heart disease or type 2 diabetes, aim for no more than 200mg per day
- Aim to eat 2 servings (4 oz per serving) of oily fish each week (for omega 3 fatty acids)
- Consume no more than 1,500mg of sodium per day (current recommendation is no more than 2,300mg per day)
- Consume at least 4,700mg of potassium per day (shown to help reduce blood pressure, reduce risk of kidney stones, and help prevent bone loss)
Those are the main dietary guidelines, but here are some other key recommendations that were also included in the report:
- Move toward eating a more plant-based diet, including whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds
- Consume fewer solid fats, added sugars, and refined carbohydrates
- Reduce consumption of calories from solid fats and added sugars (especially soda)
- Replace refined carbohydrates with whole grains
- Focus on getting vitamins and minerals from real food instead of a multivitamin
- Increase consumption of many key nutrients including calcium, vitamin D, potassium, and dietary fiber
So, what are your thoughts? If you would like to comment on the guidelines, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is accepting comments until July 15, 2010. You can post your thoughts to them by clicking here.
In closing, here’s my food journal for Tuesday:
Breakfast:
Nonfat iced coffee – 1
Banana – 2
Lunch:
Huge southwest grilled chicken salad – 10
Weight Watchers ginger snap mini cookies – 2
Snack:
Brown rice snaps – 1
Laughing Cow cheese (3 wedges) – 2.5
Dinner:
Boca burger – 3
Popchips w/salsa – 2
Grape tomatoes – 0
Baby carrots – 0
Snack:
Nonfat milk – 3.5
Z-bars – 5
Total Points: 32
Weekly Points Allowance Balance: 35
Liquids: 80 oz
Until next time ….
I recently made the decision to go back to school and classes start on Thursday, so this was my last hurrah. 
I will try to keep my blog updated as I’m continuing my education, but if I disappear from time to time, just know it’s because I’m likely busy with school work.
That means during the two weeks I’ve been on my “journal everything” challenge, I’ve lost 6.6 pounds. w00t!!!
