How you should eat, according to the USDA 2020 dietary guidelines

The U.S. the government launches dietary guidelines every five years, and the 2020 edition just left yesterday. There are no major changes, but babies and young children are included for the first time and, again, we are being reminded that almost everyone eats a lot of sugar.

Dietary guidelines form the basis of what is included in federal programs, such as school meals, but few people actually follow them. The government reports that the average American’s diet only aligns about 59% with the guidelines. And while the guidelines are always controversial in one way or another, we’d probably all be a little better off if we ate more as they say we should.

There is no pyramid or graphics card to follow with the current edition, only advice like the following “four general guidelines”:

• Follow a healthy eating pattern at all stages of life.
• Customize and take advantage of food and drink options with a high nutrient content to reflect personal preferences, cultural traditions and budget considerations.
• Focus on meeting the needs of the food group with nutrient-rich foods and drinks and stay within calorie limits.
• Limit foods and drinks with a high content of added sugars, saturated fat and sodium, and limit alcoholic beverages.

As for details: added sugars and saturated fats are each limited to 10% of calories from 2 years; sodium should be less than 2,300 milligrams per day (less if you are under 14), and the maximum number of drinks per day is one for women and two for men. That is per day, not an average of the week.

Nutrient-rich foods, according to the USDA, include “Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood, eggs, beans, peas and lentils, unsalted nuts and seeds, fat-free and low-fat dairy products and lean meats and poultry ”When cooked without too much extra sugar, fat or sodium.

There are recommendations for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding and for older adults. This set of guidelines is also the first to include babies and young children, and we report recommendations for the little ones as they were being discussed earlier this year.