What You Need to Know About the New Dietary Guidelines

by Amelia Harnish

What should I eat? It seems like a simple question, but if you’ve ever been in a grocery store (think confusing packaging claims galore), you know it’s not as easy as it should be. And it’s clear that most of us are having trouble getting it right: 64 percent of women are overweight or obese, according to the most recent data.

This week, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are updated every five years, were released to cheers, jeers and everything in between. On the one hand, the guidelines are the official word on what and how we should eat based on a scientific review by an exemplary panel of experts. On the other, there’s a lot of politics involved—the food lobby is a powerful one, and in the past the guidelines have been criticized for being confusing and vague.

But this time around, many experts were pleased with the guidelines’ bravado and clarity. The basic messages may seem a little obvious—don’t eat too much, eat food rather than junk and exercise more—but it’s been a long time coming.

Read on for highlights from the new food rules, and what experts around the web had to say.

1. Eat Less Overall

While the standard 2,000-calorie diet didn’t change, the guidelines finally acknowledged that way too many people are eating too much and exercising too little. “It’s about really focusing in on that balance over time, on calories in and calories out,” said Thomas Vilsack, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, during Monday’s press conference to announce the release.

Marion Nestle, Ph. D., professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, summed up her shock (in a good way) on her blogMonday:

“I never would have believed they could pull this off. The new guidelines recognize that obesity is the number one public health nutrition problem in America and actually give good advice about what to do about it: eat less and eat better. For the first time, the guidelines make it clear that eating less is a priority.”

2. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

We already know we should be eating more of them, but also for the first time, the guidelines issued very clear instructions as to exactly how much: fill at least half your plate with fruits and vegetables. And pay special attention to dark-green, red and orange vegetables, and beans and peas.

“Before the dietary guidelines said, ‘Eat more fruits and vegetables,’ but that could mean add a slice of tomato to your hamburger,” Margo G. Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told the New York Times this week.

3. Eat Less Sodium, Trans Fats, Solid Fats and Added Sugars

And here is where the criticism begins. When talking about what to increase, the guidelines freely discuss actual food. When talking about things to reduce, they switch to nutrients and ingredients, and then offer a bunch of tables showing where to find them in foods. It’s just plain confusing.

“There is no reason why the guidelines couldn’t say: ‘eat less of foods such as…’ and provide a very explicit list. But you don’t see that here. That has always been a deficiency in the guidance,” writes David Katz, M.D., for the Huffington Post.

After reading the report myself, I found the advice is in there—you just have to read carefully. Here is the list I dug up of foods to reduce: fatty meat, pizza, regular cheese, sodas, energy drinks and sports drinks, cookies and cakes.