New Dietary Guidelines Crack Down On Sugar. But Red Meat Gets A Pass 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Morgan McCloy/NPR Morgan McCloy/NPR 
 
 With January comes lots of diet advice. 
 
 And today comes the official advice from the U.S. government: The Obama administration has released its much-anticipated update to the Dietary Guidelines. 
 
 The guidelines, which are revised every five years, are based on evolving nutrition science and serve as the government's official advice on what to eat. 
 
 One concrete change: Americans are being told to limit sugar to no more than 10 percent of daily calories. 
 
 As we've reported, lots of Americans consume up to 22 teaspoons a day. To meet the new 10 percent target, they'd need to cut their sugar intake by nearly half — to no more than 12 teaspoons a day on a 2,000-calorie daily diet. 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Morgan McCloy/NPR Morgan McCloy/NPR 
 
 Over the past five years, a growing body of evidence has linked high levels of sugar consumption to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, even among Americans who are not overweight or obese. 
 
 Much of the dietary advice included in the new guidelines will sound very familiar and remains unchanged from 2010. For instance, there's a focus on consuming more fruits and vegetables, more fiber and whole grains, and less salt. 
 
 Top administration officials within the U.S. departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, who were tasked with writing the guidelines, decided not to include some of the recommendations made by a Dietary Guidelines advisory panel that reviewed the latest nutrition science. 
 
 For instance, the advisory committee had recommended including sustainability as a factor in making food choices. But administration officials nixed that idea. 
 
 The committee had also advised telling Americans to cut back on red and processed meats. But that recommendation sparked a vigorous challenge from the meat industry, and the final dietary guidelines do not include any specific advice to cut back on these sources of protein. 
 
 The recommendation "was certainly controversial," says Tom Brenna, a nutrition professor at Cornell University and member of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. 
 
 "The red and processed meat recommendation, I think, has morphed a bit into a different kind of message," Brenna tells us. "A little bit like turning a coin over, in a sense, where if you eat less red meat, one is eating more of other protein foods." 
 
 Instead, the guidelines emphasize a "shift towards other protein foods" — including more nuts and seeds and about 8 ounces of seafood per week, based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet. 
 
 Teen Boys And Adult Men Are Eating Too Much Meat Consumption of meats, poultry and eggs in the United States, by gender and age 
 
 The suggestion to limit meat intake comes in more subtle form. For instance, the guidelines point out that many teen boys and adult men consume more than the recommended 26 ounces a week of protein from animal sources, so they should "reduce overall intake of protein foods by decreasing intakes of meat, poultry, and eggs." 
 
 There's also an overall recommendation — unchanged from 2010 — to reduce saturated fat intake to less than 10 percent of daily diet, a shift that could, in practice, require limiting intake of red meat. 
 
 "The message to eat more seafood, legumes and other protein foods really does mean substitute those for red meat," Brenna says. "So I think the message is more or less there, it's just not as clear." 
 
 That message to cut the red meat should have been stated more directly, says Barry Popkin, a nutrition researcher at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "I am disappointed that the USDA once again is cutting out recommendations to truly limit red meat intake," he tells us in an email. 
 
 The other major change to the government's nutrition advice: dietary cholesterol. The new guidelines drop a longstanding recommendation to limit cholesterol from foods to 300 milligrams a day. 
 
 As Alice Lichtenstein, vice chairwoman of the the expert panel that advised the government on the guidelines, told us last February, there isn't strong evidence that limiting cholesterol-rich foods lowers the amount of artery-clogging LDL cholesterol that ends up in the blood. 
 
 The guidelines also call on Americans to cut sodium to no more than 2,300 milligrams per day. Most of us consume far more — about 3,440 milligrams daily on average — much of it in the form of foods like pizzas, soups, breads and cured meats. 
 
 The Dietary Guidelines have clear implications for federal nutrition policy, influencing everything from the national school lunch program to the advice you get at the doctor's office. But they are written for nutrition professionals, not the general public. 
 
 Indeed, one has to wonder whether most Americans are even listening. As the Dietary Guidelines report points out, three-fourths of Americans don't eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. In some age groups (think teens), the percentage of people following the guidelines is in the single digits. ||||| New recommendations for sugar, coffee and cholesterol consumption have been made in dietary guidelines released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with good news for coffee drinkers. 
 
 It's the first government update to the dietary guidelines in five years and has new guidelines for people who enjoy a daily cup of coffee, added sugar and cholesterol-laden foods. 
 
 "Protecting the health of the American public includes empowering them with the tools they need to make healthy choices in their daily lives," Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said in a statement today. "By focusing on small shifts in what we eat and drink, eating healthy becomes more manageable. The Dietary Guidelines provide science-based recommendations on food and nutrition so people can make decisions that may help keep their weight under control, and prevent chronic conditions, like Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease." 
 
 For the first time, the government gives a limit to the amount of added sugar that people should consume on a daily basis. The new guidelines recommend people make sure added sugars make up less than 10 percent of their daily calories. Previously, the government just recommended people "reduce the intake" of added sugars. 
 
 Coffee-lovers rejoice! The new guidelines mention coffee for the first time and advise that "moderate coffee consumption" can be part of a healthy diet. 
 
 But the guidelines say those who consume both caffeine and alcohol should avoid the substances at the same time. The caffeine may lead people to consume "more alcohol and become more intoxicated than they realize, increasing the risk of alcohol-related adverse events." 
 
 One of the biggest changes is the removal of a daily recommended limit for cholesterol. Previously, people were advised to consume less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol in their diet per day. 
 
 But the removal of a daily limit does not mean to go nuts with a cholesterol-heavy foods. The guidelines recommend people "eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible" while building a healthy diet. 
 
 While there was speculation that recommendations for maximum-advised sodium consumption would change, the dietary guidelines on that remain the same, with the recommendation that people 14 and older eat no more than 2,300 milligrams per day. 
 
 The five overarching guidelines will not be a surprise, with a focus on eating healthy by avoiding saturated fats, sodium and added sugars in favor of nutrient-dense foods. ||||| Today, we are delighted to announce the release of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 
 
 We know that a lifetime of healthy eating helps to prevent chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes. The Dietary Guidelines provides a clear path for the general public, as well as policy makers and health professionals and others who reach the public, to help Americans make healthy choices, informed by a thoughtful, critical, and transparent review of the scientific evidence on nutrition. 
 
 Obesity and other chronic diseases come not only with increased health risks, but also at a high cost. Healthy eating is one of the most powerful tools we have to reduce the onset of disease. 
 
 The latest edition of the Dietary Guidelines focuses on three main takeaways to help Americans make decisions about healthy eating. 
 
 Eat for Health and for the Long Run 
 
 The path to improving health through nutrition is to follow a healthy eating pattern that is right for you. The science behind healthy eating patterns tells us that they can help prevent chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. 
 
 A healthy eating pattern can be maintained over a person’s lifetime and, at appropriate calorie levels, promotes health and supports a healthy body weight. You can include many of the foods that you enjoy in a healthy eating pattern. 
 
 “What exactly is a healthy eating pattern?” A healthy eating pattern: 
 
 consists of all foods and drinks that a person consumes over time; 
 
 is adaptable to a person’s taste preferences, culture, traditions, and budget; 
 
 includes a variety of nutritious foods like vegetables, fruits, grains, low-fat and fat-free dairy, lean meats and other protein foods, and oils; and 
 
 limits saturated fats, trans fats, added sugars, and sodium. 
 
 There is more than one type of healthy eating pattern — the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines includes various examples of healthy eating patterns. 
 
 Learn more about healthy eating patterns and read the top 10 things you need to know about the Dietary Guidelines to learn more. 
 
 Start with Small Changes 
 
 It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the idea of changing what we eat. By focusing on small improvements, eating healthy becomes more manageable. With so many choices to make every single day about what to eat and drink, each choice is an opportunity to make a small, healthy change — like replacing refined- flour bread with whole-grain bread. 
 
 Here’s more food for thought — almost 9 in 10 Americans get less than the recommended amount of vegetables. Instead of a whole new way of eating, find new ways to incorporate more veggies to dishes you’re already making. Further, Americans adults consume about 50 percent more sodium than the Dietary Guidelines recommends. Use the Nutrition Facts label to check for sodium, especially in processed foods like pizza, pasta dishes, sauces and soups. 
 
 See more examples for making small shifts to food choices to help ensure that meals are nutritious, healthy, and delicious. 
 
 Support Healthy Choices for Everyone 
 
 Many Americans may need to make changes to their food choices and get more physical activity to stay healthy, but they shouldn’t have to do it alone. Everyone has a role to play in encouraging easy, accessible, and affordable ways to support healthy choices at home, school, work, and in the community. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans includes examples of strategies that support healthy choices. 
 
 Learn more about how you can help support healthy choices. 
 
 HHS and USDA share a responsibility to the American public to ensure that advancements in scientific understanding about the role of nutrition in health are incorporated into the Dietary Guidelines on a regular basis. To reflect the most recent science, HHS and USDA release a new edition of the Dietary Guidelines every five years. We’re grateful to our federal partners who worked with us to develop the Dietary Guidelines. For additional information, be sure to check out ChooseMyPlate.gov from USDA and new resources on Health.gov from HHS that will help health professionals support their clients and patients in making healthy choices. Please visit the website and explore the latest edition of the Dietary Guidelines and learn more about better health through nutrition. 
 
 For more information for consumers, visit ChooseMyPlate.gov. ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. 
 
 Jan. 7, 2016, 11:58 AM GMT / Updated Jan. 7, 2016, 1:56 PM GMT By Maggie Fox 
 
 The federal government’s new dietary guidelines come out Thursday, after a year of arguments, lobbying and directives from Congress. 
 
 For the first time, the guidelines recommend limiting added sugar to 10 percent or less of calories. 
 
 They also recommend that people eat more fruit, vegetables and whole wheat and point out most Americans do not eat a healthy diet, are overweight and risk getting heart disease and other illnesses as a result. 
 
 The guidelines suggest cutting salt and saturated fat but stop short of telling people to eat less red or processed meat despite the strong evidence that both can cause cancer. 
 
 Not everyone will be happy with the final guidelines, which get rewritten every five years, but they are based on sound science, said Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell. 
 
 “We want to make things easier and simpler for consumers,” Burwell told NBC News. “One of the things we are steering people to is small changes.” 
 
 Congress directed HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to stick to recommendations that are strongly supported by science. There’s overwhelming evidence that too much sugar causes diabetes, heart disease and weight gain, Burwell said. 
 
 “There’s a lot of added sugars in beverages,” Burwell said. 
 
 “The things that you need to be careful about are sodium, that added sugar and saturated fat” 
 
 Despite heavy lobbying by the food industry, the guidelines — which set the standard for federal food programs such as school lunches and food stamps — also recommend that most people get 2,300 mg of salt a day or less. The average American gets 3,400 mg a day, Burwell said — and that can lead to high blood pressure. 
 
 More than 90 percent of children and 89 percent of adults aged 19 and older eat too much sodium, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report released coincide with the new guidelines. 
 
 “More than three quarters of sodium in the American diet is estimated to come from processed and restaurant food, which gives consumers little choice when it comes to lowering daily intake,” the CDC said. “A key strategy for lowering population-wide sodium intake is gradually reducing sodium in the food supply.” 
 
 Most people are not going to even be able to get down to consuming just 10 percent of calories from sugar or fat, the report says — not if they are going to fit in enough fruits, vegetables and whole grains, too. 
 
 In a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet, that means 200 calories from sugar. But a 12-ounce canned soft drink alone has 120-150 calories, all of them from sugar — and most food labels even don't tell people how many calories come from sugar. 
 
 "How do you convert grams of sugar to teaspoons?" asked NBC News Health and Nutrition editor Madelyn Fernstrom. "It’s not user-friendly at all." 
 
 Most Americans get enough protein now, the report says, and males usually get more than they need. What people need more of are vegetables, fruits and whole grains. 
 
 “The things that you need to be careful about are sodium, that added sugar and saturated fat," Burwell said. 
 
 And the report says consumers, policymakers, the food industry and others need to work together to help Americans eat healthier diets. 
 
 Burwell says new food labels coming out this year will help. The Food and Drug Administration plans to require sugar details on labels. 
 
 Congress delayed rules to force restaurants to list calorie counts on menus. Some local governments have their own rules; New York city now makes many restaurants list salt content on menus. 
 
 HHS and USDA walked a fine line in issuing the guidelines. They considered advice from nutrition and public health experts, food industry experts, farmers and politicians. HHS also considered 29,000 comments submitted by the public. 
 
 There are some changes from the recommendations made by a panel of experts almost a year ago. While the new guidelines mention that cholesterol in food isn’t necessarily harmful – it doesn’t directly raise blood cholesterol – they say people should eat as little cholesterol as possible. 
 
 “Often saturated fat and cholesterol do come together,” Burwell said. So if people cut saturated fat and sugar, their cholesterol should go down, studies have shown. 
 
 The new guidelines also say that caffeine and alcohol appear to be safe in limited amounts, but say no one should start drinking either if they do not do so already. 
 
 The report makes clear that Americans will have to change the way they eat to meet the guidelines. 
 
 “Today, about half of all American adults—117 million people—have one or more preventable, chronic diseases, many of which are related to poor quality eating patterns and physical inactivity,” Burwell and Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack say in an introduction to the report. 
 
 “Rates of these chronic, diet-related diseases continue to rise, and they come not only with increased health risks, but also at high cost.” 
 
 The guidelines also give three diet types to choose from: a typical American diet, a Mediterranean-style diet and a vegetarian diet. 
 
 They say a healthy eating pattern includes:
– You can relax your grip on that cup of java: "Moderate coffee consumption" can be part of a healthy diet, according to new federal dietary guidelines released Thursday. In fact, three to five cups is apparently just fine, notes the Los Angeles Times. The guidelines emphasize veggies, fruits, and whole grains, include the first daily limit for added sugars, and remove a daily limit on cholesterol, reports ABC News. Some highlights: To cut your risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, limit added sugars to less than 10% of your daily calories. That's no more than 12 teaspoons with a 2,000-calorie diet, per NPR. Previous guidelines recommended people consume less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day. That recommendation is now gone, with researchers less worried about the effects of eggs and other cholesterol-rich foods. Still, the guidelines suggest we "eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible." The recommendation on sodium stays the same. Those 14 and older should eat no more than 2,300 milligrams per day. Most people consume far more. Don't mix caffeine and alcohol. The combination may make people drink "more alcohol and become more intoxicated than they realize, increasing the risk of alcohol-related adverse events." Though an advisory panel suggested Americans should limit red and processed meats, the guidelines don't go that far. But they do say people should eat more lean meats, eggs, nuts, seeds, and seafood for protein, per NBC News. "Essentially, the new guidelines nudge US nutritional policy toward a traditional Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes consumption of fruits and vegetables, nuts and legumes drenched in such fat sources as olive, nut, canola and soybean oils," writes Melissa Healy of the Times.