The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans were recently release by the USDA. A new study shows Americans are adding more fruits, vegetables and dairy to their diets, but they need to consume more to meet the recommended quantities.
The guidelines were designed to help Americans prevent disease and obesity. They instruct a wide variety of things ranging from food package labels to school lunches. Updated every five years, the core message of the guidelines hasn’t changed over time. Americans should eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and they should limit fat, salt and sugar. Americans need to eat and drink more dairy in order to meet the recommendation outlined in the new guidelines released on Jan. 7, good news for dairy farmers.
According to USDA research, in 2013, U.S. consumers ate or drank an average of 1.8 cups of dairy products per day. That’s only 60 percent of the recommended 3 cups but is an increase from 1.6 cups consumed in 1970. Claims that butter, whole milk and other dairy products aren’t healthy could have caused American’s to cut them from their diets. Many of those claims have been rebutted in recent years. Here’s to hoping Americans kick it up a notch in 2016!
By: Anna-Lisa Laca
Source: Agweb.com