The ag industry is reacting to new dietary guidelines just out from USDA.
The department works with Health and Human Services to create new editions every five years. The focus this time is on life-long nutrition and it includes some new guidelines for infants. It is called “Make Every Bite Count.”
HHS’s Dr. Brett Giroir explains, “Impacting everything, from diabetes and heart disease to cancer and dementia. The good news is that science tells us that it is never too early nor too late to eat healthy.”
New in this edition, limiting sugar to less than 10 percent of your food intake and no sugar before age 2.
The guidelines also suggest introducing infants to allergens, so they do not develop severe food allergies.
NCBA President Marty Smith praised the new guidelines saying, “Now more than ever, the key to proper nutrition is giving people practical and realistic advice, to help create balanced diets that work for them-- featuring foods they love, like beef, which pairs perfectly with other nutrient rich foods.”
From the National Milk Producers Federation, president Jim Mulhhern says, “USDA and HHS deserve praise for once again recognizing just how vital dairy is to the nation’s health and well-being. We encourage them to affirm that role even more clearly in the next iteration of the Dietary Guidelines.”
The National Pork Board states, “The guidelines reaffirm the role of lean pork in a healthy diet and are consistent with the recommendation to include a variety of nutrient-dense proteins. While fresh pork is respected by the scientific community as a nutritious source of lean protein, it continues to lag behind other proteins when it comes to consumer perceptions of being ‘good for me and my family.’”
