They’re here! 2020 Dietary Guidelines–What to Expect

Every five years, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), a group of top scientific experts, reviews mass amounts of nutrition-based research. They come to a consensus of updated recommendations which is then endorsed to the Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture.

This year, the DGAC’s report is a whopping 850 pages long!

The public is also called upon for commentary. Unfortunately, during this period, lobbying dollars from the food industry water down the original recommendations from the DGAC.

For example, in 2015, the DGAC very specifically associated heavy red meat consumption to heart disease, cancer, and mortality risk, but the final Dietary Guidelines that were published listed red meat along with poultry and fish as healthy protein sources, and only called out processed meats.

What Does the DGAC Say for 2020?

No surprise, but a diet high in whole fruits and veggies, plus whole grains, low fat dairy, and lean proteins like fish and legumes are still recommended. Limiting saturated fats and added sugars is also recommended.

The DGAC has specifically recommended decreasing added sugars from a limit of no more than 10% of calories to a limit of no more than 6% of calories per day. So, if you eat 2,000 calories per day, that’s no more than 30 grams of sugar, or 7 ½ teaspoons daily. That probably sounds like a lot, but consider a couple of sugars in your coffee, and a handful of granola in the morning, and you’re already there.

Pregnant and Lactating Women, Plus Newborns and Young Children

Pregnant and lactating women had not been addressed before this update of our Dietary Guidelines. It is recommended that pregnant and lactating women consume a generally healthy diet to protect against gestational diabetes, preeclampsia (dangerous high blood pressure during pregnancy), and preterm birth.

The DGAC recommends that newborns be breastfed for the first 6 months of life to prevent disease. This is likely due to the robust research we now have on how newborns develop a healthy microbiome from exposure to breast milk.

Early introduction to high allergen foods, such as peanuts is also recommended to decrease risk of allergy later in life, and it was noted that consuming low mercury fish to supports healthy cognitive development in young children.

What About Alcohol?

Less is more, according to the DGAC. The prior recommendation was one drink per day for women, and two for men, but now the DGAC is recommending 1 drink per day for both genders. One drink is a 12 ounce beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1 oz of hard liquor. Try measuring out your wine sometime. Trust me, it will be a shocker.

When and How Often Should We Eat?

The DGAC looked at frequency patterns, and found that people who eat three times per day instead of two often ate a more nutritious diet. However, as to timing, the DGAC found that people who eat late at night tend to eat more sugar, and less nutritious foods. No surprise there – most people think eating ice cream in front of the TV is more fun than a bag of baby carrots.

So, there you have it! These are the proposed changes, but once Big Food comes in with their lobbying dollars, our final version of Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2020 to 2025 will likely be a bit different from the original recommendation.