New Dietary Guidelines Call for Less Sugar, Less Meat

By Hope Cristol The federal government issued new dietary guidelines today – as it does every five years – to help Americans make smart food choices. The guidelines are similar to those issued in 2010: Eat plenty of produce, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean protein; limit salt, sugar, and saturated fat. But there a few key differences in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, including a call to drastically cut back on added sugar (the kind not found naturally in foods) and evidence that teen boys and men eat too much meat. These sections in particular may have important implications for cancer. Slashing Sugar According to the guidelines, which were created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, Americans should limit added sugar to 10% of daily calories. On a 2,000 calorie diet, that means no more than 12 teaspoons a day. It’s a significant reduction from the American norm of more than 20 teaspoons of added sugar a day, which includes obvious sources (15 tsp. sugar in a 20 oz. Coke), and not-so-obvious sources, such as tomato sauce and ketchup (1 tsp. sugar in 1 tbsp. ketchup). “Reducing added sugar is important because of the evidence linking sugar sweetened beverages, including sports drinks and fruit drinks, to excess weight, which increases the risk of many types of cancer. These beverages make up the largest single source of added sugar in the diet for adults and youth,” says Col...
Source: American Cancer Society :: News and Features - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Diet/Exercise/Weight General Information Source Type: news