Growing up, I remember sitting in health class learning about the food pyramid with its chunky base of pasta and breads - a pyramid that is hardly reflective of the war on carbs that seems to be popular as of late. With very few adults having access to a health class of any sort on the latest nutrition information and hundreds of individuals sharing conflicting information on "the way," where does one turn when trying to determine what's the healthiest way to eat? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has an answer: the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Last week, USDA and HHS released the preliminary version of the latest guidelines, which are updated every five years to help Americans determine the right foods they need to fuel an active, healthy lifestyle and reduce their risk of chronic disease. The new guidelines, which have been in development since the panel of 13 expert medical and scientific researchers first met in late 2008, recommend a significant decrease in salt, fat and sugar intake and place a greater emphasis on a plant-based diet than did the 2005 guidelines.
In addition to changes in food intake, the 2010 guidelines also address the need for a broad partnership to ensure that all Americans have the knowledge necessary to prepare healthy meals for themselves, access to the food they need and incentives to make the right food choices - a worthy goal that organizations such as the Community Food Security Coalition and Growing Power are already attacking head on. (Check out Spectrum's Food and Nutrition Report for more background on these issues and organizations.)
So, what effect does a change in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have? Perhaps more than one might think.
As these guidelines are the basis for all national food policy, changes to them can have a dramatic effect on programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Federal Food Stamp Program) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), both of which are designed to provide healthy - as defined in the Dietary Guidelines - food to students and others in need. In addition, these guidelines help federally-funded organizations, including the U.S. Military, determine how to feed individuals including our soldiers. So what may seem like one small change in these guidelines can have a direct effect on hundreds of thousands of Americans both male and female, old and young. In sum, the importance of these guidelines can't be underestimated.
With the significant impact the guidelines can have on so many, I believe - especially as a communicator - that it is essential to ensure that they are both easy to understand and are supported by a robust public education program. What do you think? Make a public comment on the preliminary dietary guidelines before July 15th.
Tags: Food, Food Pyramid, HHS, National School Lunch Program, nutrition, USDA
