Assigned Reading

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 is a lengthy document. The recommendations for adults are predominantly covered in the Executive Summary, Chapter 4, and Appendix 1 and 2. Reviewing these sections should provide adequate knowledge to develop a healthy pattern of eating. 
Additional readings will review the current trends in food consumption along with recommendations for water intake. 

For this module, read the following:

•    Executive Summary p. vii-x and Chapter 4: Adults p. 92-105 Dietary Guidelines for America 2020-2025 (this link opens in a new window/tab)(this link opens in a new window/tab)
•   Adults Meeting Fruit and Vegetable Intake Recommendations — United States, 2019(this link opens in a new window/tab)(this link opens in a new window/tab)
•   Harvard, The Nutrition Source, Water(this link opens in a new window/tab)(this link opens in a new window/tab)
•   Food Pattern Group and Macronutrient Intakes of Adults: WWEIA, NHANES 2003-2004 to 2017-2018(this link opens in a new window/tab)(this link opens in a new window/tab)

Dietary Guidelines of America 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) publish the Dietary Guidelines for Americans every 5 years. This occurs as a result of the 1990 National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act, which states that every 5 years, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and of Health and Human Services (HHS) must jointly publish a report that outlines nutritional information and guidelines for the public. These recommendations are grounded in scientific research that examines the relationship between foods and health, as well as nutrition behaviors.

This report is used to create local, state, and federal public health policies, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), National School Lunch Program, and the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program. 

The recommendations outlined in the latest edition include four principles:

1. “Follow a healthy dietary pattern at every life stage.”
2. "Customize and enjoy nutrient-dense food and beverage choices to reflect personal preferences, cultural traditions, and budgetary considerations.”
3. “Focus on meeting food group needs with nutrient-dense foods and beverages, and stay within calorie limits.” These include the 5 food groups fruit, vegetables, dairy, protein, and oils.
4. “Limit foods and beverages higher in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium, and limit alcoholic beverages.”

Adults Meeting Fruit and Vegetable Intake Recommendations 

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) partners with many organizations and agencies to investigate nutrition behaviors that correlate to conditions and diseases. They consider the intake of fruits and vegetables, a nutrient-dense food, as a positive nutrition behavior. 

The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Issues, a division of the CDC, assists with the state distribution of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance system (BRFSS). This survey addresses several health risks including tobacco use, health care, HIV/AIDS knowledge and prevention, physical activity, and fruit and vegetable consumption. The most recent findings from the 2019 BRFSS, reveal that only 12.3% of the population meets the recommendations for daily fruit intake and 10% for vegetables with a median frequency of one fruit a day and 1.6 vegetables per day.

The Nutrition Source, Water

 

Many of us have heard the recommendation to drink 8 - 8 ounce glasses of water a day to stay hydrated. That is nearly a 2-liter container of water. This recommendation has been studied and found no scientific rationale. In actuality, there are very few studies that have linked water intake to the prevention of chronic diseases. The most referenced resource is a publication by the National Academies Sciences Engineering Medicine in 2005 which set the standard of 13 cups for men and 9 cups for women (approximately 3 and 2 liters, respectively). Again, this was based on a few studies. 

The good news is that, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, we get about 20% of our water intake through the foods we eat and not estimating water intake is a result of all the factors that affect hydration like ambient temperature/humidity, physical activity, and even altitude. The need for additional research is desperately needed, but for the time being, we use recommendations from scholarly sources (take note of the general guidelines for water intake and the symptoms of dehydration). Other researchers have found that if we consume water when we are thirsty, we are probably staying hydrated.

Food Pattern Group and Macronutrient Intakes of Adults

The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the USDA partner to maintain a database called, What We Eat in America/National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This data has been used to investigate the relationship between diet and health status. A study utilizing data from the database compared macronutrient and caloric intake over a span of 15 years. Specifically, they investigated the trends in consumption. While reading the article, notice which nutrients saw a reduction in consumption and those which increased. Make sure to note the trends in nutrient-dense foods over the time period.