It's a new year and with the new year comes a new diet guideline! Today the HHS and the USDA released a new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020. The guidelines are published every 5 years. Personally, I think the Guidelines serve to reinforce that a healthy eating pattern involves eating a variety of colors (as in fruits and vegetables) and staying within daily calorie requirements.
Check out the 5 Guidelines that encourage healthy eating patterns:
Here is how the New Dietary Guidelines is similar to the current Cancer Prevention Guidelines.
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CYH7JnLWMAA7a0k.jpg:large)
The new Guidelines is far from perfect. It's only fair to discuss the shortcomings of the new Dietary Guidelines. Check out the chart below and Dr. Barnard's blog for more information.
![dietary-guidelines-usda](http://www.pcrm.org/sites/default/files/dietary-guidelines-usda.png)
The Dietary Guidelines' release today may be helpful for those who are reforming their lifestyle habits and trying to eat healthier as part of their New Year's resolution. There is nothing significantly new about the Guidelines that other health organizations (eg: American Institute for Cancer Research, American Heart Association) haven't already discussed. However, the Dietary Guidelines affect several federal nutrition assistance programs such as the school lunch program, WIC, and SNAP. Once again, use the the Dietary Guidelines as a "guide" to keep you on a healthy eating pattern today and everyday. Let it remind you that our food choices have an impact on our health.
Source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kwG68fYQ3w&feature=youtu.beU.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. December 2015. Available athttp://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/.
http://www.pcrm.org/nbBlog/digesting-the-2015-dietary-guidelines