NEW YORK (AP) – Parents now have an extra reason to say no to candy, cake and ice cream for young children. U.S. for infants and toddlers The government’s first dietary guideline, released on Tuesday, recommends breastfeeding exclusively for at least six months and not adding sugar to babies under 2 years of age.
“Getting started is never the beginning,” said Barbara Sneiman, a nutritionist at the University of California, Davis. “You have to count every bite in those early years.”
The two key recommendations of scientists advising the government in the guidelines will soon be discontinued. Those advisers said in July that everyone should limit their added sugar intake to less than 6% of calories and that men should limit alcohol to one drink per day.
Instead, the guidelines stick to the previous advice: limit sugar to less than 10% of calories per day after age 2. And men should not limit alcohol to more than two drinks per day, double the advice for women.
“I don’t think we’re going to stop drinking,” said Snyman, chairman of the committee that advises the government on the guidelines. “We need a lot more to learn.”
Dietary guidelines are issued every five years by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. The government uses it to set standards for school banquets and other programs. Some highlights:
Babies, toddlers and mums
The guidelines state that babies should have only breast milk until they reach at least 6 months of age. If breast milk is not available, they should get an iron-fortified infant formula during the first year. Babies should get supplemental vitamin D immediately after birth.
Babies can start eating other foods from about 6 months and should be introduced to potentially allergenic foods along with other foods.
“Introducing peanut-based foods in the first year reduces the risk of food allergies to infant peanuts,” the guide says.
There is more advice than pre-guidelines for pregnant and breastfeeding women. To promote healthy brain development in their children, these women should eat 8 to 12 ounces of seafood every week. They should be careful in choosing fish – such as cod, salmon, sardines and tilapia – with low levels of mercury, which can damage children’s nervous systems.
According to the guidelines, pregnant women should not drink alcohol, and breastfeeding women should be careful. Moderate amounts of caffeine look safe and women can discuss it with their doctors.
Alcohol and men
In July, science advisers suggested that people who drank alcohol should be limited to one serving per day – a 12-ounce can of beer, 5 glasses of wine or a shot of alcohol. Tuesday’s official guide ignored it, advising on two drinks a day for men.
Dr. Westley Clark of Santa Clara University said he was right. He said heavy drinking and island drinking are harmful, but the evidence is not so clear for moderate drinking.
Reducing the limit for men would be socially, religiously or culturally unacceptable to many, Clark said, which could give ripple effects for the rest of the guide.
“They need to be acceptable to the people, otherwise they will reject it outright and we will get worse.” “If you lose people, there’s nothing worthwhile in these guidelines.”
There is a need for more careful scientific research into the long-term effects of low or moderate levels of drinking, he said.
What’s on your plate?
Most Americans are less likely to contribute to obesity, heart disease and diabetes by following the best nutrition advice. Most of the new advice seems familiar: load your plate with fruits and vegetables, and cut back on sweets, saturated fat and sodium.
Suggest minor changes to the guidelines that add: an alternative to plain chopped wheat for frozen grains. Choose low-sodium canned black beans. Drink sparkling water instead of soda.
“It’s really important to make healthy food choices every day to develop a healthy diet,” said Pam Miller of the Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service.
There is an app to help people follow the guidelines available through the government’s My Plate website.
Read labels
Typical U.S. The largest sources of sugar added to the diet are soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets, snacks, candy and sweetened coffee and tea. These foods contribute to very little nutrition, so the guidelines advise limitations.
There is information about sugar added to the “Nutrition Facts” label on packaged foods. Information about saturated fat and sodium is also on the label.
Contributed by Marion Renault, Associated Press writer in Rochester, Minnesota.
The Associated Press The Department of Health and Science is supported by the Department of Science Education at Howard Hughes Medical Institute. AP is fully responsible for all content.
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