What to Eat: Dietary Guidelines 2010

The Dietary Guidelines come out every five years to wag an updated finger at the American public over what they should be eating for optimal health, but are generally not eating. A joint effort by the departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA), the guidelines last came out in 2005 and are awaiting their 2010 facelift. A draft report has been released and public comment sought, resulting in a public meeting held July 8 that featured presentations from several insiders.

Among the submitted written comments, a high school student asked for more vegan and vegetarian options, which were buoyed by comments from a physician/clinical researcher and several others who advocated such plant-based diets; the National Fisheries Institute plugged for fish oil-rich seafood (good idea, but not sure I’d trust the average cafeteria lady to handle seafood properly); a paleobiotic lab expert called for a wider range of recommended fiber sources than just whole grains, which don’t address microflora health; A pediatrician and children’s advocate requested mention of GMO-foods and the preference of organic foods from; a non-profit sustainability group submitted a plea to move to less land consumption in our food system; and the Corn Refiner’s Association tried to stem what is called unwarranted criticism of the wide use of high fructose corn syrup.

Andrew Shao, Ph.D., senior vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), spoke at the public meeting about the absence of dietary supplements in the draft report. “The Draft Report recognizes a large number of nutrient shortfalls in the population, but concludes these are not of public health concern unless the shortfalls are accompanied by widespread low blood levels of the nutrient or by signs of overt deficiency,” he said. “Further, by recognizing multiple nutrient shortfalls but discouraging multivitamin use, the Draft Report in effect says that living with shortfalls is preferable to filling nutrient gaps with reasonable dietary supplements.”  Shao argued getting all the recommended nutrients solely from foods is unrealistic, as noted in the report, and waiting for deficiency to surface before recommending supplements is irresponsible and dangerous to health.

Overall, it was comforting to see so many submitted comments focus on fresh, plant-based foods, with considerations for specific nutrients like fish oil, folic acid and fiber. I even liked the ambitious efforts at sustainable sourcing and GMO filtering. However, my thoughts are: 1.) does the USDA really consider the more outlying suggestions, when it seems to favor gentler changes in these updates, and 2.) does the average American shape diet and lifestyle based on the Dietary Guidelines issued by the government?

I only hope my cynicism is off-target in the end, and Americans eat healthier from 2010 onward.