Lack of specific dietary recommendations can leave everyone confused regarding their food intake. United States Department Of Agriculture (USDA) issued dietary guidelines for pregnant women and general adults' diet. The rising instances of lifestyle-related health problems like obesity, heart ailments and diabetes prompted the government to take the dietary regulations seriously with special focus on sugar and alcohol intake.
The dietary guidelines are issued every five years by the Agriculture Department and the Department of Health and Human Services. Let's take a look at this year's guidelines.
Dietary Guidelines For Pregnant Women:
1. Pregnant women should not consume alcohol.
2. Tea, coffee and other caffeine-laden foods and drink intake should be limited.
3. Dairy milk should be consumed regularly.
4. Nutrient-rich foods, especially folic and Omega 3 fatty acids should be consumed regularly.
5. Seafood like fish is good to have but not the ones with high mercury level.
(Also Read: Busting Diet Myths About What To Eat Or Avoid During Pregnancy)
Pregnant women should take care of their diet.
General Dietary Guidelines For Adults:
1. The report urged everyone to limit their added sugar intake to less than 6% of calories. "Addition of sugars to foods or beverages provides energy, generally without contributing additional nutrient intake. Less than 6 percent of energy from added sugars is more consistent with a dietary pattern that is nutritionally adequate while avoiding excess energy intake than is a pattern with less than 10 percent energy from added sugars," wrote the authors.
2. Adults should limit alcohol to one drink per day. "Drinking less is generally better for health than drinking more at all levels of consumption. For those who drink alcohol, recommended limits are up to 1 drink per day for both women and men," the report read.
All the dietary guidelines were documented in detail in the 'Scientific Report' posted on 'Dietary Guidelines For Americans'.