Like previous dietary guidelines, the 2015 guidelines encourage an increase in consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains, and a decrease in consumption of saturated fats. However, there are some notable changes, such as direction to limit added sugar intake and to eat a variety of protein sources that aren’t necessarily red meat.
According to Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition and public health at New York University and an open critic of the new guidelines, “these Dietary Guidelines, like all previous versions, recommend foods when they suggest ‘eat more.’ But they switch to nutrients whenever they suggest ‘eat less.’” She is referring to the call to eat more vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains, but to eat less saturated fat and added sugar. Many argue the reason for this was to avoid calling for a decrease in meat consumption, sugary drinks, and processed/junk foods directly, due to pressures from the meat and processed food industries, many of which praised the guidelines.
These sentiments were resonated by Dr. David Katz, Director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center and Founder of The True Health Initiative, who said that the guidelines “are a betrayal of the diligent work of nutrition scientists, and a willful sacrifice of public health on the alter of profit for well-organized special interests.” He is referring to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, the group of nutrition scientists tasked with writing the report to be used as the basis for the new dietary guidelines, which he applauded for their excellent work.
The Advisory Committee also included a section in their report on Food Sustainability and Safety, stating, “The availability and acceptability of healthy and sustainable food choices will be necessary to attain food security for the U.S. population over time.” Despite this inclusion and widespread support from a variety of groups, sustainability was not included in the guidelines on the grounds that it was not strictly diet-related. (Though it should be noted a mention to physical activity was included.)
While Katz and many others were quick to point out the ways in which the Advisory Committee’s report was ignored—such as their call for everyone to eat less meat and more plants, which is not explicitly directed in the guidelines—some experts have shown support for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines. Michael F. Jacobson, President of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, described the advice given by the guidelines as “sound, sensible, and science-based.”
Regardless of differing opinions on the guidelines, there’s no denying their significance. Though they can be viewed simply as advice, the guidelines will be used to guide nutrition education, school lunches, military meals, and more in the United States, at least until new guidelines are developed in 2020.
