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The 2000 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: foundation of US nutrition policy
Author(s) -
Johnson Rachel K.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
nutrition bulletin
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.933
H-Index - 40
eISSN - 1467-3010
pISSN - 1471-9827
DOI - 10.1046/j.1467-3010.2000.00056.x
Subject(s) - food guide , medicine , nutrition education , saturated fat , serving size , food group , environmental health , dietary reference intake , whole grains , healthy diet , gerontology , food science , chemistry , organic chemistry , cholesterol , nutrient
Summary The Dietary Guidelines for Americans form the foundation of US federal nutrition policy. The Food Guide Pyramid, the most widely distributed and best‐recognised nutrition education tool ever produced in the US, is based partially on the Dietary Guidelines. In addition, every federal nutrition programme in the United States uses the Dietary Guidelines as part of their nutrition standards. Federal law requires that the guidelines be reviewed every five years. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee was charged with answering the question, ‘what should Americans eat to be healthy?’ After rigorously reviewing the scientific, peer‐reviewed literature the committee recommended a new set of guidelines for the year 2000. The guidelines are intended for healthy children (ages 2 years and older) and generally healthy adults of any age. The guidelines were expanded from seven in 1995 to ten in 2000. The 2000 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are; (1) aim for a healthy weight; (2) be physically active each day; (3) let the pyramid guide your food choices; (4) eat a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains; (5) eat a variety of fruits and vegetables daily; (6) keep foods safe to eat; (7) choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat; (8) choose beverages and foods that moderate your intake of sugars; (9) choose and prepare foods with less salt; and (10) if you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.