USDA releases new dietary guidelines

JACKSON, Tenn. — Newly released USDA dietary guidelines won’t have drastic changes for some Americans.

Still pushing fruits and vegetables, the newest recommendation appears to target added sugar. According to the report, those make up about 13 percent of daily calories in the average American diet.

The 2015-2020 dietary guidelines recommend cutting back to no more than 10 percent of daily calories from added sugar. That’s about four tablespoons a day.

The natural sugar in foods such as oranges, apples or milk is not considered added sugars.

Using the term “shifts,” the study advocates making “small changes” with big impacts, such as limiting soda. “What most people forget is there’s calories in those sugar-sweetened beverages that aren’t so nutrient rich,” said Dr. Karen DeSalvo, acting assistant secretary of health.

Some West Tennesseans say the sugar downgrade won’t be a difficult change for them. “We use some artificial sweetener and try not to use sugar or buy stuff that’s got a lot of sugar in it,” Joan Parchman said.

The government still says lean meats are OK to eat and eggs are no longer as restricted. There also is a focus on using less solid fats like butter in exchange for healthy oils.