There will soon be new guidelines for America’s dietary habits, and there may be a few changes from the old ones.
Early reports from the advisory committee that will make recommendations to the Departments of Agriculture as well as Health and Human Services suggest that we will still be urged to eat lots of vegetables and fruits, but no longer will we be admonished to stay away from foods containing cholesterol. Apparently, the amount and type of cholesterol in our bloodstreams is due to many more factors than whether we ate an egg for breakfast or a steak for dinner.
Previous Guidelines
The previous dietary guidelines, issued five years ago, warned Americans to keep their daily cholesterol intake no higher than that found in a single egg yolk.
A Grain of Salt
Recommendations on salt may also be loosened a bit in the new dietary guidelines. Although people with heart disease have been cautioned to keep sodium intake below 1,500 mg daily, the advisory committee is hinting that it may not support such a low level since it does not seem to be supported by scientific evidence.
There are several diets that have been well tested, with studies published in the medical literature. You can find more information on the DASH diet, the Mediterranean diet and the low-carb diet and how to follow them in our book, The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies.
