The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: A Professional Review

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a joint effort of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department Health and Human Services (HHS) were released on January 31, 2011. The ultimate goal of the Guidelines is to improve the health of current and future generation through promoting healthy eating and physical activity. The Guidelines state that the obesity epidemic presents the greatest threat to the health of Americans, in that 1/3 of all Americans are now considered to be obese and nearly 3/4 are over-weight.

The obesity epidemic was cited as the primary focus of the Guidelines and that poor diet and physical inactivity are the primary contributors to this problem. The Guidelines recommend:

• Eat less and exercise more to achieve energy balance.
• Reducing consumption of sodium, solid fats, cholesterol, added sugars, refined grains, and for some Americans, alcohol.
• Increase consumption of nutrient-dense foods and beverages, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, and nuts and seeds.

The Guidelines also provide strategies for individuals, families, communities and government agencies to promote healthy eating and physical activity.

While the Guidelines are well intended, the recommendations are nothing new and several old policies linger in the 2010 Guidelines... which were released in 2011. The energy balance recommendation is based on the old 24-hour model; 24 hour caloric intake minus 24 hour caloric expenditure equals energy balance. Thus, the Guidelines fail to address within-day-energy balance in which energy intake and expenditure are calculated throughout the day rather than at the end. The Guidelines recommend eating less, but fail to mention that eating frequently is the best way to avoid overeating... so much for the Guidelines being based on the best science available.

Additionally, the influence of the dairy industry is once again demonstrated by the positioning of milk and milk products before mention of any other protein source. I am 50 years old, and like many if not most adults my age, have become increasingly lactose intolerant. Thus, I rarely consume milk products, but my diet is rich in nuts, legumes, fresh seafood and grass-fed meats. Yet, milk and milk products are mentioned before protein sources that are better tolerated by most people.

Finally, the 2010 Guidelines were released by the USDA four days after the agency approved Monsanto's genetically modified (GMO) Round-Up ready alfalfa seeds for immediate and uncontrolled planting. Why is this a concern? Alfalfa is the fourth-largest U.S. field crop grown, worth roughly $8 billion to $10 billion and grown on about 20 million acres as food for dairy cattle and other livestock. Thus, dairy cattle and livestock are being fed alfalfa that can tolerate being sprayed with the herbicide Round-Up, also a Monsanto product. And, since alfalfa is a bee-pollinated crop, organically grown alfalfa will soon be contaminated with the GMO alfalfa. Milk may be "good food", as the ad campaign says. But, Round-Up is not a food. Do you want to drink milk or eat meat from an animal that was fed grain sprayed with Round-Up? The USDA and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) not only oppose GMO labeling, but stated in March 2010 that letting consumers know whether a food contains GMO ingredients is "false, misleading, and deceptive."

The powerful influence of major agricultural corporations, such as Monsanto, cause me to view the 2010 Dietary Guidelines with much skepticism. How can Americans make truly healthy food choices and change behavior when health guidelines are being made by the same government agency that approves GMOs in our food supply and actively opposes any attempt to inform consumers? Finally, since the Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released in 2011, the why are they the 2010 Guidelines?

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