The Pros & Cons of the New USDA Dietary Guidelines

It is time again! Every five years, the US Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) update the nation’s dietary guidelines. Their stated mission is to identify foods and beverages that help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight, promote health and prevent disease.

These guidelines also serve as the foundation for national nutrition policies, such as school lunch programs and feeding programs for the elderly.

The Pros & Cons:

Pro: It is great that the advisory panel has decided to eliminate warnings about dietary cholesterol, which for decades has been wrongfully blamed for causing heart disease. The latest guidelines accurately state that there is no such link. According to the report, “cholesterol is NOT a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.”

Con: They still are insisting that saturated fat causes high cholesterol, thereby promoting heart disease. Healthy saturated fats, for example grass fed beef, is actually healthy for you. Grass fed beef is high in omega 3 fats and conjugated linoloic acid, which are fantastic nutrients. On the other hand, saturated fat from GMO corn fed beef that is injected with recombinant bovine growth hormone is not s healthy choice.

Pro: The panel recommends limiting trans fats, which are indeed harmful, along with saturated fat (see above), to less than 10% of daily calories. There’s still work to be done to correct this incorrect fear of saturated fat.
Saturated fats are actually important for optimal health. Most people could benefit by consuming anywhere from 50 to 80% of their daily calories from healthy fats.

Con: For weight loss, they also recommend sticking to low- and non-fat dairy, which in my opinion is not the best way to go. Because of our need for healthy fats, low-fat recommendations are likely to do more harm than good and is particularly counterproductive if you’re trying to lose weight. There is mounting evidence indicating that a high healthy fat and low-carb diet can be exceptionally effective for weight loss. Saturated fats are not only essential for proper cellular and hormonal function, but they also provide a concentrated source of energy in your diet.

10 Sources of Healthy Fats:

1. Olives and olive oil (for cold dishes)
2. Coconuts and coconut oil (for all types of cooking and baking)
3. Butter made from grass-fed organic milk
4. Raw nuts, such as macadamias and pecans
5. Organic pastured eggs
6. Avocados
7. Grass-fed meats
8. Palm oil
9. Unheated organic nut oils
10. Wild caught salmon

Pro: Among the most notable changes is a partial turnaround on artificial sweeteners. While they say “artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are probably okay in moderation, they should not be promoted for weight loss.” In my opinion, artificial sweeteners should be removed from the market altogether due to their numerous health risks. One health risk is that they actually increase appetite and tend to promote weight gain, not weight loss.

Con: They still are not considering the hazards of eating too many whole grains, which can exacerbate insulin and leptin resistance, but the panel does recommend limiting refined grains.

Pro: The new guidelines also reflect a general focus on eating more whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

Pro: The 2015 guidelines comment on the environmental impact of our food choices. The panel notes that switching to a healthier diet higher in veggies, fruits, nuts and legumes, which is lower in animal products, could result to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also use less resources such as water and energy.

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