What the New Dietary Guidelines Mean for You and Your Family

Written by Florida Dairy Farmers Registered Dietitian, Alyssa Greenstein, RD, LD/N 

As a mom of three I constantly strive to provide learning opportunities and guidance to my children. They may not always agree, but I try my best to provide good advice. Today the government did the same thing and released the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2015-2020, which it updates every five years. These guidelines help paint a picture for a healthy diet while giving us guidance on how to best stay on the right track.

Social media clouds our attention and it's often challenging to know what is an opinion verses a recommendation from a reliable source. Many people don’t realize the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) are the powerhouse behind the useful (and free) tools available on the site. New to the 2015 DGA are three healthy eating patterns that My Plate helps to bring to life through its section on healthy eating styles for people to use as a roadmap to help nourish them physically, as well as culturally. And dairy foods like milk, cheese, and yogurt are fundamental to all three. Taking care of ourselves doesn’t have to feel like a full time job. And this site helps bring all that science to life in ways that make it easier to be successful in your health and wellness efforts.

The specific recommendations fit into five overarching guidelines in the new edition:

1. Follow a healthy eating pattern across your lifespan. Eating patterns are the combination of foods and drinks that a person eats over time.
2. Focus on a variety of nutrient-dense foods and amount.
3. Limit calories from added sugars and saturated fats, and reduce sodium intake
4. Shift to healthier food and beverage choices
5. Support healthy eating patterns for everyone

Here are a few things from our friends at Dairy Good that you need to know about dairy’s role and the new guidelines.

1. Dairy foods (e.g., low-fat and fat-free milk, cheese and yogurt) retain their important role in the DGA with even more reasons to consume three servings* every day.

While people usually think about eating foods, not nutrients, the nutrients in our food choices matter to our health.  Dairy foods help Americans meet nutrient recommendations for 3 of the four nutrients of concern (calcium, vitamin D and potassium.)

Dairy foods taste great, they are accessible, contain essential nutrients and come in a variety of options from lactose-free to low-fat or lower sodium — at a reasonable cost.

2. Eating patterns established in childhood often continue as they age. Parents can be a role model eating a complete breakfast and drinking milk to help give their kids a head start to a lifetime of wellness. Parents can also feel confident about helping children and adolescents eat the recommended amounts of dairy foods each day.

Dairy foods are recommended to help meet calcium and vitamin D recommendations, and are linked with improved bone health in children and adolescents. In fact, milk is the No. 1 food source of nine essential nutrients in the diets of America’s children including calcium, vitamin D and potassium, three of the four nutrients the DGA notes children don’t get enough of.

3. Build and enjoy a “healthy eating pattern” that includes dairy foods.

The new Guidelines propose three different healthy eating patterns: Healthy U.S-Style, Healthy Vegetarian and Healthy Mediterranean-Style and dairy foods are part of all three. The DGA notes “strong evidence shows that healthy eating patterns are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Moderate evidence indicates that healthy eating patterns also are associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer… overweight, and obesity.” While there may be several ways to build a healthy diet, low-fat and fat-free dairy foods like milk, cheese and yogurt play an essential role due to their unique set of nutrients and contributions to health benefits, not to mention taste, satisfaction and enjoyment.

Regardless of your path to a healthy diet, three daily servings of dairy foods like milk, cheese, and yogurt can play an important role in dietary patterns and your well-being, from childhood through adulthood.

*The Dietary Guidelines recommend three servings of dairy/day for those 9 years and older