Mya Nelson
New dietary guidelines may soon include increased emphasis on dietary patterns, fruits and vegetables while limiting added sugars, red meat and sugary beverages, if the recommendations released today from the Advisory Committee’s report are accepted.
The report is comprehensive — 571-pages long — and the American Institute for Cancer Research is cited throughout. You can read the highlights of how the report findings correspond with a cancer-protective diet in our press release.
Overall, the report aligns closely with AICR’s evidence-based Recommendations for Cancer Prevention, which focus on a plant-based diet. In the executive summary of the report:
The overall body of evidence examined by the 2015 DGAC identifies that a healthy dietary pattern is higher in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, seafood, legumes, and nuts; moderate in alcohol (among adults); lower in red and processed meat; and low in sugar sweetened foods and drinks and refined grains.
The expert committee also reports on the importance of focusing on eating patterns and foods, as opposed to single nutrients or compounds. As the report states:
These dietary patterns can be achieved in many ways and should be tailored to the individual’s biological and medical needs as well as socio-cultural preferences.
Here at AICR, we have the New American Plate, a flexible way of eating that centers around plant foods. Two-thirds or more of your plate should have fruits, vegetables, whole grains or other plant foods; the rest of your plate has milk, meat, fish or other animal foods. The goal is to consume high amounts of healthful plant foods both for cancer prevention and health, but also to get to/stay a healthy weight.
Yesterday, we wrote about how the report is dropping the longstanding recommendation to limit dietary cholesterol. Here’s how that fits into a cancer-protective diet.
You can go here to download the report and/or the executive summary.
Next comes a public comment period, where there’s also a date for commenting in person. You can submit your comments through their site. And you can also tell us your thoughts about the report in the comments on the blog.
The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report is the scientific foundation for the upcoming Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Released every 5 years, the guidelines become the basis for food, school and nutrition policy.
