Dietary Guidelines for Americans

The USDA released its first dietary recommendations of its own volition in 1894. These were directed at males and suggested a diet of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and “mineral matter” because specific minerals and vitamins had not yet been discovered.^[1] The department also created the translational guides to assist Americans in incorporating the advice into their eating patterns. The USDA’s first food guides were released in 1916, directed at children, and 1917, directed at the general public. These divided food into five groups: milk and meat, cereals, vegetables and fruits, fats and fatty foods, and sugars and sugary foods.^[1] These earliest recommendations and guides focused on addressing nutritional deficiencies in the country.^[3]

The USDA’s subsequent recommendations and guides were released during the Great Depression and during the World Wars and reflected the limited resources and decreased food availability facing Americans.^[4] The USDA released the Basic Seven food guide in 1943 and the Basic Four in 1956, listing only milk, meat, fruits and vegetables, and grain products.^[4] In the 1970s, research began to emerge that diet was linked to the development of chronic disease. In 1979, the USDA issued a food guide adding to the Basic Four a fifth group of foods to consume in moderation: fats, sweets, and alcohol to prevent chronic disease. The USDA published the first Dietary Guidelines for Americans in 1980 and issued the first Food Pyramid in 1992 after four years of development.^[6] This Food Pyramid remained the USDA’s food guide until 2005. The original pyramid can be found in Figure 3.1.

The 1980, 1985, and 1990 editions of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans were issued voluntarily. Thereafter, Congress passed the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act in 1990,^[7] requiring the Secretaries of USDA and Health and Human Services (HHS) to jointly issue Dietary Guidelines for Americans at least every five years.^[8] The 1995 edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans became the first such guidelines issued pursuant to statute. The goal is

figure 3.1 Original United States Department of Agriculture Food Pyramid.

to provide sound advice that promotes good health and a healthy weight and helps prevent disease for Americans ages 2 years and older. The 1995 guidelines introduced the concept of physical activity for the first time, but it was not depicted visually in the food guide until MyPyramid in 2005. MyPyramid was widely criticized for being confusing and requiring access to the Internet—something much less common at that time than today, especially among those of lower economic means—to understand how to use the recommendations. MyPlate accompanied the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, released in 2011, and was intended to be self-explanatory and easier to use. These two recent guides can be seen in Figure 3.2 and Figure 3.3. Although most Americans have not read the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, these food guides are widely circulated and displayed in locations such as schools and hospitals.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines made specific recommendations on which foods and nutrients to increase or to reduce and introduced the concept of SoFAS, Solid Fats, and Added Sugars. The guidelines noted that Americans generally consume an excess amount of sodium, solid fats (major sources of saturated fats and trans fats), cholesterol, added sugars, refined grains, and in some cases, alcohol, and all these should be reduced. Further, it recommended the consumption of specific foods for nutrient adequacy, disease prevention, and overall good health: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, nuts and seeds, and oils. The 2010 guidelines also noted the nutrients of public health concern included potassium, dietary fiber, calcium, and vitamin D.

figure 3.2 United States Department of Agriculture’s MyPyramid.

• [1] E. Frazao. America’s Eating Habits: Changes and Consequences. Agriculture InformationBulletin No. (AIB-750) p. 494. May 1999. Dietary Recommendations and How They Have ChangedOver Time. http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/91022/aib750b_1_.pdf
• [2] E. Frazao. America’s Eating Habits: Changes and Consequences. Agriculture InformationBulletin No. (AIB-750) p. 494. May 1999. Dietary Recommendations and How They Have ChangedOver Time. http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/91022/aib750b_1_.pdf
• [3] M. Nestle. In Defense of the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. In Taking Sides. Marion Nestle andL. Beth Dixon, Eds. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 2004.
• [4] E. Frazao. America’s Eating Habits: Changes and Consequences. Agriculture InformationBulletin No. (AIB-750) p. 494. May 1999. Dietary Recommendations and How They Have ChangedOver Time http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/91022/aib750b_1_.pdf
• [5] E. Frazao. America’s Eating Habits: Changes and Consequences. Agriculture InformationBulletin No. (AIB-750) p. 494. May 1999. Dietary Recommendations and How They Have ChangedOver Time http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/91022/aib750b_1_.pdf
• [6] M. Nestle In Defense of the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. In Taking Sides. Marion Nestle, L.Beth Dixon, Eds. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin. 2004.
• [7] 7 USC §§ 5301 et seq. (1990).
• [8] Elizabeth Frazao. America’s Eating Habits: Changes and Consequences. AgricultureInformation Bulletin No. (AIB-750) p. 494. May 1999. Dietary Recommendations and How TheyHave Changed Over Time http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/91022/aib750b_1_.pdf