New US Food Guidelines: Eat Less Meat, More Beans

01From VOA Learning English, this is the Health and Lifestyle Report.

02For a healthy diet, people should eat more beans, peas, and lentils.

03They should eat less red meat and processed meats, as well as starchy vegetables, like potatoes.

04Also, they should continue to limit added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat, an especially unhealthy kind of fat.

05That is the latest advice released on December 10th by a panel of nutrition experts.

06This panel of experts is responsible for advising the U.S.

07government about the 2025 Dietary Guidelines.

08These guidelines will inform and shape federal food programs and policy.

09But the 20-member panel did not advise on ultra-processed foods that some research findings link to health problems.

10The panel says there is not enough evidence to tell people to avoid them.

11And the group did not speak to possibly updating controversial guidance on drinking alcohol.

12They are leaving that issue to two independent reports expected to be released soon.

13Overall, the recommendations for the 2025 to 2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans sound familiar, said Marion Nessel.

14She is a food policy expert.

15This looks like every other set of dietary guidelines since 1980.

16Eat your veggies and reduced consumption of foods high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat, she said in an email.

17She also said the latest advice says nothing about balancing calories when over-consumption of calories, especially from ultra-processed foods, is the biggest challenge to the health of Americans.

18The nutrition panel described a healthy diet for people beginning at two years old.

19It is high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains, fish, and vegetable oils that are higher in unsaturated fat.

20The recommended diet is lower in red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened food and drink, refined grains, and saturated fat.

21It may also include fat-free or low-fat dairy, and foods lower in sodium, and may include plant-based foods.

22This panel worked on the guidelines for almost two years.

23It was the first to consider dietary needs based on financial situation, race, ethnicity, and culture.

24Panelist Fatima Cody-Stanford is an obesity expert and doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

25In an email, she said that considering these new elements will help make sure that the guidance reflects and includes various population groups.

26The panel did not advise on two controversial food groups, ultra-processed foods or alcohol.

27Ultra-processed foods make up about 60% of the American diet.

28The panel considered more than 40 studies.

29Several of them showed links between ultra-processed foods and being overweight, or obesity.

30But the nutrition experts had concerns with the quality of the research.

31So they said the evidence was too limited to make recommendations.

32The panel also did not change recommendations about alcohol.

33The current guidelines are two drinks or less a day for men, and one drink or less a day for women.

34The last time the guidance was updated was in 2020.

35At that time, the government rejected the advice of scientific advisors to recommend less alcohol consumption.

36Two separate government groups expect to release reports in the coming months on the effects of moderate alcohol use to inform the guidelines.

37The advisory panel said they know that the diets of most Americans do not meet the current guidelines.

38More than half of all adults in the country have one or more diet-related chronic health condition.

39And 18 million individuals and families have insecure sources of food, the report says.

40The report adds that nutrition-related chronic health conditions will continue to threaten health through the lifespan.

41It adds that this is not good for the future of health in the United States.

42The scientific report informs the dietary guidelines, which are updated every five years.

43These new recommendations now go to the U.S.

44Health and Human Services, or HHS, and the U.S.

45Department of Agriculture, or USDA.

46Officials there will create the final guidance and release it next year.

47As of December 11th, the public has 60 days to comment on the guidance.

48HHS and USDA officials will hold a public meeting on January 16th to discuss the recommendations.

49And that's the Health and Lifestyle Report.

50I'm Ana Mateo.

51I'm Ana Mateo.

52I'm Ana Mateo.