New dietary guidelines advise cutting back on added sugar

WASHINGTON -- Some Americans may not have to cut back on eggs and salt as much as they once thought. And eating lean meat is still OK. But watch the added sugars -- especially the sugary drinks.

The Obama administration's new dietary guidelines, released Thursday, back off the strictest sodium rules included in the last version while still asserting Americans consume too much salt. The guidelines reverse previous guidance on the dangers of dietary cholesterol and add strict new advice on sugars.

After a backlash from the meat industry and Congress, the administration ignored several suggestions from a February report by an advisory committee of doctors and nutrition experts. That panel suggested calling for an environmentally friendly diet lower in red and processed meats and de-emphasized lean meats in its list of proteins that are part of a healthy diet.

But as in previous years, the government still says lean meats are part of a healthy eating pattern.

Released every five years, the guidelines are intended to help Americans prevent disease and obesity. They inform everything from food package labels to subsidized school lunches to doctors' advice.

The main message hasn't changed much: Eat your fruits and vegetables. Whole grains and seafood, too. And keep sugar, fats and salt in moderation.

This year, one message the government wants to send is people should figure out what type of healthy eating style works for them, while still hewing to the main recommendations. The Agriculture Department, which released the guidelines along with the Department of Health and Human Services, also is releasing a tweaked version of its healthy "My Plate" icon to include a new slogan: "My Wins."

"Small changes can add up to big differences," agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack said.

One new recommendation is added sugar should be 10 percent of daily calories. That's about 200 calories a day, or the amount in one 16-ounce sugary drink.

After years of doctors saying Americans shouldn't eat too many eggs, recommendations for cholesterol also have shifted, following increasing medical research showing the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream is more complicated than once thought.