2010 Dietary Guidelines Released

As producers of meat protein, it's important to understand the nutrient

needs of the end consumer. To that end, understanding the problems US citizens are having with obesity and planning your marketing accordingly will benefit everyone's health and hopefully your sales. The announcement below will provide you with the science on human diet recommendations that will help you to continue to provide an excellent source of protein, iron and B vitamins.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans was released this week, emphasizing the importance of consuming a balanced diet, eating less sodium and more nutrient-dense foods and carefully monitoring what Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack characterized as "calories in, calories out."

The guidelines include 23 key recommendations for the general public and six for specific groups like pregnant women. Key recommendations include:

• increase in vegetable and fruit intake;
• increase whole grain consumption;
• eat a variety of protein foods;
• eat more fish; and
• replace protein foods higher in solid fats with choices that are lower in solid fats and calories and/or are sources of oil.

The guidelines are available at www.cnpp.usda.gov/dietaryguidelines.htm. To download the full pdf file go to http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2010/PolicyDoc/PolicyDoc.pdf