The United States (US) government’s latest version of its Dietary Guidelines recommends that Americans cut back on added sugars, saturated fats, and salt if they want to improve their health. The new guidelines ask that people limit saturated fats to less than 10% of their daily calories and consume less than one tablespoon of salt per day. The guidelines go on to recommend a healthy eating pattern that fits into an individual’s lifestyle, rather than recommending specific amounts of different foods, such as fruits, vegetables, or meats. Elisabetta Politi, a nutrition director at the Duke University Diet & Fitness Center adds, “The 2015 dietary guidelines focus on healthy eating habits and less on including or eliminating individual nutrients… Americans should be shifting their diets to more plant-based foods like veggies and fruits such as the popular Mediterranean diet, which includes a lot of healthy fats and whole grains.”
2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, January 2016