New Dietary Guidelines

by Jody Perrecone

This month, a board of 13 scientists and nutritionists have completed the proposal of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines which are updated every five years.

In confronting the epidemic of 2/3 of Americans being either overweight or obese, the guidelines stress a more vegetarian-style diet rich in vegetables, beans, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.  The guidelines also call for consuming less sugary sodas and eating less saturated fat.

Over $100 billion is spent in America each year on obesity-related health care.  Scientific studies have shown a vegetarian-style diet can have more success at reducing high cholesterol, high blood pressure, reverse type II diabetes and reduce weight than some medications.  Panels have agreed on the health benefits of a vegetarian-style diet, but they have never been included in final guidelines.

The proposed guidelines now go to the US Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services for consideration.   The guidelines will also be scrutinized by powerful lobbying and special interest groups.  The 13 member board who compiled the proposal are all employed by universities who rely on the powerful special interest groups to fund their universities’ research projects.  The final report is due later this year.  Will the final 2010 Dietary Guidelines, used by school lunch programs, federal subsidized food programs, and dieticians improve the overall health of the US population and save more than $100 billion dollars a year on health care costs by including vegetarian-style diet guidelines will be known when the final report comes out later this year.

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