2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines Published: First Recommendations for Children Under 2

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the dietary guidelines for 2020-2025. The dietary guidelines make recommendations using the best available evidence to help families make healthy decisions. These guidelines are published every 5 years. For the first time, they include recommendations covering children aged 0-2.

This year, parents have an additional reason to say no to sugar, cake, and ice cream for young children. The committee stated that consuming added sugar is not appropriate for a baby's development. Existing guidelines recommended limiting children's daily added sugar consumption to 10% of daily calories. These guidelines recommend no added sugar consumption for children under 2. From age 2 onward, a child's added sugar consumption should be less than 10% of calories.

Sugar Consumption Rates Are Not Falling

Studies have shown that infants consume an average of 1 teaspoon of added sugar a day and young children approximately 6 teaspoons a day. Sugar consumption is associated with childhood obesity and an increased risk of chronic diseases that may develop in the future. Added sugar is generally used in processed foods and drinks. Natural sugar found in fruit or milk is not included.

Approximately 70% of added sugar intake comes from the following 5 food categories:

• Sugary drinks,
• desserts,
• sweet snacks,
• sugar added to coffee and tea,
• breakfast cereals and bars.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, even drinks labeled 100% fruit juice do not provide the same nutritional benefits as fruit.

The best way to know whether a product contains added sugar is to read its ingredients section in detail. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC), the presence of brown sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, malt syrup, or sucrose in a food means that sugar has been added.

Infants and Mothers

According to the guidelines, infants should be exclusively breastfed for at least 6 months. Breastfeeding can continue throughout the first year of life as much as possible and longer if desired. Breast milk contains healthy micronutrients important for a baby's development, mostly derived from the mother's diet and any supplements she takes. If the mother does not take a supplement, her milk generally does not contain enough vitamin D. The guidelines recommend giving infants vitamin D supplements shortly after birth. Potential concerns include iron, zinc, and vitamin D deficiencies. Therefore, if a baby is breastfed, they should eat foods rich in iron and zinc. Iron-rich foods include red meat, eggs, legumes, grapes, and spinach; zinc-rich foods include sunflower seeds, walnuts, and red meat. If breastfeeding is not possible, Fe (iron)-fortified formula should be given throughout the first year.

Infants should be introduced to nutritious complementary foods at approximately 6 months. Introducing certain allergenic foods alongside complementary foods during the first year may reduce children's risk of developing food allergies. These allergenic foods include peanuts, eggs, cow's milk products, nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish.

The guidelines recommend that pregnant and breastfeeding women consume 200-350 grams of fish per week to support the baby's healthy brain development. When choosing fish, species with low mercury levels should be preferred. Mercury can damage children's nervous systems. Fish such as cod, salmon, and sardines have low mercury levels.

According to the guidelines, pregnant women should not drink alcohol and breastfeeding women should be cautious. Caffeine consumption should be moderate. American obstetricians state that consuming less than 200 mg of caffeine a day does not increase the risk of miscarriage or preterm birth. However, more research is needed on this topic. The risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, and other adverse effects associated with higher caffeine intake during pregnancy remains largely uncertain.

General Dietary Recommendations

The broadest rule is to follow a healthy eating pattern at every stage of life. A healthy eating pattern should consist of nutritious types of foods and drinks within calorie limits.

The core elements of a healthy diet include:

• Vegetables of every kind
• All fruits
• Grains, with at least half being whole grain varieties
• Fat-free and low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, and fortified soy products
• Protein sources such as lean meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, and legumes

Saturated Fat and Salt Consumption Should Be Reduced

For a child aged 2, saturated fat consumption was recommended to be limited to less than 10% of calories. For adults, sodium intake should be limited to 2300 mg / day (1 teaspoon). It was stated that it should be lower for children under 14. Sodium intake of 1200 mg / day for toddlers, 1500 mg / day for children aged 4-8, and 1800 mg / day for children aged 9-13 was recommended.

• Related topic: Salt Kills Beneficial Gut Bacteria and Feeds Harmful Ones 

Alcohol Consumption Was Limited

Existing guidelines limited daily alcohol consumption to 2 servings for men and 1 for women. A 350 ml can of beer, 150 ml of wine, or a glass of liqueur each constitutes one serving of alcohol. These guidelines recommend limiting daily consumption to one serving for both women and men. Pregnant women were advised not to drink at all.

Conclusion

This scientifically prepared report contains recommendations for all age groups. For the first time, recommendations for infants and mothers are also included. Overall, it emphasizes reducing sugar consumption in children and alcohol consumption in adults. Reducing saturated fat and sodium intake is recommended. Healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, dairy products, and protein sources are recommended within calorie limits. To meet protein needs, sources such as seafood, lean red meat, skinless poultry, and legumes should be preferred to processed meat products such as sausages, sucuk, pastırma, or ham. This also reduces saturated fat and sodium intake. Becoming a good label reader will also be very helpful in following these recommendations.