New US Dietary Guidelines: No Candy, Cakes for Children Under 2 Years

New York (AP) —Parents now have a special reason to say no to candies, cakes and ice cream for toddlers. The first US government dietary guidelines for infants, released on Tuesday, recommend that you only breastfeed for at least 6 months and not add sugar to children under the age of two.

“It’s never too early to get started,” said Barbara Schneeman, a nutritionist at the University of California, Davis. “You have to count all those early bites.”

The guidelines have not reached two important recommendations from scientists advising the government. In July, these advisers said that everyone should limit their additional sugar intake to less than 6% of their calories, and men should limit their alcohol to one cup a day.

Instead, the guidelines stick to previous advice. Limit additional sugar after age 2 to less than 10% of calories per day. Men should also limit alcohol to no more than two glasses per day, twice as much as they advise women.

“We don’t think we ended up with alcohol,” said Schneeman, who chaired a committee that advised the government on the guidelines. “There is still more we need to learn.”

Dietary guidelines are issued every five years by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Social Welfare. The government uses them to set standards for school meals and other programs. Some highlights:

Infants, toddlers, moms

According to the guidelines, babies should only breastfeed until they reach at least 6 months. If breast milk is not available, you should take iron-fortified infant formula for the first year. Babies need to be supplemented with vitamin D immediately after birth.

Babies can start eating other foods in about 6 months and need to introduce potential allergic foods along with other foods.

“Introducing peanut-containing foods in the first year reduces the risk of infants developing food allergies to peanuts,” the guidelines say.

There is more advice than previous guidelines for pregnant and lactating women. To promote the development of a healthy baby’s brain, these women need to eat 8-12 ounces of seafood per week. You should always choose fish that have low mercury levels and can harm your child’s nervous system, such as cod, salmon, sardines, and tilapia.

According to the guidelines, pregnant women should not drink alcohol. Breast-feeding women need to be careful. A moderate amount of caffeine seems to be safe and women can discuss it with their doctor.

Alcohol and men

In July, a scientific adviser suggested limiting alcohol-drinking men to one drink a day. A 12 ounce beer can, a 5 ounce glass of wine, or a shot of liquor. Tuesday’s official guidelines ignored it and kept two glasses of advice for men a day.

Dr. West Creek Clark of Santa Clara University said it was appropriate. He said heavy drinking and drinking are harmful, but evidence of moderate drinking is less clear.

Lowering the restrictions on men is likely to be socially, religiously and culturally unacceptable to many, Clark said. This can have a spillover effect on the remaining guidelines.

“They need to be accepted by the people, or they will reject it altogether and we will get worse,” he said. “If you lose the general public, these guidelines have no benefit.”

He said more careful scientific research on the long-term effects of low- or medium-level drinking is needed.

What’s on your plate?

Most Americans do not follow the best nutritional advice and contribute to obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Much of the new advice sounds familiar. Put fruits and vegetables on the plate to reduce sweets, saturated fat and sodium.

The guidelines suggest making small changes to sum. Use plain shredded wheat instead of matte cereals. Choose canned black beans with low sodium. Drink carbonated water instead of soda.

“It’s very important to make healthier choices for each meal each day to develop healthy eating patterns,” said Pam Miller, a food nutrition service from the Department of Agriculture. ..

There are apps to help people follow the guidelines available through the government My plate website.

Read the label

The largest sources of sugar added to a typical US diet are soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages, desserts, snacks, candies, and sweetened coffee and tea. These foods contribute very little to nutrition, so the guidelines advise on restrictions.

There is information on the addition of sugar on the “Nutrition Facts Label” label on the packaged food. Information about saturated fats and sodium can also be found on the label.

Contributed by Associated Press writer Marion Renault in Rochester, Minnesota.

The Associated Press’s Department of Health Sciences is supported by the Department of Science Education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. AP is solely responsible for all content.

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