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NEW YORK (AP) – Parents now have one more reason to say no to candy, cakes and ice cream for young children. The U.S. government’s first dietary guidelines for infants and toddlers, released Tuesday, recommend feeding only breast milk for at least six months and no added sugar for children under 2 years old.
“It’s never too early to start,” said Barbara Schneeman, nutritionist at the University of California at Davis. “You have to make every bite count in those early years.”
The guidelines do not contain two key recommendations from the scientists advising the government. Those advisers said in July that everyone should limit their intake of added sugar to less than 6% of calories and that men should limit alcohol to one drink per day.
Instead, the guidelines stick to the previous advice: limit added sugar to less than 10% of calories per day after the age of 2. And men should limit alcohol to no more than two drinks per day, twice as much as recommended for women.
“I don’t think we’re done with alcohol,” said Schneeman, who chaired a committee advising the government on the guidelines. “We need more to learn.”
Dietary guidelines are published every five years by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. The government uses them to set standards for school meals and other programs. Some strong points:
Infants, toddlers and mothers
Babies should only have breast milk at least until they are 6 months old, according to the guidelines. If breast milk is not available, they should be given iron-fortified infant formula during the first year. Babies should receive vitamin D supplement from birth.
Babies can start eating other foods around 6 months old and should be introduced to potentially allergenic foods along with other foods.
“Introducing peanut-containing foods in the first year reduces the risk of an infant developing a peanut food allergy,” the guidelines say.
There is more advice than in the previous guidelines for pregnant and breastfeeding women. To promote healthy brain development in their babies, these women should eat 8 to 12 ounces of seafood per week. They need to be sure to choose fish – like cod, salmon, sardines, and tilapia – with lower levels of mercury, which can harm children’s nervous systems.
Pregnant women should not drink alcohol as directed, and breastfeeding women should be careful. Caffeine in modest amounts seems safe and women can discuss this with their doctor.
Alcohol and men
In July, science advisers suggested that men who drink alcohol limit themselves to one serving per day – a 12-ounce can of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a glass of alcohol. Official guidelines on Tuesday ignored this, keeping the advice for men to two drinks a day.
Dr Westley Clark of the University of Santa Clara said it was appropriate. Binge drinking and binge drinking are harmful, he said, but the evidence is not as clear for moderate drinking.
Lowering the limit for men would likely be socially, religiously or culturally unacceptable to many, Clark said, which could have ripple effects for the rest of the guidelines.
“They have to be acceptable to people, otherwise they will reject it outright and we will be in a worse situation,” he said. “If you lose the audience, these guidelines have no merit.”
More scientific research into the long-term effects of low or moderate levels of consumption is needed, he said.
What’s on your plate?
Most Americans don’t follow the best nutrition advice, which contributes to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Most of the new tips sound familiar: fill your plate with fruits and vegetables and reduce your intake of sweets, saturated fat, and sodium.
The guidelines suggest making small changes that add up: Replace regular shredded wheat with frosted cereal. Choose low sodium canned black beans. Drink sparkling water instead of soda.
“It’s really important to make healthier choices, with every meal, every day, to develop a healthy eating pattern,” said Pam Miller of the Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Department.
There is an app to help people follow the guidelines available on the government My Plate website.
Read the labels
The greatest sources of added sugars in the typical American diet are sodas and other sugary drinks, desserts, snacks, candy, and sugary coffee and tea. These foods contribute very little to nutrition, so guidelines recommend limits.
There is information about added sugar on the “Nutrition Facts” label on packaged foods. Information on saturated fat and sodium is also on the label.
Associated Press editor Marion Renault in Rochester, Minnesota, contributed.
The Associated Press’s Department of Health and Science receives support from the Department of Science Education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright © 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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