Salt Lake City, UT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/27/2021 --Dietary guidelines are updated every five years to help people know what they should eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and prevent disease.

This is the first time the USDA guidelines differ for life stages, from birth to older adulthood, including pregnancy and lactation, said Alyssa Scordo, a registered dietitian nutritionist for Intermountain Healthcare.

They also allow for people to make room for a slice of birthday cake or a side of fries without worry. Foods rich in nutrients should make up about 85 percent of a person's daily caloric intake, with the other 15 percent for food and beverages like pizza, ice cream, chocolate or wine (if consumed).

"The guidelines are a tool to help people, not punish people, with food," Scordo said. "They're about a pattern of eating. They focus on the combination of food and beverages that make up an individual's whole diet over time, and not just single foods or eating occasions in isolation."

But Scordo also emphasized consistency in what you eat, and making sure the majority of your calories are rich in nutrients. "That will help you maintain health and a positive relationship with food."

Research shows an individual's eating habits have the greatest impact on their health. Nationally, more than half of all adults have one or more preventable chronic diseases, many of which are related to poor diets and not enough physical activity.

The new "Make Every Bite Count" dietary guidelines include:

1. Follow a healthy dietary pattern at every life stage.

- Birth to 6 months: Exclusively feed infants human milk and continue through at least the first year of life. If human milk is not possible, feed infants iron-fortified formula during the first year of life. Provide supplemental Vitamin D soon after birth.

- At 6 months: Introduce nutrient-dense complementary foods, and potentially allergenic foods. Encourage infants and toddlers to consume a variety of foods from all food groups. Include foods rich in iron and zinc, particularly for infants fed human milk.

- 12 months through adulthood: Follow a healthy dietary pattern across the lifespan to meet nutrient needs, help achieve a healthy weight, and reduce risk of chronic disease.

2. Customize and enjoy nutrient-dense food and beverage choices to reflect personal preferences, cultural traditions, and budgetary considerations.

3. Focus on nutrient-dense foods and beverages and stay within calorie limits.

- Vegetables: Aim for 2 ½ cups per day. Focus on consuming dark green, red and orange vegetables, beans, peas, and lentils; starchy; and other vegetables.

- Fruits: Aim for 2 cups per day, especially whole fruit.

- Grains: Aim for 6 ounces per day, with at least half of those whole grains.

- Dairy: Aim for 3 cups of dairy sources per day including fat-free and low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese, and/or lactose-free versions and fortified soy beverages and yogurt as alternatives.

- Protein foods: Aim for 5 ½ ounces per day of lean meats, poultry, and eggs; seafood; beans, peas, and lentils; and nuts, seeds, and soy products.

- Oils: Aim for 27 grams per day, which is close to 2 tbsp. Focus on consuming more vegetable oils and oils in food such as seafood and nuts.

4. Limit food and beverages higher in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium, and alcoholic beverages.

- Added sugars: Limit to less than 10 percent of calories per day beginning at the age of 2 years. Avoid foods and beverages with added sugars for those younger than 2.

- Saturated fat: Limit to less than 10 percent of calories per day beginning at the age of 2.

- Sodium: Limit to less than 2,300 mg per day, and even less for children younger than the age of 14.

- Alcoholic beverages: Limit to two drinks or less per day for men, and one drink or less per day for women, if alcohol is consumed. Drinking less is better for health. Some adults should not consume alcoholic beverages, such as women who are pregnant.

"Everyone, regardless of health status, can benefit from making changes to what they consume to help build a healthy diet," Scordo said. "The stages of life guidelines emphasize that it is never to early or late to implement healthy eating."

About Intermountain Healthcare
Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit system of 25 hospitals, 225 clinics, a Medical Group with 2,600 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs. For updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news