Goals
The goals of the new guidelines are to promote:
- Consumption of an overall healthy diet;
- A healthy body weight (body mass index 18.5 -24.9 kg/m2);
- Recommended lipid levels:
- low-density lipoprotein cholesterol < 100 mg/dL;
- high-density lipoprotein cholesterol > 50 mg/dL in women, > 40 mg/dL in men;
- triglycerides < 150 mg/dL;
- Normal blood pressure (systolic blood pressure < 120 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure < 80 mm Hg);
- Normal blood glucose level (fasting blood glucose = 100 mg/dL);
- Being physically active; and
- Avoiding use of and exposure to tobacco products.
The guidelines are aimed at balancing calorie intake and physical activity. The AHA diet recommendations are to:
- Eat a diet rich in fruit and vegetables;
- Choose whole-grain, high-fiber foods;
- Eat fish, especially oily fish, at least 2 times a week;
- Minimize intake of food and drinks with added sugar;
- Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt;
- Consume alcohol only in moderation; and
- Limit saturated fat intake to < 7% of energy, trans fat to < 1% of energy and cholesterol to < 300 mg/day.
The goals for saturated fat and trans fat represent major changes in the dietary recommendations. To achieve these goals, the guidelines suggest reducing intake of animal fats by decreasing consumption of meat and high fat dairy products and by cutting back on commercially baked and fried foods, such as crackers, french fries, cakes, pies, bread and cookies.