Meet the new guidelines, same as the old guidelines?
Well, not exactly. The USDA issued new guidelines for the diet of the nation. Reduce salt, sugar, and saturated fat intake. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Don't worry, the USDA used more words to describe the changes.
The new guidelines reduced the amount of salt we should take in to 1,500 milligrams (mg). The previous amount was 2,300 mg, though for people in health trouble had that 1,500 mg limit since 2005.
This doesn't take into account that Americans average 3,400 mg of sodium per day. When Americans were exceeding the sodium limit by 1.5 times, will behavior change now that the ratio is more than 2:1?
Even if Americans get down to an average of 2,300 mg — a modern miracle if there ever was one, we still won't be at an acceptable level.
People don't have a sense of how much sodium they are getting; there in no minimum, and no way for them to sort that out easily. Lowering the guidelines sounds good and positive, but there isn't a correlation to reality.
Education for people to understanding how sodium affects their lives — that would be better for society than setting artificial guidelines that aren't going to be met anytime soon.
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