2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee recommends plant-based diet
by Shalene McNeill, Ph.D., R.D., Executive Director, Human Nutrition Research – NCBA
Summary
In mid-June, 13 food and nutrition researchers and experts released the draft Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, which will serve as the basis for the new government-issued nutrition guidelines due out later this year. The draft DGAC Report recognizes that Americans are overweight yet undernourished; and therefore, emphasizes the need to reduce calories, solid fat, added sugars, refined grains and sodium, and to choose nutrient-dense foods in the American diet. To achieve a healthier diet, the Committee recommends that the public "shift food intake patterns to a plant-based diet" and "consume only moderate amounts of lean meat, poultry and eggs."
Lean beef is a nutrient-rich food, providing, on average, only 154 calories per 3 ounce cooked serving and is a good-to-excellent source of 10 essential nutrients. There is a need and an opportunity for the beef industry to take an active role in educating consumers, as well as food, nutrition and culinary thought-leaders, about lean beef’s nutrient advantage in a diet that is also balanced with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy.
Discussion
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy and nutrition education activities, providing authoritative advice for people two years of age and older. The guidelines are mandated by law, published every five years and are based on the preponderance of scientific evidence about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases. Though consumers may not know what the Dietary Guidelines are, they may be more familiar with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPyramid Food Guidance System, which incorporates recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines and helps to visually and interactively translate nutritional recommendations into the types and amounts of food to eat each day.
Specific to the beef industry, the Dietary Guidelines have, since 1980, suggested that the public consume lean meats as part of a healthy diet. In fact, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans "go lean with protein." However, the language of the latest Report has evolved from previous recommendations to "eat more fruits and vegetables" to a recommendation that consumers "shift food intake patterns to a more plant-based diet" and consume "only moderate amounts of lean meat, poultry and eggs."
Defining a plant-based diet
The idea that Americans consume too few fruits and vegetables is not new. In fact, dietary guidance has long been aimed at increasing consumption of these foods. More recently, however, classification of diets as "plant-based' has become more common. Adoption of "plant-based" terminology, has also been fueled by the epidemiologic observation that people who live in Mediterranean countries and consume higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, legumes, unrefined cereals and olive oil have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease when compared with most Western nations, including the United States. Worth noting, is that in many Mediterranean dietary patterns showing cardiovascular health benefits, the intake of total meat or lean meat was similar to the amount currently consumed in the United States and the amount recommended. Hence, it may not be correct to classify the Mediterranean dietary patterns as "plant-based" diets but rather as omnivorous diets with increased amounts of plant foods.
The definition of what actually constitutes a "plant-based" diet used by nutrition experts remains unclear. In fact, even the current DGAC Report uses inconsistent definitions for "plant-based" to describe diets ranging from "vegetarian dietary patterns" to diets that contain 50 percent of all protein from plant foods. This lack of a specific and clear definition limits consumers’ ability to translate broad "plant-based" dietary recommendations into meaningful nutrition guidance.
The fact is that Americans" diets are already "plant-based," but the current practice of choosing poor-quality plant foods is likely a contributing factor to overweight and obesity. An analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2003-2006 found that almost two-thirds of the calories (73.2%) in the American diet are currently coming from "plant-based" foods. Dietary survey data demonstrates the shift to overconsumption of grains that has already occurred and the calorie consequences of poor plant food choices. From 1970 to 2008, flour and cereal products represent the largest increase in average daily per capita calorie consumption according to USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) data on food availability reported in Figure 1. These "plant-based" foods provide 193 more available calories to the food supply, versus only a 19-calorie increase from meat, eggs and nuts during the same period. Grain-based desserts were cited as the top source of solid fats and the second highest source of added sugars.
What this means to consumers
It could be argued that there is really not much new about "plant-based" diet recommendations. In fact, based on a number of servings, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid, recommend more servings of fruits (1-2 cups/day), vegetables (1-3 cups/day), grains (3-8 1-ounce servings/day) than meat (2-6.5 ounces/day) and dairy (2-3 cups/day).
However, the explicit use of broad categories such as "plant-based" may imply a philosophical approach and could limit flexibility for individuals to build healthy dietary patterns they enjoy. Nutrition research consistently shows that there are many ways to build a healthy dietary pattern – and these can include a balance of plant and animal proteins.
According to Wikipedia, the most popular online encyclopedia written and edited by consumers, a "plant-based" diet may refer to veganism, vegetarianism, fruitarianism or a macrobiotic diet. Although Wikipedia isn’t considered authoritative or an "official" definition, this is relevant because Wikipedia definitions are defined by consumers, indicating that consumers interpret "plant-based" to be "vegetarian."
Recent beef checkoff-funded research was conducted to shed light on consumers' interpretation of a "plant-based" diet recommendation and to evaluate the likelihood that consumers would be motivated to follow dietary guidance that recommended a "shift to a more plant-based diet." According to the research, more than half of consumers (53%) say that they are not likely to make changes to follow the recommendation to "shift to a more plant-based diet."
The majority of consumers – 70 percent of men and 60 percent of women – said that if they heard the dietary advice to "consume only moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry and eggs" that they would eat the same amount. A very strong majority (70%) said that the best way to maintain healthy weight is a balanced diet in moderation and physical activity.
It is important to note that most foods in the meat group, including beef, are currently being consumed by the majority of the population within the recommended amounts. In fact, the DGAC Report notes that the Meat and Beans group is the only food group that is being consumed in recommended amounts. Beef is currently the No. 1 source of protein, with 96 percent of consumers eating it. According to the International Food Information Council (IFIC) "Food & Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes Toward Food Safety, Nutrition & Health," close to half of Americans say that they are actually trying to consume more protein. Moreover, Americans are twice as likely to say that protein is found in animal sources (56%) than plant sources (28%). The majority of Americans (68%) believe that protein builds muscle; helps people feel full (40%); can help with weight loss (37%) and is beneficial as people age (35%).
Consumers love beef for many reasons, including taste, healthfulness and convenience. As an industry, we have helped bring the varying attributes of beef to the forefront of consumers’ minds. Thanks to a collective effort from the entire beef chain, including farmers and ranchers, processors, retailers and foodservice operators, beef is leaner today than it was when the first Dietary Guidelines were published in 1980 and that fact continues to be recognized in the latest DGAC Report. Today, there are 29 cuts of beef that meet government guidelines for "lean," which on average provide only 154 calories per 3-ounce cooked serving. Analysis of NHANES 1999-2004 data showed that 90 percent of the beef consumed by those surveyed (45 grams or 1.6 ounces per day) was lean portion, according to the definition used in MyPyramid (the portion of total beef that contained 9.28 grams of total fat or less per 100 grams after cooking). While red meats, such as beef, may contribute solid fat to the diet, their contribution is small (7% of the total) relative to grains, which contribute 38 percent-43 percent of the solid fats in the diet. It is also important to note one-third of beef’s saturated fatty acid profile is stearic acid, which is not known to raise LDL cholesterol.
Beef is a complete protein and a nutrient-dense food, which is defined by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines as "foods that provide substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) and relatively few calories." Both the 2005 Dietary Guidelines and the current DGAC Report acknowledge that lean beef meets the definition for a nutrient-dense food. Beef makes significant contributions to the nutritional quality of the American diet relative to the calories it provides. While beef contributes only 5 percent of the total calories and 8 percent of the total fat to the American food supply, it provides 29 percent of vitamin B12, 20 percent of the zinc, 14 percent of the protein, 13 percent of the vitamin B6, 9 percent of the phosphorous, 8 percent of the niacin, 7 percent of the potassium, 7 percent of the iron and 5 percent of the riboflavin. According to a 2005 analysis of NHANES data, beef eaters are more likely to meet nutrient requirements for protein (11%), vitamin B12 (24%), iron (13%) and zinc (26%) than non-beef eaters.
Beef's competitive nutrient advantage makes it a healthy and tasty choice. For example, it takes 2.4 times more calories to get the same amount of protein from black beans, than from beef; similarly it would take 6.5 cups of raw spinach to get the amount of vitamin B6 that a 3-ounce serving of lean beef provides. As part of the Nutrient Rich Food Coalition, the beef industry has helped educate consumers about a positive, total diet approach, which is based not on a specific eating plan, but rather helps consumers choose nutrient-rich foods that best fit personal tastes and lifestyles.
Conclusion
In order for the Dietary Guidelines to be effective, consumers must follow them. Given current consumption patterns, it is clear Americans need specific, positive guidance on how to eat from each food group – including how to enjoy lean beef as part of a healthy and balanced diet. Americans have a passion for beef and they place high value in lean beef. This provides the beef industry tremendous opportunity to continue to promote the role of lean beef in a healthy optimal diet and to discuss the nutrient advantage that beef provides.
Additional Resources
Beef Nutrition
Visit www.beefnutrition.org for information and educational materials about nutrition and health, with resources highlighting lean beef’s benefits in a healthy diet.
Beef Research
Visit www.beefresearch.org to find fact sheets and other information on the science supporting beef’s role in a healthful diet.
Dietary Guidelines
The Dietary Guidelines are jointly issued by the USDA and Health and Human Services (HHS) every five years. They provide authoritative advice for people two years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases. To view the report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, written comments (including beef checkoff-funded comments) or past reports, visit www.dietaryguidelines.gov.
International Food Information Council (IFIC)
Visit www.foodinsight.org for information on the 2010 Food and Health Survey.
References
Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-DGACReport.htm.
NHANES 2003-2006, unpublished data.
Cook AJ and Friday Je. Pyramid Servings Intakes in the United States 1999-2002, 1 Day. CNRG Table Set 3.0 released online March 2005. http://www.ba.ars.usda.gov/cnrg.
Nicklas T, O’Neil C, Keast D. Food sources of discretionary fats in the U.S. population 9 to 30 years of age: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2003-2004, FNCE 2009.
O’Neil C, Keast D, Nicklas T. Energy contribution and food sources of solid fat, alcoholic beverages, and added sugars (SoFAAS) in the diets of adults (19-30 Years): NHANES 2003-2004, FNCE 2009.
IPSOS Public Affairs for the Beef Checkoff, nationally representative sample, July 2010.
Zanovec M, O’Neil C, Keast D, et. al. Nutrient contribution of total and lean beef in diets of U.S. adults: Analysis of NHANES 1999-2004. J Am Diet Assoc (In press).
Hiza H, Bente L, Fungwe T. USDA, CNPP. Nutrient Content of the U.S. Food Supply, 2005. Home Economics Research Report. Volume 58. 2008: Washington, D.C.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory, 2009. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Research Service, 2009. USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22. Nutrient Data Laboratory home page www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp.
*A 3-ounce serving of lean beef provides approximately 17% of the highest adequate intake for choline (550mg).
Dietary Reference Intakes, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2006.
Guidance for Industry, A Food Labeling Guide. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, April 2008. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/2lg-toc.html.
