DGAC Recommends Three a Day…That's the Way!

The final recommendations are in from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Check out the key role dairy will play in the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2020-2025.

Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Issues Final Report

Every five years, the government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans are updated to reflect the latest scientific findings in the field of nutrition. To review this data, a committee of leading experts in fields such as nutrition, medicine, public health, and food science is assembled. This committee, known as the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, reviews and discusses the bodies of evidence linking foods to health outcomes and then issues its final recommendations on what makes a healthy diet.

The committee’s report has far-reaching impacts. The USDA and HHS use the recommendations in the report, along with input from the public and other federal agencies, to develop the next Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Guidelines, in turn, inform a wide range of federal food and nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program and WIC, along with government nutrition programs for seniors and veterans.

Dairy Recommendations for 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines

In July 2020, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee issued its final scientific report which will serve as the basis for the upcoming Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025. The report confirms that dairy products are an important part of a healthy diet and will continue to play a key role in federal nutrition programs.

The committee determined that a healthy dietary pattern for all ages should include low-fat and fat-free dairy products, along with legumes, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. For most Americans, the committee specifies consuming three servings of dairy per day. One serving of dairy is equivalent to one cup of milk, fortified soy milk, or yogurt, one and a half ounces of natural cheese, or two ounces of processed cheese.

Since calcium is such an important nutrient for dairy, a few dairy products with relatively low levels of calcium, such as cream, sour cream, and cream cheese, are excluded from the three-a-day recommendation. The committee also advises that most of the dairy products consumed should be low-fat or fat-free.

New Findings about Dairy

The committee’s report also highlights new findings regarding dairy and health, including new evidence that further supports the role of dairy products in reducing the risk of hip fracture. The report also recognizes the benefits of yogurt and cheese as complementary feeding options for infants ages 6-12 months. For toddlers 12-24 months, milk, cheese, and yogurt are included as part of a healthy eating pattern.

essential worker farmer with cow and milk

#Essential Workers Keep America Dairy Strong

#Essential workers throughout the dairy industry have been working hard during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep Americans well nourished. With the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee highlighting milk as a nutrient-rich source of calcium, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, vitamin A, and vitamin D, #essential workers in dairy can take pride in knowing they're supporting the health of Americans at this critical time.

Here at Glanbia Nutritionals, we’d like to say thank you for the valuable efforts of our own team members and all #essential workers in dairy who are delivering the goods every day to keep America dairy strong!

Contact Glanbia Nutritionals to see how adding dairy ingredients can boost the nutrition of your products and bring your consumers the benefits of dairy.