The implications of dietary recommendations for dietary patterns and health

Dietary recommendations to the American public have remained essentially unchanged over the past century. They include maintaining appropriate body weight, limiting the intake of fat, salt, sugar and alcohol, and consuming adequate amounts of complex carbohydrates and fiber, especially fruits and vegetables and whole grain products, and eating a variety of foods. These guidelines generally apply to maintenance of good health or specifically to lowering the risk of diet-related chronic diseases. Dietary patterns over the past century have changed dramatically, in some ways that are consistent with dietary recommendations. However, the association of these changes with nutrition education programs aimed at producing such modifications or with improvements in the health status of Americans is unclear. Better research is needed to understand factors that govern food choices.