SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Dairy
farmers are invited to join American Dairy Association North East’s health
professional team as they host a one-hour webinar about dairy’s role in the new
Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) on January 28, at noon, presented
by dairy advocate and registered dietitian Toby Amidor. Click here
to register for the free webinar.
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture
and of Health and Human Services published the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
and updated the MyPlate website on December
29, 2020.
The DGA is the
cornerstone of official guidance on dietary recommendations for federal food
assistance programs, including those followed by schools and the Special
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). These
federal programs distribute:
-
10.7 billion pounds of milk
-
684 million pounds of cheese
-
662 million pounds of yogurt and other dairy
foods
“It’s good for dairy
farmers to know that the DGA is grounded in sound science,” said Dr. Katie
Brown, Senior Vice President of Scientific Affairs and Outreach for National
Dairy Council. “Thanks to dairy farmers checkoff investment in nutrition
research, the outcome for dairy’s role in nutrition and health is once again
reaffirmed in the latest guidelines.”
Dr. Brown added,
“That’s good news for us because we know dairy farmers’ milk will continue to
flow where people depend on it while providing consumers across the entire
lifespan with a reinforced stamp of approval for dairy’s goodness.”
Key dairy highlights include:
- The
DGA continues to classify dairy as its own food group and recommend
three servings of dairy foods as core to healthy dietary patterns
to achieve/maintain good health and reduce risk of chronic disease
throughout life.
- Dairy
is now recommended in complementary feeding across the lifespan - at 6-12
months (reduced-fat plain yogurts and reduced-fat cheese) and 12-23
months (whole milk, reduced-fat plain yogurts and reduced-fat cheese)
○ For the first time, the 2020-2025 DGA provides
recommendations for pregnancy and lactation and from birth to 23 months.
- While low-fat
and fat-free dairy continue to be the recommendation for people to choose
most often, the DGA did not recommend a reduction in saturated fat,
keeping it at 10% of total daily calories (leaving room for whole milk
dairy options).
- The
DGA is a win for sound science, including the dairy checkoff’s
longstanding investment in peer-reviewed science on the role of dairy in
nutrition, health and wellness.
ADA North East’s co-sponsors for the webinar include New
Jersey Academy of Pediatrics, New Jersey Academy of Nutrition and Dietitians,
and National Medical Association – Region II.
Click here
to register for the free webinar.