NEW YORK (AP) – Parents now have an additional reason to say no to sweets, cakes and ice cream for young children. The U.S. government’s first feeding guidelines for infants and toddlers, published Tuesday, recommend that only breast milk be given and no added sugars for children under 2 years of age for at least six months.
“It’s never too early to start,” said Barbara Schneeman, a nutritionist at the University of California, Davis. ‘In those early years you have to make sure that every bite counts.’
The guidelines fail to meet two major recommendations from scientists advising the government. Those advisers said in July that everyone should limit their added sugar intake to less than 6% of calories and that men should limit alcohol to one drink per day.
Instead, the guidelines stick to the earlier advice: limit added sugars to less than 10% of calories per day after age 2. And men should limit alcohol to no more than two drinks a day, twice as much as recommended for women.
“I don’t think we’re done with alcohol,” said Schneeman, who chaired a committee that advised the government on the guidelines. “There is more we need to learn.”
The nutritional guidelines are issued every five years by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. The government uses them to set standards for school lunches and other programs. Some highlights:
Babies, toddlers and mothers
According to the guidelines, babies should receive only breast milk at least until they are six months old. If breast milk is not available, they should be fed iron-fortified infant formula for the first year. Babies should receive supplemental vitamin D soon after birth.
Babies may start to eat different foods after about 6 months and should be introduced to potentially allergenic foods along with other foods.
“The introduction of peanut-containing foods in the first year reduces the risk of a baby developing a food allergy to peanuts,” the guidelines said.
There is more advice than in previous guidelines for pregnant and breastfeeding women. To promote healthy brain development in their babies, these women need to eat 8 to 12 ounces of seafood per week. They need to be sure to choose fish – such as cod, salmon, sardines, and tilapia – with lower levels of mercury, which can harm children’s nervous systems.
Pregnant women should not drink alcohol as per guidelines, and breastfeeding women should exercise caution. Caffeine in moderate amounts appears to be safe, and women should discuss this with their doctors.
Alcohol and men
In July, science advisers suggested that men who drink alcohol should limit themselves to one serving per day: a 12-ounce can of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a shot of spirits. Tuesday’s official guidelines ignored that, sticking to the advice for men to two drinks a day.
Dr. Westley Clark of Santa Clara University said that’s appropriate. Heavy drinking and binge drinking are harmful, he said, but the evidence isn’t as clear for moderate drinking.
Lowering the limit for men would likely be socially, religiously or culturally unacceptable for many, Clark said, which could have ripple effects for the rest of the guidelines.
“They have to be acceptable to people or else they will outright reject it and we will be worse off,” he said. “If you lose the audience, these guidelines have no merit.”
More careful scientific research on the long-term effects of low or moderate drinking levels is needed, he said.
What is on your plate?
Most Americans don’t follow the best nutritional advice, which contributes to obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Much of the new advice sounds familiar: Fill your plate with fruits and vegetables, and cut back on sweets, saturated fats, and sodium.
The guidelines suggest making small changes that add up: Replace regular shredded wheat with frosted grains. Choose canned black beans with low sodium content. Drink sparkling water instead of soda.
“It’s really important to make healthier choices, every meal, every day, to develop a healthy diet,” said Pam Miller of the Food and Nutrition Department at the Department of Agriculture.
There is an app to help people follow the guidelines available through the government’s My Plate website.
Read labels
The greatest sources of added sugars in the typical American diet are soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks, desserts, snacks, sweets, and sweetened coffee and tea. These foods contribute very few nutrients, so the guidelines recommend limits.
There is information about added sugars on the “Nutrition Facts” label on packaged foods. Information about saturated fats and sodium is also on the label.
Associated Press writer Marion Renault in Rochester, Minnesota, contributed.
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