American Diabetes Association officials have praised the changes made to the FDA's healthy eating guidelines.
+ Regulatory
Jamie Barrand | Jan 13, 2016

American Diabetes Association praises changes to FDA's healthy eating guidelines

Officials from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) have lauded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recent updates to the organization's healthy eating guidelines, which include a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods from all four major food groups.

"These recommendations are important to the health of all Americans, including the nearly 30 million Americans with diabetes and 86 million Americans with pre-diabetes," an ADA representative said in a statement. "It is the position of the association that there is not a 'one-size-fits-all' eating pattern for individuals with diabetes, per our 2013 Nutrition Therapy Recommendations for the Management of Adults With Diabetes."

ADA officials back the promotion of healthy eating patterns and lifestyle changes, such as watching portion sizes and maintaining a health body weight. One update to the guidelines they were particularly happy to see was a setting of limits on added sugars in daily diets.

"The association supports the need for individuals to choose eating patterns that reduce intake of added sugars," the representative said. "Though the association notes that the specific amount of total carbohydrate intake for people with diabetes must be individualized, it is the position of the association that carbohydrate intake from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and dairy products should be advised over intake from other carbohydrate sources, especially those that contain added fats, sugars or sodium."

The association was also glad to see a recommendation that less than 10 percent of daily calories should come from saturated fats and that 2,300 milligrams or fewer of sodium should be consumed per day.

"The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to stop diabetes and its deadly consequences and fighting for those affected by diabetes," the representative said.

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