Dietary Guidelines Reinforce Dairy’s Role in Healthy Dietary Patterns

Contact:
Lisa McComb
630-484-1158
Lisa.McComb@Dairy.org

ROSEMONT, Ill. – National Dairy Council (NDC) shares dairy’s role in the newly released 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which reaffirm the importance of consuming dairy daily as part of healthy dietary patterns for positive health outcomes. 

Daily inclusion of low-fat and fat-free dairy foods is recommended in all three DGA healthy dietary patterns: three servings in Healthy U.S. and Healthy Vegetarian, and two to two-and-a-half servings in Healthy Mediterranean. Following these healthy dietary patterns is associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

For the first time, recommendations for the birth-to-23-month time period are included and yogurt and cheese were recognized as complementary feeding options for infants starting as early as 6 months. Dairy foods (whole milk, reduced-fat cheese and reduced-fat plain yogurts) were included in recommendations for toddlers 12-23 months.

“Dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt offer essential nutrients that help nourish people throughout life,” said National Dairy Council President Jean Ragalie-Carr, RDN, LDN, FAND. “We are living during a period where affordable nutrition is critically important to our nation. Dairy foods, including lactose-free varieties, are a highly nutritious and accessible option that can help fill important nutrient gaps and support overall well-being. We’re pleased to see dairy consumption recommended for its contributions to healthy dietary patterns based on the scientific evidence.”

Consistent evidence demonstrates that a healthy dietary pattern, which includes low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, is associated with beneficial outcomes for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes, bone health, and certain types of cancer (breast and colorectal).

Other key aspects of the DGA for dairy include:

• The nutrients of concern for Americans continue to be calcium, vitamin D, potassium and fiber; dairy foods are important sources of calcium, vitamin D and potassium in the U.S. diet and can help close these nutrient gaps.
• Linking of the nutrient package of dairy foods to bone health in both adolescents and adults, showing dairy’s important nutritional support for accrual of bone mass and promotion of bone health outcomes, including prevention of the onset of osteoporosis.
• The saturated fat recommendation remains at no more than 10% of total calories.

The DGA are updated every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which base their recommendations on a sound body of peer-reviewed science. The guidelines are an essential resource for health professionals and policymakers as they design and implement food and nutrition programs that nourish Americans, including USDA’s National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The DGA also help people make healthy choices for themselves and their families.

While these guidelines don’t include recommendations for sustainable food systems, the U.S. dairy community has commitments in place to advance environmental sustainability. Earlier this year, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy announced the 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals which include achieving carbon neutrality or better, optimizing water usage and improving water quality.

“All foods come with an environmental footprint and all sectors of food production can work to do better, including dairy,” said Krysta Harden, executive vice president of Global Environmental Strategy for Dairy Management Inc. “Today, U.S. dairy contributes about 2% of greenhouse gas emissions and collectively, from farm to retail, we are committed to being an environmental solution and leaving a positive footprint for future generations.”

To learn more about dairy’s role in a healthy diet, visit www.usdairy.com/dairy-nutrition. To learn more about U.S. dairy’s 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals, visit https://www.usdairy.com/sustainability/environmental-sustainability.

###

About National Dairy Council
For 100 years, National Dairy Council (NDC), the non-profit organization funded by the national dairy checkoff program, is committed to nutrition education and research-based communications. NDC provides science-based nutrition information to, and in collaboration with, a variety of stakeholders committed to fostering a healthier nation, including health professionals, educators, school nutrition directors, academia, industry, consumers and media. Established in 1915, NDC comprises a staff of registered dietitians and nutrition research and communications experts across the country. NDC is dedicated to promoting child health and wellness through programs such as Fuel Up to Play 60.