Earlier this month, the Administration released updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans, prompting widespread coverage and public debate. Yet one of the most significant new recommendations received surprisingly little discussion.
The Guidelines now make clear that no amount of added sugar is part of a healthy diet. They recommend very low limits for everyone and that children avoid added sugars entirely through age 10–up from age 2 in previous guidelines. This evidence-based guideline responds to the serious health risks of added sugar, particularly for children.
To meet this new guideline, the Administration encourages eating “real food” or minimally processed foods. But that is easier said than done, particularly for families with limited resources and shopping options.
As GFI’s Priya Fielding-Singh discusses in a new Boston Globe op-ed, the reality of reducing sugar intake in today’s food system is far more complex. Added sugar isn’t just in drinks and desserts–it’s found in everyday staples like bread, cereal, condiments, sauces, and peanut butter. Avoiding it requires time, money, access, and information that many families simply don’t have.
These Guidelines won’t be achieved through individual willpower. Making them real will require policy changes that make healthier foods more accessible, affordable, and easier to choose. The next step for the Administration and policymakers is to move beyond guidance and advance concrete proposals that make these recommendations achievable for all families.