The U.S. government established the Food and Drug Administration in 1988 as part of the Department of Health and Human Services to regulate the safe production and sale of food and medicine within the United States. Soon after its establishment, the FDA released daily diet recommendations to help Americans get proper nutrition.
Daily Calorie Needs
The FDA's recommendations are based on a standard diet of 2,000 calories per day. Your calorie needs may vary based on your height, weight, age and daily physical activity. Eating too many calories can result in being overweight or obese, according to the FDA.
Nutrients and Amounts
As part of its diet recommendations, the FDA establishes guidelines for how much -- or how little -- of each nutrient group you should get in your diet each day. For a 2,000-calorie diet, you should limit total fat intake to 65 g per day, saturated fat to 20 g per day, cholesterol to 300 mg and sodium to 2,400 mg per day. An adequate diet should also include at least 300 g of carbohydrates, 25 g of which should come from dietary fiber, according to the FDA.
Using Food Label
Using these standards, you can make informed decisions about your diet using the nutrition labels that are required on all food packaging you buy in the store. Each food has a recommended serving size, with corresponding values for the number of calories, amount of fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates and protein found in that serving size. By looking at and keeping track of the food label information, you can make sure you're staying within the FDA's recommended limits for those nutrient groups.
Considerations
Serving size is one of the most important factors when using the FDA's recommendations on diet. Some serving sizes may be proportionally different from how much you're used to eating. For example, a full bowl of cereal may be two or even three times the serving size as listed on the cereal box. To be as accurate as possible when following the FDA's diet recommendations, measure your food according to the recommended serving size listed on the nutrition label and count your nutrients accordingly.
Benefits
Limiting certain nutrient categories, as suggested by the FDA, has been shown to reduce your risk for certain conditions. For example, excess sodium has been linked to high blood pressure. Too much cholesterol and saturated fat in your diet can lead to cardiovascular disease and elevated levels of cholesterol, according to the American Heart Association.
Member Comments