Dietary Guidelines

Every five years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) publish Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines provide advice for individuals on how to improve their dietary habits in order to live a healthier life.

The ABA believes it is important that the Dietary Guidelines reflect the latest in scientific research: namely, that physical activity represents the starting line for living a healthy lifestyle. For too long, policymakers have focused solely on diet and nutrition as indicators of a healthy lifestyle, ignoring the critical role of physical activity. The ABA also believes that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans should include a guideline on proper hydration. Good hydration is crucial to good health. Incorporating hydration guidelines would make it easier for Americans from every walk of life to ensure that they are getting enough fluids. In fact, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for water in 2005 that could serve as a guide for the advisory committee.