The US govt. came up with a new 5-year guideline on diet this week.

It seems much better than in the past - there is no food pyramid, no strong support for any unhealthful items, and only moderate support for meat and caffeine.  Cholesterol is not the huge villain it was in the past, and there is not so much time spent on trans-fats and other weakly supported scientific studies as in the past.

You can read the whole thing here:

http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/

The main new points seem to be the emphasis on cutting down on added sugars, especially those in beverages, and moderation of things like eggs that have been condemned before.

Already misinformation regarding these guidelines is being spread, as the NBC news site says: "The new guidelines also say that caffeine and alcohol appear to be safe in limited amounts, but say no one should start drinking either if they do not do so already."  Yet, the guidelines themselves say no such thing regarding caffeine.  In fact, that is the main disappointment regarding harmful substances, is that the guidelines say caffeine is a safe substance.

This web site seems to have correct info on the highlights of the new guidelines:

http://nnw.net/6-things-you-should-know-about-the-new-federal-dietaryguidelines/

Here is a sample 2000-calorie menu that looks very good to me (if I wasn't vegetarian), except that it contains caffeine and snacks and margarine:

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/sites/default/files/misc/tools/Sample_Menus-2000Cals-DG2010.pdf

Here is a 2-week "budget" menu:

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/sites/default/files/misc/tools/2WeekMenusAndFoodGroupContent.pdf

The only thing is, no one is going to stop at just one cookie! 

But the biggest hurdle is getting people to readjust taste buds, because, as one commenter on the NBC news article wrote, he often goes to buffets with lots of nice vegetables, yet most customers will fill up with potatoes, bread, meat, and desserts. sigh....

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On a different note, it is great this morning to see that some researchers are refuting the idea that wine is good for you!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/12086226/Red-wine-is-bad-for-you-say-experts.html

The article states that while there are some good properties in the grapes, the effects of the alcohol in the wine are bad.  That should be common sense, as the wine is fermented, but until now, many people, even some of us Seventh-day Adventists, have kind of brushed aside Ellen White's counsel to stay away from all alcohol, citing recent "scientific research". 

God knows best.