Dietary Guidelines Fall Short, Overlook Cultural Differences, Critics Say

KSAT: Federal Government Updates Dietary Guidelines
This past December, the federal government updated its dietary guidelines, which will be the standard for the next five years. Cleveland Clinic registered dietician Kristin Kirkpatrick said the guidelines can help all of us make the right choices. “They’re kind of a big deal in the sense that they help to set the structure for things like food stamps and school lunch programs and things like that. They’re also meant to give just some general guidance to Americans on what we should look at with our diet,” Kirkpatrick said. The latest guidelines include some notable changes. (Hernandez, 1/31)

The Washington Post: Americans Can’t Cut Back On Salt. One Likely Reason: Packaged And Prepared Foods Are Filled With It.
The recently released 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines from the Agriculture Department remind Americans that they should consume less than 2,300 milligrams of salt a day — equivalent to about a teaspoon. Instead, we eat nearly 50 percent more than that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The recommendation is the same as in the earlier 2015-2020 guidelines, yet the average American has not cut down on salt, still consuming an average of more than 3,400 mg daily, according to the CDC. (Cimons, 1/31)

KHN: Food Guidelines Change But Fail To Take Cultures Into Account 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services have once again developed new food guidelines for Americans that urge people to customize a diet of nutrient-dense food. For the first time, they make recommendations for infant nutrition and for different stages of life. But, as in past iterations, they lack seasoning. They do not acknowledge the nuances of culture and ethnicity at the heart of how Americans feed themselves. (Giles, 2/1)

In other public health news —

Chicago Sun-Times: Jesse Jackson Hospitalized, Recovering After Surgery 
The Rev. Jesse Jackson was hospitalized last week and underwent what family is describing as minor surgery, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.The 79-year-old founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition is recovering at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, sources said. “I can say that yes, Rev. Jackson is at Northwestern hospital. And yes, he did have a successful operation,” said PUSH Public Policy Director Frank Watkins, his longtime right hand. “I personally don’t know all the details, so I don’t want to get into that. I know that he is resting comfortably, and that he is expected home in a couple of days.” The civil rights leader was hospitalized Thursday and rushed into surgery, sources said. (Ihejirika, 1/31)

The Washington Post: How To Use Airflow In A Car To Stay Safe From Covid
Varghese Mathai is a physicist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst who studies the flow of fluids and gases. He conducted a study using computational fluid dynamics simulations to understand how air flows inside a car and its implications for covid-19 airborne transmission. In this interview, he explains the optimal ways to ensure maximum airflow inside a car. (1/31)

Bloomberg: More Older Americans Stay On The Job. Working From Home Helps
The pandemic is extending the trend of older Americans working longer -- and giving up long commutes is part of the reason. Today, roughly 1 in 5 adults aged 65 and older remain on the job, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the mid 1980s, the ratio was closer to 1 in 10. Although the number of older workers dipped in the initial stages of the pandemic along with employment overall, it has since rebounded and anecdotal evidence suggests working from home has helped. “Certainly working out of the home is a much more comfortable environment because my commute is 35 seconds and I don’t necessarily have to deal with office politics,” said Ray Bjorklund, the retirement-age owner of Birchgrove LLC, a market-analysis firm. (Tanzi, 1/30)