Frequently Asked Questions
July 2006
By Althea Zanecosky, MS, RD, LDN
Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association
Q: When making a decision about what to eat, health experts recommend the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid. Are there any guidelines for best beverage choices?
A: Americans clearly need to pay attention to what they drink as well as what they eat. In March 2006, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the Healthy Beverage Guidelines, which aim to help Americans recognize the impact that liquid calories have on their overall diets and to encourage them to make healthier beverage choices. The Guidelines were developed incorporating the principles of variety, proportionality and moderation similar to the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
One of every five calories in the average American's diet is liquid. To help consumers make healthy beverage choices, a panel of nutrition experts was assembled to offer recommendations for how to use every conceivable kind of beverage in a healthy way. The expert scientific panel was assembled because federal dietary guidelines, including the Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid, focus primarily on food and do not pay close attention to the significant contributor of calories provided by what Americans drink. The beverage choices were divided into six levels based on calorie and nutrient content, as well as related health benefits and risks.
The panel ranked beverages from lowest to highest value, with Level I being the healthiest beverages and Level VI being the least healthy. The beverages are categorized based on caloric and nutrient content, and related health benefits and risks.
- Level I: Water
- Level II: Unsweetened coffee and tea
- Level III: Non-fat or lowfat milk and fortified soy beverages
- Level IV: Diet beverages with sugar substitutes (i.e., diet sodas, bottled diet tea)
- Level V: Calorie-rich beverages with some nutrients like alcohol, 100% fruit and vegetable juices, sports drinks
- Level VI: Calorie-rich beverages without nutrients (i.e., sodas, fruit punches)
In general, the Guidelines urge Americans to drink water and limit sugar-sweetened drinks. The guidelines are for adults and adolescents. Young children should not drink some of these beverages, and most need a lot more milk.
It’s unrealistic to think that Americans can meet their nutrition goals without the help of a nutrient-rich beverage like milk. Fortunately, the Healthy Beverage Guidelines are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines and My Pyramid recommendation of three servings of dairy a day. Their suggestion for a beverage pattern provides two servings of lowfat milk a day, which can be complemented with yogurt or cheese for the third dairy serving.
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