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 other 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. Congress requires a revision of these guidelines every five years to ensure they reflect the best available science and respond to the general population’s health needs. Ethnic variations have been suggested for years, but there is still little...