A.

Among the most controversial aspects of the new Dietary Guidelines  are the recommendations on saturated fats. Even though many nutritionists have favored skim milk for decades, the new guidelines say Americans should consume three servings of dairy products per day and include full fat products such as whole milk. For the same reason, butter is now okay as far as the new guidelines are concerned although the guidelines do suggest prioritizing oils with essential fatty acids like olive oil when cooking. Similarly red meats are okay thanks to their protein (and again no worry about saturated fat) so a hamburger is ok if it’s on a whole wheat bun versus a white bun (white bread is a refined carbohydrate and thus not recommended). And don’t put ketchup on that burger. Way too much sugar!

One note: while saturated fats are no longer a no-no, the guidelines do suggest that no more than 10% of your daily caloric intake should come from them. Nutritionists point out that this could be hard to accomplish if you are drinking whole milk, and eating butter and burgers every day.

As for wine, the guidelines recommend limiting your consumption of alcohol but no longer specify what a “moderate” amount of alcohol would be.