The Federal Government is continuing to look at dietary guidelines to figure out better ways to help American’s lose weight. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provide nutrition recommendations, are updated every five years by the US Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services.

A new report from the USDA says that 70% of Americans are overweight or obese. Coordinator for Diabetes Education, Tina Canada, says that the new recommendations show that sweetened beverages account for 60% of added sugars in adult diets which is twice the recommended amount.

Canada says that most people don’t realize the amount of sugar and calories that are in the foods and drinks that you consume. She says that something like the large drink at a gas station will easily put you over the daily recommended amount.

The committee also acknowledged that while low-calorie sweeteners can lead to weight loss, the impact only moderately reduces obesity. Canada also continues by stating that artificial drinks can affect a person's palate which may cause people to crave more sugar in other foods to replace that artificial taste. 

Canada says a message can go a lot farther than just taxing or banning drinks.

According to Canada, the best thing you can drink is water. She would like to see “Traffic light” vending machines, that

show a different colored picture for the different products.

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