Rigid adherence to the dietary intake recommendations of selected food guideline emblems would not lead to simultaneous compliance with the tenets of the revised 2000 American Heart Association Dietary Guidelines

Abstract

A total of 13 national and 25 variant dietary guideline emblems, among 58 examined, were found to provide quantitative behavioral recommendations regarding the consumption of foods or food groups. Of the 12 specific recommendations of the 2000 Revised Dietary Guidelines of the American Heart Association (AHA), seven were related to specific dietary practices that occur in one or another emblem. To determine how well a strict adherence to the tenets of a quantitative emblem would simultaneously advance the AHA behavioral agenda, an exercise for the classification rating of the selected emblems was conducted. The number of AHA specific recommendations incorporated into the emblems ranged from 1/7 to 6/7, with a median of 2/7. The two AHA recommendations that were most often embodied in emblems were compliance with variety of fruits/vegetables (95%) and variety of grain products (87%). Clear guidance for five of the AHA Dietary Guidelines cannot be found in the emblems. Although dietary guideline emblems make some contribution for maximal cardiovascular prevention in populations, individuals must be educated to go well beyond sketchy and incomplete guidance given by the emblems.