When it comes to alcohol, health experts have recommended for years that women have one drink or less per day, and men two drinks or less. Now, new guidelines have been released, removing these specific amounts.
"These new guidelines will revolutionize our nation's food culture and make America healthy again,” said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary.
The Trump administration has issued a change to dietary guidelines for Americans. This change flips the food pyramid and suggests Americans should “consume less alcohol for better overall health” instead of a set number of drinks.
“We still recommend moderation of course, across the board,” said Frank Warren, Deputy Director of the San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health Department. “But there are some people who shouldn't drink at all, and there's some people who are at a higher risk for both addiction or injury or other problems that could be alcohol related.”
Josh Greco, a San Luis Obispo County local, said he thinks it might be better if there were a specific number attached to the recommendation, so people have a baseline understanding of their limits. He said people are still going to drink despite the suggestion.
“We're all human and we live in a culture with alcohol kind of everywhere,” Greco said. “Acknowledging that and having realistic, reasonable guidelines, I think are probably more helpful than just don't [drink alcohol] at all.”
Visitor Christine Greco said she thinks no matter what the recommendation says, people should be aware of their health if they choose to drink.
“I think as you get older, you have to be a little more mindful of how much alcohol you're taking in because you have way more opportunity and it becomes much more of a constant habit,” she said.
Warren said alcohol itself and the culture around it haven’t changed. He said there’s still a misconception that it’s not as harmful as other addictive substances.
“Any time there's a change in how we talk about something, people are going to make up their own conclusions,” Warren said. “That could be dangerous if people start to make up their own conclusions about what the capacity is for how much alcohol they can really handle or function well with.”
Along with limiting alcohol consumption, the new changes to U.S. food guidelines include reducing the amount of highly processed foods you eat and prioritizing eating red meat.
