ABSTRACT
The normal diet for adults is based on the need to provide sufficient nutrients to sustain life and an appropriate balance of nutrient intake to support optimal health. The first
Surgeon General’s Report on Nutrition and Health
in 1988
brought together a substantial body of research that documented that diet, aside from providing the essential nutrients for daily functioning, was a key factor with respect to chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. The underlying premise of the various dietary guidelines/recommendations that have been developed has been to provide adequate nutrient intake while avoiding dietary patterns that might place an individual at greater risk for chronic disease. The following subsections describe the most commonly used dietary guidelines/recommendations, guidelines for counseling healthy adults, information on current food and nutrient consumption patterns of adults, and current research with respect to health implications of inappropriate macronutrient intake.
