U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations:

Counseling adults and children over age 2 to limit dietary intake of fat (especially saturated fat) and cholesterol, maintain caloric balance in their diet, and emphasize foods containing fiber (i.e., fruits, vegetables, grain products) is recommended. There is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against counseling the general population to reduce dietary sodium intake or increase dietary intake of iron, beta-carotene, or other antioxidants to improve health outcomes, but recommendations to reduce sodium intake may be made on other grounds. Women should be encouraged to consume recommended quantities of calcium (see Clinical Intervention). Parents should be encouraged to breastfeed their infants. Providing pregnant women with specific nutritional guidelines to enhance fetal and maternal health is recommended. Although there is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against special assessment of the dietary needs and habits of older adults, recommendations to do so can be made on other grounds. There is insufficient evidence that nutritional counseling by physicians has an advantage over counseling by dietitians or community interventions in changing the dietary habits of patients. See Screening for Iron Deficiency regarding the role of iron during pregnancy and in the diets of newborns and young children and Screening for Neural Tube Defects regarding the use of folic acid by women of childbearing age. See Counseling to Prevent Dental and Periodontal Disease regarding intake of refined sugars and adherent carbohydrates that may affect dental health. Counseling regarding alcohol consumption is discussed in Screening for Problem Drinking.

• To refer to the Clinical Interventions or view the complete entry for this topic, see the Guide to Clinical Preventive Services: Second Edition (1996).