Nutrition News Highlights of 2014

There has been a ton of groundbreaking health news this year. Let's look back at the top nutrition and health stories of 2014...FDA Supplement Guidelines:In January of 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set up new guidelines to differentiate drinks from supplements. They did so both to help the companies that make drinks or supplements accurately classify their products and to underline the importance of the rules about what substances may be added to drinks and what substances may be added to liquid supplements. For a guide to the differences and a list of further resources, visit Supplement or Food? The Latest from the FDA.New Stroke Guidelines:This news update is twofold. First, the American Heart Association (AHA) set out new stroke guidelines for women, publishing them in the journal Stroke. The panel asserted "To more accurately reflect the risk of stroke in women across the lifespan, as well as the clear gaps in current risk scores, we believe a female-specific stroke risk score is warranted." You can see the outline of the new stroke risk score for women in the post Breaking News: Stroke Guidelines for Women.The second part of this news update is that the AHA and the American Stroke Association (ASA) later teamed up to offer new stroke prevention guidelines, which included a blood pressure evaluation timeline, diet advice (DASH or Mediterranean-style is best), physical activity recommendations, and a few words about smoking. All the details are available in the post Breaking News: Stroke Risk Update.Nutrition Label Update:After 20 years, the Nutrition Facts label is finally getting an update. The FDA released their proposed regulations for the label in April of this year, but those regulations have not yet been finalized. For a look at the history of the Nutrition Facts label, and to get a free infographic of the FDA's revision timeline, along a view of the proposed label, take a look at the post Nutrition Label Getting An Update - See Proposed New Look.New USDA School Snack Rules Go Into Effect:The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Smart Snacks in school rules went into effect this year, and the post USDA School Policy Update: What You Need to Know for Fall has all the details about which rules apply to whom. There are tons of links to materials to help schools follow these guidelines as well.The FDA's Gluten-Labeling Requirements Go Into Effect:The USDA's school snack rules weren't the only ones starting to be enforced in 2014. The FDA's regulations for gluten-free labeling also went into effect. The post, News Update: Gluten Labels offers a guide to using and understanding these rules. Check out the post for a look at what the rules are, who has to follow them, and where to find more information about the policy.FDA Menu Labeling Rule Update:This past November, the FDA released their update to menu labeling rules. There are now rules in place about nutrition information being available at many different restaurants and vending machines too. For the scoop, drop by the post Breaking News: FDA's Menu Labeling Calorie Labeling Rules.Dietary Guidelines for Americans: The Last MeetingLet's end with the news that just came out this month. On December 15h, 2014, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee met for the last time to discuss what will be considered in the final report. Though the final version of that report is still to come, this meeting covered  the findings and recommendations of the DGAC. Get the details in the post Dietary Guidelines News Update. It even has a free handout!Well, that's it for nutrition and health news in 2014! Want resources to start 2015 off on the right foot? Check out these educational materials...