© WGHP-TV Greensboro eggs may be considered "safe" according to FDA guidelines.WASHINGTON, DC (WRIC) — You probably already have eggs in your kitchen, but did you know that technically they aren't considered a "healthy" food? However, this may soon change thanks to new federal regulations.
In September, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed updated criteria for defining "healthy" foods to better align with current scientific and nutritional guidelines. The new definition will look at how all the nutrients in food work together to promote healthy eating and overall health.
According to the proposed definition, a "healthy" meal should contain a "reasonable" amount of foods from at least one of the recommended food groups or subgroups in the diet, such as fruits, vegetables, or dairy products, and have certain restrictions. . for saturated fat, sodium and added sugars.
One of the most significant changes to the proposed definitions of "healthy" foods is the removal of dietary cholesterol limits that have historically excluded certain high-fat foods from the list.
With these new definitions, more products can use the "health" claim on their labels, including nuts and seeds, oily fish like salmon, some oils, and of course, eggs.
In guidance published in 2016, the FDA noted that the scientific understanding of nutrition has changed since the first definition of "healthy" in 1993. The changes include an increase in "good fats" such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which have been found to reduce the risk of certain diseases.
The Food and Drug Administration is also developing a symbol that could be placed on food packaging to make it easy for consumers to indicate "safe" status.
The proposed definition is not yet finalized.
Joseph Choi of The Hill contributed to this report.
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