Offering some temporary relief from heated gun control debates, turmoil in the Middle East and dramatic stock market declines, new dietary guidelines were released by the federal government last week.

The latest guidelines include no dramatic new recommendations, but they do target added sugar, urging Americans to limit added sugar to just 10 percent of total daily calories.

The federal Dietary Guidelines, which are updated every five years, also encourage scaling back on meat and boosting consumption of vegetables and fruit, whole grains and fiber.

Nothing in the new guidelines is really new. But the focus on reducing sugar is based on growing evidence linking added sugar to increased risk of obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

The guidelines encourage people to get more of their protein from seafood, beans and other protein foods. The unspoken message is that eating less meat, particularly red meat and processed meats, is a good thing.

Draft versions of the guidelines had spelled out a recommendation to eat less red and processed meat. That message was particularly targeted to teenage and adult men and was also seen as public health and even environmental benefits. But lobbyists for meat producers and other food industry corporate interests turned up the heat in Washington, D.C., to cut out words saying people should eat less meat.

Still, if the guidelines suggest getting more protein from sources other than meat, the conclusion is clear — reducing meat consumption is helpful.

Overall, the headlines from the dietary guidelines is about cutting added sugar. And while added sugar is found in many processed foods, including supposedly granola bars and other so-called healthy snacks, the real target of the new guidelines is seen as sodas and other sugary drinks.

Targeting added sugar, especially in soda, has been an ongoing controversy. There is growing scientific and health data linking added sugar to increased risk for obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

An experiment is under way in Mexico, where a 2013 law imposing a 10 percent tax on sugary drinks seems to be having an effect. The sugary drink tax and a slightly smaller tax on sugary junk food have been in effect for one year and government data shows a six percent decline in soda consumption. In Mexico, that’s encouraging because the country has climbed to the top of the global obesity chart.

There are debates over the new food guidelines, but public health and scientific evidence suggests the new guidelines are on target, especially regarding sugar consumption.

Like everything else today, the new dietary guidelines include a dash of politics, special interests and money. Based on the removal of the earlier wording suggesting cutting back on red meat, some nutritionists say the new guidelines are tainted and ignore scientific evidence. Because of political pressure applied by the meat and soft-drink industry to change the wording, one doctor says the government is betraying the public.

Even with the controversy over editing wording for the final guidelines, the message is clear. Experts agree with food writer Michael Pollan, who offered simple advice a few years ago to “Eat food. (which he defines as real, not processed food). Not too much. Mostly plants.”

The public has been getting the message from Pollan and others. More and more people are moving to generally healthier diets and some big food companies are reacting by working to reduce sugar, salt and empty calories. WalMart has expanded organic and healthy options and the fast food industry is changing to keep up with evolving tastes.

There is still progress to be made in getting Americans to eat healthier, but more and more it seems people see the connection between their health and what they eat.