WASHINGTON — An extra cup or two of coffee may be OK after all. More eggs, too. But you definitely need to drink less sugary soda. And, as always, don’t forget your vegetables.

Recommendations Thursday from a government advisory committee call for an environmentally friendly diet lower in red and processed meats. But the panel would reverse previous guidance on limiting dietary cholesterol. And it says the caffeine in a few cups of coffee could actually be good for you.

The committee also is backing off stricter limits on salt, though it says Americans still get much too much. It’s recommending the first real limits on added sugar, saying that’s especially a problem for young people.

Eggs are OKThe report says dietary cholesterol now is “not considered a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.” This follows increasing medical research showing the amount of cholesterol in your bloodstream is more complicated than once thought.The committee says available evidence “shows no appreciable relationship” between heart disease and how much dietary cholesterol you eat, but it still recommends eating less saturated fat.

Watch the added sugarAdded sugars should be around 200 calories a day — about the amount in one 16-ounce sugary drink, says the advisory committee, which is made up of doctors and nutritionists.The recommendation is part of a larger push in recent years to help consumers isolate added sugars from naturally occurring ones like those in fruit and milk. Added sugars generally add empty calories to the diet.Americans now get about 13 percent of their calories from added sugar, or 268 calories a day, the committee says.Older children, adolescents and young adults generally take in more.Sugary drinks should be replaced with water instead of those with low-calorie sweeteners.

Softer on saltSodium adds up quickly. A turkey sandwich and a cup of soup can average about 2,200 milligrams.That’s just under the committee’s recommendation of 2,300 milligrams a day for all people, even those most at risk for heart disease. The 2010 dietary guidelines had recommended those at risk for heart disease limit sodium to 1,500 milligrams.With the average American eating more than 3,400 milligrams daily, the panel recommends at least trying to reduce sodium intake by 1,000 milligrams a day.

Coffee a winnerThe report looks at caffeine for the first time, and says coffee is OK — even good for you. The panel says there is strong evidence that 3 to 5 cups a day can be part of a healthy diet, and there’s consistent evidence that it’s even associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Eat a plantThe panel recommends eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.A plant-based diet is “more health promoting and is associated with less environmental impact” than the current U.S. diet, which is high in meat.The report stops short of telling people not to eat meat, saying “no food groups need to be eliminated completely.”Overall, the panel advises a diet lower in red and processed meat, and in a footnote says lean meats can be part of a healthy diet. The North American Meat Institute criticized the report, saying the health benefits of lean meat should be “a headline, not a footnote.”