Govt urges Americans to cut calories
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| Fri, 01-14-2005 - 5:32pm |
Gov't Urges Most Americans to Cut Calories
New Food Pyramid Guidelines Urge Most Americans to Cut Calories, Boost Exercise
The Associated Press
Jan. 12, 2005 - The government on Wednesday urged most Americans to eat fewer calories and exercise 30 to 90 minutes a day, updating guidelines that advised people to lose weight but gave few specifics on how to do it.
The new dietary guidelines will be used to update the familiar food pyramid, which most people recognize but few heed. That revision, expected in the next couple of months, would be the pyramid's first since it was created 12 years ago. Among the possibilities: the pyramid could give way to a different shape.
Federal officials acknowledged that much of the advice will not be new to Americans, who spent millions on diet books trying to lose weight.
"It's really common sense. Do you want to look better? Do you want to feel better?" Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said. "You lower your calorie intake, you lower your carbs, your fats. You eat more fruits and vegetables, and you exercise. That's as simple as it can be. That is not too hard."
Thompson noted that two in three Americans are overweight or obese and suggested that the guidelines are well timed, coming in January, soon after many have made New Year's resolutions to live healthier lifestyles.
The guidelines, developed by HHS and the Agriculture Department, strengthen the government's advice on whole grains, telling people to choose whole grains such as whole wheat bread instead of refined ones like white bread or bagels.
People should also eat a lot more vegetables and fruit, particularly whole fruits and vegetables rather than juices, the guidelines said. And they recommend three one-ounce servings of whole grains each day, such as certain unsweetened breakfast cereals, to reduce the risk of heart disease and help maintain weight.
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said the popularity of diet books and products shows that "Americans are interested in leading healthier lives, but they want credible, consistent and coherent information to help them make the best possible choices."
Thompson added that people should not assume that researchers at the National Institute of Health are going to come up with a miracle diet pill.
"Every American is waiting for NIH to come up with that pill," he said. "It's not going to happen."
The government's advice is not really new, but officials see the guidelines as an opportunity to change people's ways.
"It has been a big problem in the past that basically, the federal government has published a booklet and then crossed their fingers and hoped that Americans ate better," said Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a health advocacy group.
"That's clearly not been enough. What we need is significant investment in programs and changes in policy and the food environment that help Americans to eat better and watch their weight," Wootan said.
The guidelines were based on recommendations of a 13-member panel of scientists and doctors who spent nearly a year reviewing Americans' diet and health.
The committee said people lead sedentary lifestyles and choose their food poorly, leading many to exceed the calories they need even as they fail to get enough nutrition.
Controlling calories not limiting carbohydrates, as some popular diets recommend is key to controlling weight, the panel said.
Also key is daily exercise. The panel recommended a minimum of at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise brisk walking or gardening on most days.
But it said many adults need to exercise for 60 minutes or more to prevent weight gain, and people who have lost weight may need to exercise for 60 to 90 minutes to keep it off.
The panel said to choose fats and carbohydrates wisely. That means severely restricting trans fat that can clog arteries and eating fiber-rich whole fruits and whole grain breads. People should eat five to 13 servings each day of fruits and vegetables, depending on their age and level of activity, the panel said.
The committee recommended cups rather than serving sizes in many instances; by this measure, the average person would need 4 1/2 cups of fruits and veggies to maintain his or her weight.
The panel also said people need to reduce the amount of salt they eat to about one level teaspoon each day, because salt is linked to high blood pressure. It said those who drink alcohol should do so in moderation, about one drink each day for women and two for men.
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Copyright 2005

Wow interesting! I cant believe what a big deal weight loss is now. From what I saw it started when atkins and south beach became really popular. Then it was all about losing weight. Right now it is just insane, its like the biggest trend! (and for good reason)
I am so glad that when i have kids, i will know to teach them how to eat right. I never want them to grow up how my husband and I did.
Interesting. I think the switch to "cups of" instead of servings of will help alot of people. (Case in point, I used to know someone who was not joking as she heaped a plate full of spagetti noodles onto her plate, dumped on sauce and then complained, "I don't get why I'm always gaining weight. I never eat more then one serving of breads and grains at a meal. Once in a blue moon I have two, IF I have garlic toast...)
What frustrates me though is the government's inability to see how what they say with their mouths as important is not backed up by their actions... Due to cuts and the "no on gets left behind program," do you know how few schools have regular gym time now????
Anyway... great read! Thanks for posting it!!!!!!!!!!!
~C
When my kids were in elementry they were allowed one 20-minute recess EACH WEEK!
I just kept telling them that was not enough for higly active children and children with ADD....But they responded well they are allowed to go out after lunch each day and play.
What they did not mention was that lunch was 35 minutes long and it takes a good 10 or 15 minutes to get through the long lines. Then the child who wants to go out and play has to learn how to wolf down thier food to have a play time. This is a bad thing. Eat slow...fill up faster....results eatting less.
Government needs to listen to the teachers most of them do know best.
Sussie_Q
When I went to school we had recess 3 times a day...in the morning, after lunch, and in the afternoon. I loved recess!
And I had forgotten to say in my last post on this subject that if the kids get in trouble at school guess what they take away??? RECESS!
Texas schools are piss poor. We do have lots of good teachers who will on the sly, tell you how it really is and I feel sorry for them. And some of our kids are horrible. They truely earn thier meeger pay checks.
I think before long everyone will have to home school so the kids can learn something.
Sussie_Q
I agree with that, Sussie. I live in Texas, and while none live with us now, when my husband's oldest daughter did live with us, we homeschooled.
At one point, we succumbed to pressure to put her back in public school, and we learned to regret that decision within a few weeks. Aurora came home from school one day with a note from the teacher stating that she got in trouble for yelling across the classroom. I asked her why she had yelled across the classroom, she told me she had been trying to talk to her friend. I told her that recess was the time to be chatting with her friend, not class time. She said, "We don't have recess, Mommy." I thought she was making it up, but she insisted. I called the school the next day and the principal confirmed what my daughter had told me, the kids could not be supervised well enough, so they went to the gym after lunch for "silent reading time." I told her that I thought it was dumb not to give kids an outlet for their energy, then went on with life.
The next week, my daughter brought home another letter that she was talking across the classroom. I told her that I was sorry that she didn't get a recess, but she needed to reserve her conversations for the lunch room. She said, "I can't talk to her during lunch, Mommy, we're not allowed to sit together." I thought she had done something wrong and this was the punishment, so I asked her what she had done that she received this consequence, she told me, "All of the kids sit boy, girl, boy, girl, in the cafeteria and noone is allowed to talk." I thought she was really pulling my chain this time. I went to the school the next morning and asked to speak with the prinicipal, who again, confirmed my daughter's story, "These children can be dangerous, many of them come from a rough neighborhood, if we don't keep order and peace, there will be fights." I told her I was taking my daughter home to homeschool her. She countered, "But she needs socialization!" I said, "What socialization are you giving her?! She just sits in a classroom with other children, that's not socializing!"
That was the end of our public school foray. Never again will a child that I am responsible for attend public school.
Andrea
Oh Yeah...I had forgotten that one....can't talk during lunch. It pissells me off.
Sussie_Q