Re: New food pyramid coming

Jeff wrote:
>
> http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-fit-food-pyramid,0,6398873.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines
>
> Government to Unveil New Food Pyramid
>
> By LIBBY QUAID
> Associated Press Writer
>
> April 19, 2005, 7:46 AM EDT
>
> WASHINGTON -- A makeover for the food pyramid -- that triangle-shaped guide
> to better eating -- might renew interest in healthy habits, but officials
> say it likely will take time to make a difference for America's growing
> girth.
>
> "We didn't get to be obese overnight. We're not going to reverse it
> overnight," said Eric Hentges, the Agriculture Department official who is
> overseeing the new pyramid.
>
> After months of revision, a new symbol for healthy habits was being
> introduced Tuesday. The image has been kept under wraps, but the real
> question is whether Americans -- two out of three of whom are overweight if
> not obese -- will follow the new guide no matter what its shape.
>
> People have steadily grown fatter since the food pyramid debuted in 1992. A
> report last month in The New England Journal of Medicine contended that
> obesity, particularly in children, was fueling a reversal in life
> expectancy, shaving four to nine months off the average life span.
>
> The new guide is just one element of a system aimed at making people slimmer
> and healthier, said Hentges, director of the Center for Nutrition Policy and
> Promotion. Also in store are Internet tools to help follow the new
> recommendations, as well as tools to help educators and nutritionists spread
> the word.
>
> "Part of the problem previously was that we had this one symbol, this one
> pyramid, and it was one size fits all," Hentges told agriculture reporters
> last week. "Or it was a misinterpretation. In the case of grain servings, it
> said six to 11 servings. Well, if you're supposed to be eating 1,600
> calories, you never did get to choose these 11 servings of grain.
>
> "Who knows what a serving is?" Hentges added. "It's whatever I put on my
> plate. The servings differ for you than for your spouse, maybe."
>
> This time, to make its advice more understandable, the government will
> switch to cups, ounces and other household measures. The switch was
> recommended in a 70-page booklet, "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005,"
> that was developed by a panel of scientists and doctors and released in
> January.
>
> The guidelines, which were the basis for revising the pyramid, include
> eating 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables a day; eating 3 ounces
> of whole-grain foods a day and drinking 3 cups of fat-free or lowfat milk a
> day.

It is unwise to mix units when quantifying food.

> The government also advises exercising at least 30 minutes a day to
> reduce the risk of chronic disease, even more to prevent weight gain or
> maintain weight loss.

"Exercise is neither necessary nor sufficient for weight loss when
eating is excessive."

> In all, there were 23 general recommendations and 18 suggestions for older
> people, children and other special populations.
>
> That's too much to cram into a symbol that is supposed to be clipped out and
> stuck to the refrigerator, Hentges said.
>
> The Agriculture Department will offer Web pages that let people appraise
> their diet and exercise habits. Such a tool has already been available
> through the agency's Web site; the Interactive Healthy Eating Index has a
> notice on its home page that it will soon be updated.
>
> Even if the symbol and online tools don't motivate people to change their
> habits, they'll still have some healthier choices. Food companies have been
> removing trans fats from their products and adding whole grains because of
> the government guidance.

"It is not the shape of the food pyramid but rather the **weight** of
the food pyramid that has been driving the obesity epidemic."

At His service,

Andrew

--
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist

**
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.

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