New diet guide: Count calories and exercise
Government sees chance to change health habits
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government on Wednesday told Americans to slash
their calorie intake 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. The revision will be the
pyramid's first since the Agriculture Department created it 12 years ago.
Issued by the Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments, the
guidelines strengthened 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, the guidelines
said.
"Eating fewer calories while increasing physical activity are the keys to
controlling body weight," the guidelines said.
The government recommended 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.
The new guidelines also encourage people to eat whole fruits and vegetables
rather than fruit and vegetable juices.
The advice is not really new, but the government sees 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 versus juice and refined grains. 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 41/2 cups of fruits and
veggies to maintain his or her weight.
That might sound like a lot, but it's easy to do, said Robert Earl, senior
director for nutrition policy for the National Food Processors Association.
"Let's say you drink a serving of orange juice, you eat a banana, you have
a salad with one of your meals, and at dinner, you have a vegetable," Earl
said. "I'll bet you're at close to 4 cups already, if not more. The
important thing is to move consumers in the right direction."
The panel also said people need to reduce the amount of salt they eat to
about one level teaspoon each day -- salt is linked to high blood pressure
-- and those who drink alcohol should drink in moderation, about one drink
each day for women and two for men.