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New Food Pyramid to Emphasize Healthy Carbs
New Dietary Guidelines Offer 10 Steps to a Healthier
You
By
Jeanie Lerche Davis
Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD
on Monday, August 30, 2004
WebMD Medical News
Aug.
30, 2004 -- The new food pyramid will be out soon,
and it's looking very lean.
The
government has released the Dietary Guidelines
for Americans -- as it does every five years --
to shape the nation's long-standing nutrition
advisory, the food pyramid.
"The
focus is very clear ... achieving a healthy weight
and maintaining it," says Cindy Moore, MS,
RD, director of the nutrition therapy department
at The Cleveland Clinic and a spokeswoman for
the American Dietetic Association.
"The guidelines emphasize the type of calories
you consume -- fruits, vegetables, whole grains,
lower-fat milk products -- and that makes a lot
of sense," Moore tells WebMD. "What's
near and dear to my heart, it's educating people
on wise carb choices. Not all carbs are villains.
Many are in fact very good."
Americans
are asked to cut back on sugars, but mostly to
help with weight control.
In
fact, physical activity and weight control take
prominent spots in this year's guidelines. For
the first time, the body mass index (BMI) takes
a front-and-center spot. So does physical activity.
The
food guide's specific messages:
To make sure you get all the nutrients and other
healthful substances you need, choose the recommended
numbers of daily servings from each of the five
major food groups.
Control calorie intake to manage body weight.
Check your weight on WebMD's BMI Calculator. A
healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 25.
Be physically active every day. Adults need
at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity
each day. Children need 60 minutes.
Moderate physical activity is any activity that
requires about as much energy as walking two
miles in 30 minutes.
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables of different
kinds -- at least two servings of fruits and three
servings of vegetables each day. Certain fruits
and vegetable provide more nutrients. Choose whole
or cut-up fruits and vegetable rather than juices,
which contain little or no fiber.
Eating plenty of whole grains, such as whole-wheat
bread or oatmeal, can help protect against many
chronic diseases, and the fiber in these foods
can help you feel full longer. Aim for at least
six servings of grain products, including whole
grain, per day. Older children or teens, adult
men, or active women may need more.
All fats are not created equal. Fats supply
energy and essential fatty acids, and they help
you absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and
K. Limit saturated fats because they increase
the risk of heart disease. However, unsaturated
fats do not raise cholesterol and thus are healthier.
Choose from a variety of healthy fats, vegetable
oils, fish, and dairy products.
Keep saturated fats to less than 10% of your calories
and total fat intake to no more than 30% of calories.
This will also help you keep the amount of cholesterol
you eat each day to less than 300 mg. Choose from
low-fat and lean foods to help cut back on saturated
fat.
Limit daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg
to reduce the chance of developing high blood
pressure. People with high blood pressure and
people at higher risk of developing high blood
pressure, such as blacks and older adults, may
need to cut back even more.
Limit foods containing added sugars, which provide
extra calories but few vitamins and minerals.
Watch out for foods that have added sugars in
them.
If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. This
means one drink per day for women and two for
men. One drink is 12 ounces of regular beer, five
ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled
spirits. Drinking more than this can raise the
risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and certain
types of cancer.
These
recommendations will be prepared as reports for
the secretaries of Agriculture and Health and
Human Services. When approved, they will be used
to update the food pyramid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCES:
Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Cindy Moore,
MS, RD, director of the nutrition therapy department,
The Cleveland Clinic; spokeswoman, American Dietetic
Association.
©
2004 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.
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