January 17, 2005
Hello! The new dietary guidelines have been released. "Aiming straight
at the nation's paunch, the U.S. government
Wednesday told Americans what nutritionists have been saying for
years: Count your calories, get a lot more exercise and make every
mouthful pack a nutritional punch. Those three recommendations
are the guts of the 2005 revision of dietary guidelines that try
to steer a gluttonous nation toward healthier eating habits. The
goal is to reduce dangerously bulging waistlines and prevent heart
disease, diabetes and some cancers." "Count your calories, get a lot more exercise and make every mouthful pack a nutritional punch." "...make every mouthful pack a nutritional punch." A general guideline is a variety of colors in the food on your plate will equal a variety of nutrients your body needs. The more color the more nutrients. This is just a guideline, and "color" refers to those that grow naturally into the plants you will be eating. "Color" does not mean a bowl of cereal full of marshmallows that include Yellows 5&6, Blue 1, and Red 40. "Nutrition research shows that colorful vegetables and fruit contain essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals that your body needs to promote health and help you feel great. Here are the specifics...
Colorful meals make nutritious meals, but how about colorful snacks? "The vending machine
industry, taking heavy criticism as kids and other Americans get
fatter, is launching an anti-obesity marketing campaign to improve
its image and fend off efforts to remove machines from schools.
... [S]oftware evaluates the nutrition content of food based on
calories, fat, sugar, protein, fiber, calcium, iron and vitamins
A and C. A snack is assigned a point value, which is translated
into a color. Green is 'best choice,' yellow 'choose occasionally'
and red 'choose rarely.' For example, a 1.25-ounce package of
cinnamon-flavored Teddy Grahams is a 'green' snack, while a package
of Grandma‚s Chocolate Chip Big Cookies is a 'red' snack.
Critics of the food industry say marketing to children is a major
cause of obesity." The vending machine industry is fighting to stay in schools. If food is color coded, then it will be easier for children (and adults) to make educated choices about what they are getting. With this in mind, one may think that "Teddy Grahams" is the "best choice" for a snack. While I have no doubt that it may be one of the better choices offered in the vending machine, it is still not the best choice. There are bright orange baby carrots that can be snacked quite easily. A bag of blueberries? A container of cantaloupe? Or, there is always the original red, yellow, or green snack choice: "New research suggests
we can all breathe easier -- literally -- by eating an apple a
day. Researchers at the University of Nottingham in the United
Kingdom report that persons eating more than five apples a week
-- the proverbial 'apple a day' -- had better lung function and
lower risk of respiratory disease such as asthma than non-apple
eaters." As for adding healthy fruits and vegetables as snacks and key elements of meals: "Remember that any
amount is better than none, and always be on the lookout for ways
to include more. Focus on lots of different vegetables and fruit,
not the amounts." So, in order to get -- and stay -- healthy, it all comes down to: "...make every mouthful pack a nutritional punch?" What about "Count your calories, get a lot more exercise..."? For more information about "Count your calories," please visit our Question of the Week (archived from August of 2003) that addresses the topic of Serving Size. The Questions for that
week include: And next week, the Question of the Week will: "...get a lot more exercise..." For now, one final quote about the new 2005 revision of dietary guidelines. "... 'The real problem
is that they totally focus on personal responsibility and don't
say anything about how you change the environment to make it easier
to do this -- there's nothing on food marketing, TV ads, or after-school
activities and safe places for kids to play,' Nestle added." Vending machine companies are keeping the red choices in the machines -- but it looks like they may be labeling them to assist you with your choices. The new guidelines are to the point. Eat the right amount, get lots of exercise, and make sure the calories you do choose are packed with the nutrients you body needs. With that said, it is up to people to make choices for themselves. Questions of the Week: Please email me with any ideas or suggestions. I look forward to reading what you have to say. Cindy |
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