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Proposal would help consumers target individual dietary needs
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Wednesday moved forward with its plan to refashion its well-known Food Guide Pyramid to help pear-shaped Americans eat less and exercise more.
With two-thirds of Americans either overweight or obese, consumers have largely ignored the government's dietary guidelines and eat too many sweets and fats rather than fruits and vegetables.
"We've got to do something to get a behavioral change," said Eric Hentges, director of U.S. Agriculture Department's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. The USDA and the Health and Human Services are responsible for federal nutrition policy.
Developed in 1992, the Food Guide Pyramid offers a general outline on how much a healthy person should eat each day from the five major food groups. It is the main educational tool used to help consumers interpret the U.S. Dietary Guidelines.
The government, which is working to revise both the pyramid and the Dietary Guidelines by early 2005, on Wednesday called for input from dietitians, nutritionists, academics, industry representatives and other interested professionals.
Under the new pyramid, the USDA will recognize for the first time that most Americans do not exercise regularly.
New brochures and educational materials about the new pyramid may be targeted to consumers with sedentary lifestyles, Hentges said. Americans who are physically active would be encouraged to obtain more specific dietary information through a government Web site.
"Given the sedentary lifestyles of many Americans, it was considered better not to assume any specific level of physical activity," the USDA said.
The USDA said its publications would encourage regular exercise.
New specifications
The current pyramid graphically depicts how Americans should divvy up their food intake each day.
Fats, oils and sweets are at the narrow top of the pyramid with advice to use them sparingly. Dairy and meat products occupy the next tier of the pyramid, with a recommended 2 to 3 servings per day. Next are vegetable and fruits, with a recommended 5 to 9 servings daily. At the bottom of the pyramid is the bread, rice and pasta group, with 6 to 11 servings recommended.
The new pyramid may also use cups and ounces to replace the more vague "servings," the USDA said.
Some nutrition experts were, however, skeptical USDA's efforts would help solve America's obesity epidemic.
"Nobody understands the pyramid anyway," said Marion Nestle, a nutrition professor at New York University. "Until USDA starts giving straight information about foods and diets, it's pretty unlikely that people will understand what they need to do to lose weight."
Under the proposal, the USDA offers significantly more detail on the amount of calories certain groups should consume on a daily basis. Groups are based on age, sex and level of exercise.
The proposed recommended servings of fruits, vegetables, grains, meat and milk are based on 12 calorie levels ranging from 1,000 to 3,200 calories. The current pyramid bases food portions on only three levels -- 1,600, 2,200 and 2,800 calories.
An example, a 25-year-old female who doesn't exercise needs about 2,000 calories per day, while a woman the same age who walks three miles a day needs 400 more calories.
USDA's proposal also takes into consideration recent concerns over trans fats and the benefits of whole grains.
Hentges said the USDA was reviewing every aspect of the Food Guide Pyramid, so consumers can make nutritional choices that are "adequate, but moderate."
Depending on how food groups, consumer advocates and other interested parties respond to the proposal, the pyramid could take a different shape when the revisions are published in February 2005. No new shapes have been proposed, Hentges said.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Wednesday moved forward with its plan to refashion its well-known Food Guide Pyramid to help pear-shaped Americans eat less and exercise more.
With two-thirds of Americans either overweight or obese, consumers have largely ignored the government's dietary guidelines and eat too many sweets and fats rather than fruits and vegetables.
"We've got to do something to get a behavioral change," said Eric Hentges, director of U.S. Agriculture Department's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. The USDA and the Health and Human Services are responsible for federal nutrition policy.
Developed in 1992, the Food Guide Pyramid offers a general outline on how much a healthy person should eat each day from the five major food groups. It is the main educational tool used to help consumers interpret the U.S. Dietary Guidelines.
The government, which is working to revise both the pyramid and the Dietary Guidelines by early 2005, on Wednesday called for input from dietitians, nutritionists, academics, industry representatives and other interested professionals.
Under the new pyramid, the USDA will recognize for the first time that most Americans do not exercise regularly.
New brochures and educational materials about the new pyramid may be targeted to consumers with sedentary lifestyles, Hentges said. Americans who are physically active would be encouraged to obtain more specific dietary information through a government Web site.
"Given the sedentary lifestyles of many Americans, it was considered better not to assume any specific level of physical activity," the USDA said.
The USDA said its publications would encourage regular exercise.
New specifications
The current pyramid graphically depicts how Americans should divvy up their food intake each day.
Fats, oils and sweets are at the narrow top of the pyramid with advice to use them sparingly. Dairy and meat products occupy the next tier of the pyramid, with a recommended 2 to 3 servings per day. Next are vegetable and fruits, with a recommended 5 to 9 servings daily. At the bottom of the pyramid is the bread, rice and pasta group, with 6 to 11 servings recommended.
The new pyramid may also use cups and ounces to replace the more vague "servings," the USDA said.
Some nutrition experts were, however, skeptical USDA's efforts would help solve America's obesity epidemic.
"Nobody understands the pyramid anyway," said Marion Nestle, a nutrition professor at New York University. "Until USDA starts giving straight information about foods and diets, it's pretty unlikely that people will understand what they need to do to lose weight."
Under the proposal, the USDA offers significantly more detail on the amount of calories certain groups should consume on a daily basis. Groups are based on age, sex and level of exercise.
The proposed recommended servings of fruits, vegetables, grains, meat and milk are based on 12 calorie levels ranging from 1,000 to 3,200 calories. The current pyramid bases food portions on only three levels -- 1,600, 2,200 and 2,800 calories.
An example, a 25-year-old female who doesn't exercise needs about 2,000 calories per day, while a woman the same age who walks three miles a day needs 400 more calories.
USDA's proposal also takes into consideration recent concerns over trans fats and the benefits of whole grains.
Hentges said the USDA was reviewing every aspect of the Food Guide Pyramid, so consumers can make nutritional choices that are "adequate, but moderate."
Depending on how food groups, consumer advocates and other interested parties respond to the proposal, the pyramid could take a different shape when the revisions are published in February 2005. No new shapes have been proposed, Hentges said.
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