The Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) know that many Americans must make significant changes in their eating habits and lifestyles in order to prevent and overcome the chronic diseases and conditions that compromise our quality of life and well-being. These ever increasingly common diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, and certain cancers, can all be prevented with diet and physical activity.

On Wednesday, January 12, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rolled out the new dietary guidelines for 2005. The Dietary Guidelines provide information and advice for choosing a nutritious diet, maintaining a healthy weight, achieving adequate exercise, and “keeping foods safe” to avoid food-borne illness.

Tommy Thompson, HHS secretary stated, "[The new guidelines] are a prescription we can write for ourselves, fill for ourselves, and be healthier and happier for it. Our best medicines are no farther away than the shelves of the grocery and the sidewalks outside our doors."

With the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, gone are the days of the food pyramid and only five servings of fruits and vegetables per day! The new guidelines now recommend 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, with more emphasis on whole grains and low-fat dairy and a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity most every day of the week.

In summary, the 2005 guidelines stress eating fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products; limiting saturated fats, sugar, alcohol, and salt; and getting plenty of exercise. The guidelines aren't significantly different from past guidelines; however, USDA Secretary Ann Veneman, states that the 2005 guidelines have additional science backing them up.

As stated in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, poor diet and physical inactivity result in an energy imbalance where more calories are consumed than expended, resulting in overweight and obesity. The new guidelines “will help Americans choose a nutritious diet within their energy requirements…[and] assist many Americans in living longer, healthier, and more active lives.”

Oddly enough, our preoccupation with fad diets, for example, the low carb craze, is proof that we are working our way in the right direction. With so many diet books becoming best sellers, it's clear that the public is searching for information on leading healthier lifestyles. The goal of HHS and USDA is to make this important information readily available to and understandable for the general public.

Some key points from the 2005 Dietary Guidelines are:

• Consume a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables while staying within energy needs. Two cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables per day are recommended for a reference 2,000-calorie intake, with higher or lower amounts depending on the calorie level.

• Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. In particular, select from all five vegetable subgroups (dark green, orange, legumes, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables) several times a week.

• Consume 3 or more ounce-equivalents of whole-grain products per day, with the rest of the recommended grains coming from enriched or whole-grain products. In general, at least half the grains should come from whole grains.

• Consume 3 cups per day of fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent milk products.

According to Thompson, "The guidelines are a combination of good science and common sense.”

America , a country with no shortage of get-(fill in the blank with rich, slim, happy, healthy, smart)-quick remedies has been endlessly searching for a weight-loss remedy that does not involve a lifestyle change. “There is not going to be a pill,” affirmed Tommy Thompson. “And that means that weight-loss and good health, though attainable, do not, nor ever will, come from a bottle.”

So if you want to look better and feel better, there is no better time to change than now. You can become healthier, lose excess weight, and avoid weight-gain by following the guidelines laid out by the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

WebMD Health, a comprehensive online resource for all health related issues, provides eight simple instructions to help us achieve our health and weight-loss goals:

1. Learn how to read food labels.
2. To get your daily calorie allotment, eat good foods. Don't focus on just one kind of food, or consistently avoid any nutritious kind of food.
3. To keep your weight the same, don't eat or drink more calories than you burn. Maintain a balance of calories -- what you eat to those you burn. To lose weight over time, eat a little less -- and exercise a little more -- every day.
4. Get regular exercise. It's good for your body and good for your mind.
5. Recommended foods:
• 2 cups of fruit every day
• 2.5 cups of vegetables every day
• Variety of vegetables
• 3 ounces or more of whole-grain foods every day
• 3 cups of fat-free or low-fat dairy foods every day
6. Avoid fats.
7. Carbs aren't all bad. Choose fiber-rich fruits and vegetables and whole grains and avoid sugary and starchy foods and beverages
8. Avoid salt, and increase potassium.

Conclusion:

Eat fewer calories, be more active, and make wiser food choices!

Sources:
Health.gov
WebMD

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Sources:
NOW