New 2005 Dietary Guidelines |
|
|
|
|
The new 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Healthy
Americans were released last week by the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The U.S. Dietary
Guidelines are updated every 5 years to reflect the latest scientific
research on health and nutrition.
The report is created by the Dietary
Guidelines Advisory Committee, which is made up of scientific experts who
are responsible for reviewing and analyzing the most current dietary and
nutritional information and compiling it into a scientific, evidence-based
report. Recommendations include a focus on consuming a wide variety of nutrient-dense foods from all the food groups and increasing physical activity. The most nutrient-dense foods are fruits, vegetables and whole-grains. These foods are not only important for obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight, but have also been shown to help prevent many chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Physical activity recommendations start with 30 minutes of
moderate-intensity physical activity on most days, and include
recommendations of up to 90 minutes per day for weight loss. There is also
an emphasis for children to be active and spend 60 minutes engaged in
physical activity each day. Unfortunately, we have a long way to go before we, as a country,
meet the basic guidelines necessary to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Whole Grains: Americans need to triple their intake of
whole grains and reduce the intake of refined grains by 50%. |
|
|Vitamins, Minerals & Herbs Glossary
|
Vitamins & Minerals Chart | |
||
