“Dietary Guidelines Advise Exercise”

 

Update recommends variety of foods, lowering fat, tips for food safety.

 

By Becky Beaupre

 

The first update of American dietary guidelines since 1995 will include a greater emphasis on physical activity and will stress food safety for the first time.

 

The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, to be released Tuesday, recommend that both children and adults get at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day to lower the risk for heart disease, colon cancer and diabetes.

 

“With the advent of computers... we are more sedentary,” said Dr. Jeanette Newton Keith, medical director of the outpatient obesity program at University of Chicago Hospitals.

 

But we don’t have to be, she said, noting that physical activity can mean walking more, taking the stairs instead of the elevator and doing more together as a family.

 

“I think it should be emphasized that physical activity is not just exercise at the gym,” she said.

 

The guidelines, prepared by an expert panel for the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services, also emphasize a diet low in saturated fats, choosing sensible portions and eating a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains, especially whole grains, daily.

 

“I think it’s essential for people to remember that despite all the diets available... what we keep coming back to as a medical community is a balanced lifestyle,” Keith said.  “It’s not easy, but it’s straightforward and simple and it works.”

 

But some experts don’t think the guidelines will make much difference in Americans’ fight against flab, which is a leading health problem.

 

“Do the dietary guidelines help people lose weight?  I would say flat-out no, because they don’t tell people what not to eat,” said Marion Nestle, professor and head of the department of nutrition and food studies at New York University.  “There is no clear message that if you want to lose weight, you have to eat less.”

 

Kelly Brownell, an obesity expert at Yale University, is worried that the “guidelines are getting too complicated.  If people would just eat more fruits and vegetables and less junk food, it would go a long way to improve their health.”

 

When it comes to food safety, the guidelines suggest working to prevent foodborne illness by washing hands and surfaces often; cooking food to a safe temperature; refrigerating perishable foods promptly, and when in doubt, throwing food out.

 

Contributing:  Gannett News Service

 

Chicago Sun-Times, May 29, 2000