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Date: January 2, 1996 For Immediate Release Contacts: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tom Amontree, (202)720-4623 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Victor Zonana, (202) 690-6343
The federal government today released its new "Dietary Guidelines for Americans," (www.nalusda.gov/fnic/dga/dga95.html) providing easily understood, science-based information on how Americans can choose diets that promote good health.
At a joint press conference, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman and HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala presented the fourth edition of "Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans." The two Secretaries said the new guidelines are more user-friendly, more specific in citing good food sources for specific nutrients, and based on the strongest scientific evidence yet concerning diet and health.
"The 1995 Dietary Guidelines provide sound, no nonsense advice to help American consumers build healthy diets for themselves and their families," Glickman said. "Moderation and variety in food choices are essential to healthy diets. Consumers should look to the bounty of American agriculture, seen in grocery stores and markets across the country, for help planning nutritious, economical and good tasting meals."
"For most Americans who do not smoke or engage in substance abuse, a good, balanced diet is the most important thing we can do for ourselves to promote health and long life," said Secretary Shalala. "A good diet reduces the risk of premature death from our biggest killers -- including heart disease, some cancers, stroke and diabetes. These diseases accounted for about two-thirds of all deaths in our country last year."
Shalala said estimates show that some 300,000 deaths each year are the result of diseases involving poor diet or inadequate physical activity. Among preventable causes, only smoking is associated with more deaths in the United States.
Like their predecessors, the new Guidelines continue to emphasize balance, moderation and variety in foods choices, with special emphasis on grain products, vegetables and fruits. The guidelines include specific examples of foods that deliver given nutrients, including foods available from various cultures.
The new Guidelines put increased emphasis on physical activity, calling for 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity on most (preferably all) days of the week. Physical activities that are cited range from brisk walking or calisthenics to home care, gardening, moderate sports exercise and dancing.
For the first time, the Guidelines recommend that adults maintain their weight in a single healthy range instead of allowing for increasing weight over the years. Overweight affects a third of the American adult population and a quarter of American children.
At the same time, the guidelines caution against crash weight-loss diets, suggesting slow and steady weight loss of about 1/2 pound to 1 pound per week for those who need to lose weight, through physical activity and healthy food choices with lower total calories.
The new Guidelines include instructions on using the recently-implemented Nutrition Facts Label. Together, the nutrition label and the guidelines form a powerful information tool for American consumers.
"These Guidelines cut through the confusion of messages, and the claims and counter-claims that we hear every day about our foods," Shalala said. "They place the latest science in context, and they put the best knowledge we have at the disposal of every American."
The Dietary Guidelines are published every five years, and they provide the basis of the "Food Guide Pyramid." In addition to providing information to consumers, the Dietary Guidelines form the basis for federal nutrition policy and programs.
"The Clinton Administration is committed to implementing the Dietary Guidelines -- the cornerstone of our national nutrition policy -- into federal nutrition programs," explained Secretary Glickman. "Our historic reform to implement the Guidelines in the school meals programs is ensuring healthy school meals for 25 million children. We are working to incorporate the Dietary Guidelines in every nutrition program."
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans were first published in 1980. The law requires that they be updated every five years to incorporate the latest advances in medical and scientific research. These updates are based on the recommendations of the 11-member Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, a group of widely recognized nutrition and medical experts. In 1995, the advisory committee was chaired by Dr. Doris Howes Calloway of the University of California at Berkeley.
The 1995 edition of the Dietary Guidelines makes the following recommendations, all consistent with the advisory committee's report and with previous editions:
The bulletin is available to the public. To order a single copy, send your name, address and $.50 to: Consumer Information Center, Department 378-C, Pueblo, CO 81009.
The Dietary Guidelines may also be downloaded from the Home Page of the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) at www.usda./fcs/cnpp or from the HHS Home Page of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, at www.odphp.oash.dhhs.gov. The Guidelines are also available from the Food and Consumer Service electronic bulletin board at FedWorld by calling (703) 321-3339 from your computer. A backgrounder on the Dietary Guidelines is available from AG NewsFax, USDA's fax-on-demand system, by calling (202) 690-4370 from your fax machine.