A Case For Eating Your Vegetables!
We are shortening our lives with horrible food choices, a panel of experts confirmed in a statement.
New U.S. dietary guidelines state that people definitely need to eat more vegetables, less fat and salt and to be more physically active. Moreover, the panel reassures people that they shouldn’t be overly concerned about cholesterol and advise them not to completely avoid eggs.
The American government issues new dietary guidelines every five years in cooperation with an independent panel of experts. The public has 45 days to join in the discussion and then the Health and Human Services Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture issue new guidelines by the end of the year.
The new recommendations are not that different from the ones issued in 2010, according to the committee’s 570-plus page report. Some of the main dissimilarities include the above-mentioned green light given to foods high in cholesterol, and for the first time ever, counseling young people not to consume high-caffeine energy drinks.
Most importantly, the panel urges the federal government to do everything in their power to get Americans to actually follow the guidelines.
“On average, the U.S. diet is low in vegetables, fruit and whole grains and too high in calories, saturated fat, sodium, refined grains and added sugars. About half of all Americans—117 million individuals — have one or more preventable chronic diseases that relate to poor dietary patterns and physical inactivity, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and diet-related cancers. More than two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of children and youth are overweight or obese.”
