BRIDGING THE GAP
BETWEEN
RESEARCH and PRACTICALITY
Dietary Guideline for Americans
The Food Guide Pyramid
Associations' Guidelines
Nutrient Intake Standards
Dietary Guideline for Americans
In 1980 the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(USDHHS) issued a set of recommendations called the Dietary Guidelines
for Americans (Box 2-1). These recommendations, updated in 1985 and
again in 1990 to reflect new scientific data, are directed at healthy to
provide guidance in selecting a diet that will promote health and reduce
the risk of chronic diseases for which there is clear evidence of
dietary involvement.
BOX 2-1 1990 Dietary Guideline for Americans
EAT A VARIETY OF FOODS DAILY
Include these
foods every day: fruits and vegetable; whole-grain and enriched breads
and cereals; milk and milk products; meats, fish, and poultry, and eggs,
dried, and beans; 3 to 5 serving of vegetables; 2 to 4 servings of
fruit; 6 to 11 servings of grains; 2 to 3 servings of dairy products; 2
to 3 serving of meat, fish, poultry, beans, peas, eggs, and nuts.
MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT
Increase physical activity;reduce kcalories by
eating fewer fatty foods and sweets and less sugar, and by using alcohol
sparingly; lose weight gradually.
CHOOSE A DIET WITH PLENTY OF VEGETABLES, FRUITS, AND GRAIN PRODUCTS
Substitute starches for fats and sugars; select
whole-grain breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables, dried beans and
peas, and nuts to increase fiber an starch intake.
USE SUGARS IN MODERATION
Use less sugar, syrup, and honey; reduce
concentrated sweets, like candy, soft drinks, cookies, and the like;
select fresh fruits or fruits canned in light syrup or their own juices;
read food labels (sucrose, glucose, dextrose, maltose, lactose,
fructose, syrups, and honey are all sugar); eat sugar less often to
reduce dental caries.
CHOOSE A DIET LOW IN TOTAL FAT, SATURATED FAT, CHOLESTEROL
Limit overall fat to 30% or less of total
kcalories, with no more than 10% from saturated fat and no more than 10%
from polyunsaturated fat. Choose low-fat protein sources such as lean
meats, fish, poultry, dried peas, and beans; use eggs and organ meats in
moderation; limit intake of fats on and in foods; trim fats from meats;
broil, bake or boil-don?t fry; read food labels for fat content.
USE SALT AND SODIUM IN MODERATION
Reduce salt in cooking; add little or no salt
at the table; limit intake of salty foods like potato chips, pretzels,
salted nuts, popcorn, condiments, cheese, pickled foods, and cured
meats; read food labels for sodium or salt content, especially in
processed and snack foods.
IF YOU DRINK ALCOHOL, DO SO IN MODERATION
Limit consumption of alcoholic beverage
(including wine, beer, liquors, and so on) to one or two drinks per day.
Note: Use of alcoholic beverages during pregnancy can result in the
development of birth defects and mental retardation(fetal alcohol
syndrome).
The Food
Guide Pyramid officially introduced in April 1992, serves two main
purposes. It portrays the Dietary Guidelines in graphic form, and it
replaces the Basic 4 Food Groups, which many of us learned in grade
school, with a food intake standard that more accurately reflects
contemporary nutrition knowledge.
Food Guide Pyramid- A Guide to Daily Food Choices
-Fats, Oils, and Sweets- use sparingly
-Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese- 2-3 servings
-Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group- 2-3 servings
-Fruit Group- 2-4 servings
-Vegetable Group- 3-5 servings
-Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group- 6-11 servings
Personalizing the Pyramid.
How many servings of each food group do I need each day?
The Food Guide Pyramid shows a range of servings
for each major food group. The number of servings you need depends on
how many kcalories you require. This in turn depends on your age, sex,
size, activity level, and whether you are pregnant or breast-feeding.
Note: your personal fat limit includes the fat in the foods you choose
as well as any fat added during cooking or at the table.
Why was the pyramid shape chosen?
USDA studies showed that, of all of the
geometric shapes tested, the pyramid best conveyed the concepts of
proportionally, variety, and moderation.
Proportionality. The ideal diet is composed of
large amounts of grains, fruits, and vegetables with smaller but
necessary quantities of foods from the meat and dairy groups. Food
groups that appear at the same level of the Pyramid, such as the fruit
and vegetable groups, supply similar kinds of nutrients.
Variety. No one food or food group is superior to
another. A variety of foods are needed for a healthy diet. Variety also
minimizes exposure to natural toxins and/or chemical pesticides in
foods.
Moderation. Sweets and fats should be consumed in
moderation.
Are all serving sizes equal?
No. The amount that constitutes a serving
varies from one food group to the next. Serving sizes also differs among
the foods within each food group. To maximize the nutritional value of
your diet, select whole-grain breads and cereals; use low-fat or nonfat
dairy products; choose lean meats; consume at least one vitamin-C rich
food each day and one dark green, leafy vegetable every other day.
Pyramid pitfalls. Does following the Food Guide Pyramid guarantee a
healthy diet?
The Food Guide Pyramid can be a great meal
planning aid for consumers, but it is not perfect. It makes no mention
of the need for sufficient fluid, and it does not provide adequate
information on controlling dietary fat intake. The lack of advice
concerning appropriate fluid intake is a universal problem with food
intake guidelines. This oversight is unfortunate because most people do
not get enough water each day. The American Medical Association (AMA)
believes strongly that inadequate/or inappropriate fluid intake is a
significant contributor to poor health. For this reason the AMA
recommends that Americans make a New Year's health resolution to consume
6 to 10 glasses of water per day.
The major ,pyramid pitfall, concerns its advice
regarding dietary fat intake. First, like the Dietary Guidelines from
which it was developed, the Pyramid recommends that fat constitute no
more than 30% of total kcalorie intake. Most studies show, however, that
for health benefits to be realized, a diet should derive only 20% to 25%
of kcalories from fat. Second, the Pyramid specifies a low-fat diet but
does not indicate which foods are leanest. For example, using the Food
Guide Pyramid, you might choose a bran muffin for breakfast, an egg
salad sandwich for lunch, and a grilled pork chop for dinner, without
realizing that these choices are high in fat. The staff of Eating Well
magazine put the Food Guide Pyramid to the test and found that less
well-informed staffers had trouble picking the lean food alternatives.
To help clarify which foods fit the ,lean, profile, you can use the
Pyramid Food Choices chart in Appendix C and the information about fat
content on food labels.
Pyramid Pointers.
The Food Guide Pyramid was designed to help healthy people age 2 years and older build a nutritious foundation diet. By restricting your intake of fats, oils, and sweets and combining the intake of fats, oils, and sweets and combining the Pyramid with a guideline for produce consumption such as the 5-A-Day Program, you can meet 100% of your nutritional needs. Eating right is easy to do! Start by eating plenty of breads, cereal, rice, pasta, fruits, and vegetables. Add two to three servings of low-fat dairy products and two to three servings of low-fat choices from the meat group.
The National 5-A-Day Program
The National Research Council Food
and Nutrition Board?s 1989 report on diet and health recommends that
people consume a variety of vegetables and fruits each day and include
cruciferous vegetables to ensure that their diet provides ample fiber,
vitamins, and minerals. The Council estimated that a minimum of five
servings of produce a day are required to good health but noted that the
average American eats only half that amount: approximately 2 ? servings
of produce daily. To see whether a public education campaign could
improve produce consumption, the state of California in 1990 launched
the 5-A-Day Program specified classes of produce that people should eat.
The success of California?s pilot program convinced health professional
that all Americans could benefit from hearing the 5-A-Day message.
Accordingly, a National 5-A-Day Program was launched in 1992.
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association's (AHA)dietary
recommendations are aimed at controlling intake of both specific
nutrients (fats and cholesterol) and whole foods (red meat, eggs) to
reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Alcohol consumption also is
discussed. The AHA recommendations for persons over age 2 are:
For optimal health people also need to eliminate
other cardiovascular disease risk factors like tobacco use, excess body
weight, stress, and lack of exercise.
American Cancer Society
Because recent evidence indicates that diet
modification may be one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of
cancer, the American Cancer Society has published the following
recommendations for healthier eating.
Eat more low-fat, high-fiber foods. Specifically, eat more fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.
Decrease fat intake: select lean cuts of meat; trim all invisible fat; bake or broil instead of frying. Choose low-fat or nonfat dairy products.
Use cruciferous and green leafy vegetables often.
To reduce carcinogen intake eat fewer charbroiled, salted, smoked, and pickled foods.
Decrease total fat.
How do scientists determine the amounts of nutrients healthy people need?
Scientists have determined the nutrient
needs of many species of animals and of humans by examining statistical
relationships between nutrient intake and disease, conducting short- and
long-term clinical studies, and studying cellular metabolism. The
dietary recommendations of many nation, as well as those of the World
Health Organization, are based on these research findings.
The federal government in 1941 convened a
scientific committee to develop Recommended Dietary Allowances, or
desirable nutrient intake levels, for healthy individuals. The committee
established separate standards for men, women, infants, children,
teenagers, young adults, and older adults because some nutrient
requirements vary with age and gender. From age 11 on, separate RDA are
given for males and females, reflecting the gender-linked changes in
nutrient requirements that occur at puberty. In addition to providing
for everyday needs, the RDA contains information about desired nutrient
intake during special metabolic conditions such as pregnancy and
lactation. The RDA are based on the best available scientific data.
Because new discoveries are constantly being made, the tables are
updated approximately every 5 to 10 years. The latest version, published
in 1989 contains recommendations for consumption of energy (kcalories),
protein, 13 vitamins, and 12 minerals. The RDA do not
Prompted by mounting evidence that consuming
greater amounts of insoluble as well as soluble fiber can reduce the
incidence of colon cancer and decrease blood cholesterol levels, the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued recommendations for fiber
intake. Americans currently consume an average of 13 g of fiber per day.
While acknowledging that individuals require varying amounts of fiber to
maintain good gastrointestinal function, most experts agree that
Americans should strive to consume between 20 and 35 g of fiber each day
from a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains. Any program to
increase dietary fiber intake should be undertaken gradually to prevent
intestinal problems.
Who uses nutrient intake standards?
Nutrient intake standards were developed to help
professionals determine precise dietary needs of animals, including
humans. These standards then were used as the basis for the food intake
recommendations provided to consumers. In the United States, nutrition
and health professionals-who plan school lunch programs, design food
assistance programs, assess the nutritional content of processed foods,
and evaluate the nutritional adequacy of the nation?s food supply-all
rely on a nutrient intake standard known as the Recommended Dietary
Allowances (RDA). Healthy diets also are planned using such guidelines
as the Dietary Goals for the United States and the National Institute of
Health (NIH) recommendations on fiber.
RDA
give specific recommendations for carbohydrate or fat intake, on the
assumption that people will consume adequate quantities of these
nutrients in the process of meeting their energy needs.
NIH Recommendations for Fiber Intake