Interesting read. And I'm not trying to start a flame war, really. Knowledge is the key to success (when tempered with all the other personal good quality traits) so any thing that can improve our lives and our health is worth discussing - even on an Arranger Keyboard Forum. So here ya' go...

Trimming diets a super-size job
Thu Jan 29, 9:40 AM ET Chicago Tribune


By Andrew Martin Washington Bureau

In trying to persuade Americans to slim down and eat more vegetables, the federal nutrition gurus who are redesigning the government's Food Guide Pyramid face a formidable task.

While glitzy diet plans remain perennial best sellers, most Americans are inactive and overweight. While nutritionists push broccoli and water, television advertising dangles snacks and beer. And while U.S. agriculture policy subsidizes and promotes such products as sugar and cheese, it offers little or no assistance to fruit and vegetable growers.

Facing this reality, the man who is overseeing the first redesign of the nation's ubiquitous nutrition symbol said Wednesday that his team is considering a radically different approach as an alternative to the Atkins and South Beach diet plans.

Eric Hentges, executive director of the Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, said the revised pyramid may offer 12 diet plans ranging from 1,000 calories a day for children to 3,200 calories a day for athletes. The current structure is tailored to just three levels of calorie intake.

"If you are a 1,600-calorie model, you shouldn't be eating what the 2,800-calorie model does," he said at a meeting to discuss the nation's nutrition policy.

Besides tailoring diets, Hentges said his agency also hopes to make the Food Guide Pyramid easier for consumers to use by providing such things as a Web site to get customized information. While specifics of the diet plan remain a work in progress--officials are not even sure the new guide will retain the pyramid shape--Hentges said he expects some "bold" recommendations to change Americans' eating habits.

For instance, sedentary men between 31 and 50 of age would be urged to quadruple consumption of dark green vegetables and legumes, triple the amount of whole grains eaten and double the intake of orange vegetables. They would also be encouraged to cut their consumption of starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, and solid fats by half.

Similarly, inactive women in the same age bracket would be encouraged to triple their consumption of dark green vegetables and whole grains as well as double their intake of orange vegetables and legumes. They would also be warned to cut solid fats by half and starchy vegetables by a third.

"We have our work cut out for us," Hentges said. "This is still a work in progress."

Pyramid goes unheeded

Underlying the effort is a major shift in the goal of the Food Guide Pyramid. It was conceived as a simple nutritional marker, telling Americans to eat so many servings of vegetables, dairy products, grains and so on to remain healthy. The government unveiled the current chart in 1992.

But with nearly two-thirds of Americans now overweight and few signs that the trend is ebbing, Hentges said there has been a realization that the federal government needs to do a better job selling its nutritional guidance. Surveys have shown that 80 percent of Americans recognize the pyramid, but far fewer heed its advice.

"I believe that a lot of individuals are aware that they would like to lose weight," Hentges said. "People are doing things nutritionally, whether it is turning to the latest books on diet issues or whether it's turning to [dietary] supplementals or botanicals.

"I believe we [the government] have not offered the equivalent," he said. "We have offered the guidance but we have not offered the implementation as well."

Kelly Brownell, director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders at Yale University, said he worries that the food industry will have too much say in restructuring the pyramid, which he says has historically been the case in federal nutrition programs. He noted that much of the government's rhetoric about obesity emphasizes exercise and personal responsibility--messages that the food industry favors--instead of people reducing their consumption.

Advocating healthy foods

In addition, Brownell said the government needs to devote more money to its nutrition programs, suggesting it hire basketball star Shaquille O'Neal and singing idol Britney Spears to tout vegetables on television rather than fast-food and sugary soft drinks.

"I worry that the final pyramid, no matter how good, will have little impact because the government devotes few resources to promoting healthy eating, while the food industry spends massively to encourage people to eat unhealthy food," Brownell said.

Stephanie Childs, a spokeswoman for the Grocery Manufacturers of America, said urging consumers to eat more vegetables is a worthy message as long as the overall dietary guidelines are practical.

"There's the scientific facts of what it takes to be healthy and then there's reality," she said. "I think the key word here ... is that all these changes have to be realistic."

Childs said it did not make sense to demonize certain foods. Rather, she said, the revised guide needs to give Americans creative ways to incorporate more healthy food into their diet.

The changes in the Food Guide Pyramid, due out early next year, comes as the federal government is attempting to address the surge in obesity on several different fronts. The Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites), for instance, is expected to announce revisions to the "Nutrition Facts" label on the side of food packages to help Americans to make healthy choices.

Meanwhile, a panel of academic experts is participating in a review of Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the blueprint for federal nutrition policy that is revised every five years to reflect the latest science. The recommendations are expected later this year and will be used to shape the Food Guide Pyramid.

225 letters offer advice

Hentges said his agency had received 225 letters commenting on the proposed changes, which were published in the Federal Register in September.

"The public's response was clear and to the point," Hentges said. "What the public wants from us is direct, common-sense advice on what and how much to eat."

For instance, many suggested that the Food Guide Pyramid use common household measures such as cups or ounces instead of the vague "serving." They also urged that the chart promote whole grains and differentiate between good fats and those that are considered unhealthy, such as trans fat, he said.

Hentges said he does not expect the food guide to immediately reverse the obesity trend, since most people gain weight by slowly adding more calories to their diet. Instead, he said changes would come in small steps.

For example, he has started wearing a pedometer to force himself to walk more each day.

"I don't think that we are going to be successful with some revolutionary tactic. We're going to have to reverse it the same way we got there," Hentges said.

Best regards,
Mike

This certainly is turning into a forum for everyone to vent their biased self righteous opinons on off topic CRAP, and less and less like a music forum. It's starting to get real old too.
Terry



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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

Terry,

You've got a point, and I somewhat agree with you so, I'm not going to share anymore info about movies I like.

Every now and then a deviation is funny and gets me laughing. I sure we can all agree that we need to laugh more.

There are many posts I don't even waste time looking at. Like all the hightech stuff posted here . I have no interest what-so-ever in high tech. It has nothing to do with showing me how to entertain and make money and that is my primary purpose in coming here. If it weren't for that reason I wouldn't be here because I have a one track mind about improvising. I try sax forums etc., but it seems there are more beginners there and no real pros.

It'd be nice If Sonny Rollins, Johnny Griffin etc. had a place to share knowledge. There are secrets to playing jazz.

One book I've read that is straight forward and simple in it's approach to jazz improvisation is called, "Inside Outside" by Bunky Green. I learned more about the subject of jazz Improvisation reading the first 10 pages then I've learned in over 30 years on this subjest. I wish I would have read it 30 years ago.

So let's have more solo gigging and arranger info here guys, eh?

A laptop with some stuff on it for me to play my ax is high tech enough for me.

I'm not saying not to post about high tech stuff, I'm just saying I probably will not read it. To each his own.

This is the best advice, if you're not interested in a topic and you're gonna get mad, don't read it.

I've yet to see Nigel ask to refrain from OT post because we might run out of GIGABYTES or whatever.


Stay cool friends. Do like me and Dave and never give rebuttal and voice your comments against a topic.


[This message has been edited by brickboo (edited 01-29-2004).]

What, no more kielbasa and kraut talk? How boring. You can always skip the OT stuff. Different strokes for different folks, and so on and so on......

It's not so much the off topic, it's that everyone turns it into a pulpit preaching their brand of truth and righteousness rather than to discuss the off topic, without slamming someone else.
Terry

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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

[This message has been edited by trtjazz (edited 01-29-2004).]

Terry and Brickboo,
You are absolutely right. I apologize, and regret my outburst. I have deleted my posts.
Starkeeper

But Terry this thread is actually titled OT but you read it all the same. Did you want to read an OT thread or not ??? You not only read it but took the time to post on it as well. You can't say you weren't warned.

Nigel
Again, it's less the OT as it is it almost always now has someone or several someones taking the opportunity to lay in judgement of others.

Adults can discuss, debate, express differences of opinions in an adult fashion, without slamming someone else can't they?

We are all here on this forum primarily for our common ground, music. Like friends do, we can talk about many things and should. All I was talking about is it gets old for someone to make themselves feel superior at the expense of other members.
Terry

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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

Guys,

Now don't take this personally, but suppose someone makes a comment about a subject like, let's don't say adultery, because like some other things in today’s world, some people don't think it's wrong. As a matter of fact many brag about it. Right? So, don’t take offense at anything here. Why?

Because according to many ill informed psychiatrist, nothing is wrong. So one shouldn't get offended at anything because nothing is wrong.

It seems to me that this philosophy will obviously spread so that maybe in the future even stealing and assault and murder won't be wrong either because you were born that way. Thus it isn't wrong, it's just the natural thing for you to do, beings you were born that way.

Commenting on something as wrong, that may offend another person is not the problem! The problem is convincing yourself and teaching your children that nothing is wrong, is what’s going to be the destruction and failure of any peoples.

It doesn’t matter what religion you belong to or even if you have no religion. Also, it doesn’t matter what god you believe in, or if you’re an atheist. Again let me repeat that. The problem is convincing yourself and teaching your children that nothing is wrong, is what’s going to be the destruction and failure of any peoples.

And that is a fact of life. Live it friends.

Notice I'm avoiding this string like a disease. Rather talk about MUSIC.
DonM

Damned,

I'm gonna' mix up a fresh batch of Kickapoo Joy Juice, pour it over some ice cubes, and read the other stuff!

Cheers,

Gary

Hey, if we are going to argue lets argue over music.
Smokey

Terry,
That statement contradicts your own words in a subsequent post - "laying in judgement of others".
What makes it's crap?
Who makes the call?
Nigels right - we can avoid reading the ones we don't care for. I read less and less these days. I especially don't care to read real long posts that look like they were reprinted from the news. I loose interrest very fast.
Still, I suppose it's my choice.