New Diet Guidelines: More fruit, veggies, exercise!

(AP) - That food pyramid could get a little wider in the fruits and vegetables section. A federal advisory panel recommended Wednesday that Americans eat five to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, compared with the five to nine servings now recommended.

The panel is developing an update of 4-year-old dietary guidelines that will form the basis for revisions to the Agriculture Department’s familiar food pyramid.

The goal is to help change their habits, said Eric Hentges, executive director of the Agriculture Department’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. While about 80 percent of Americans recognize the pyramid, only about 2 percent to 4 percent apply its principles, he said.

“We’ve got good science,” Hentges said. “Our challenge is to implement this into good policy.”

Hentges said the final report would include lists and charts to help people apply the principles.

Food processors have already taken some steps that will bring them in line with the new dietary plans, with some products already dropping trans fats, Hentges said. The committee wanted as little as possible in foods, because they have been linked to higher cholesterol levels, which raise the chance of heart attack.

The recommendations urge greater consumption of fiber, which is found in whole-grain foods, and say most people should drink three cups a day of milk — albeit nonfat or lowfat.

Focus on overweight

Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and that was a chief concern of advisers during their daylong meeting. They sought ways to help people avoid diabetes, heart disease and other diseases that result from people carrying too much weight.

The panel said adults ought to do at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week; even better would be 60 minutes. The guidance has been that people ought to be physically active each day.

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