Five-A-Day Is Only Halfway There Now

[Guest guest]

Looks like they are going from 5 to 9, with the suggestion that

veggies be prioritized over fruit.............

crdude35768@...

--------------------------------------------------------------

Five-A-Day Is Only Halfway There Now Wed Sep 4, 7:05 PM ET

By Gardner HealthScoutNews Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthScoutNews) -- Those of you who have been

struggling to eat the recommended five servings of fruits and

vegetables a day, brace yourself.

There's a new message coming from the National Cancer Institute (

news - web sites): Nine a day is what's needed.

" The recommendation is not five-a-day anymore. It's five to nine

servings a day, " says Lorelei DiSogra, director of the 5 A Day

Program at the cancer institute.

Since 1991, both the food pyramid and dietary guidelines have

recommended that people eat at least five servings of fruits and

veggies a day. While five is good, nine is apparently a whole lot

better when it comes to health benefits.

" It's not a new number. It's a range. The range has always been

there, " DiSogra says.

Dietary guidelines recently released by the U.S. Department of

Agriculture ( news - web sites) and the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services ( news - web sites) recommend that children aged 2 to

6 eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day for good health.

Children over the age of 6 should eat six servings; active women and

teens should eat seven, and active teen boys and men should eat nine.

The new numbers are the theme of " 5 A Day " week, which runs Sept. 22-

28. " Eating 5 to 9 and Feeling Fine: Fruits and Vegetables Anytime! "

is the new theme song of the " 5 A Day " Program, which will be

retaining its name.

" After all these years, we decided we needed to start clearly

communicating, " DiSogra says. " We didn't just make this up. It's just

that adults really need to eat nine servings. That's what the science

says. "

The vitamins, minerals, fiber and, especially, the phytochemicals in

fruits and vegetables appear to reduce the risk for heart disease,

hypertension, certain types of cancer, diabetes and other diseases.

Adding fruits and vegetables to your diet can lower blood pressure

quickly and dramatically in just a few weeks.

Americans are actually doing pretty well, eating an average of 4.9

servings a day, according to the cancer institute. However, with more

than 60 percent of adults in the United States overweight or obese,

more fruits and vegetables are definitely going to be better.

The cancer institute is launching a special campaign to reach black

men between the ages of 35 and 50. Blacks have the lowest intake of

fruits and vegetables and the highest rates of many diet-related

diseases such as diabetes. Blacks also have the lowest awareness --

less than 14 percent -- of the importance of this component of the

diet, the cancer group says.

Other groups who lag in their consumption of fruits and vegetables

are school-aged children, teenagers, men aged 20 to 59, and lower-

income and less educated populations.

The final message from the " 5 A Day " folks is that nine a day is not

going to be as tough as you think because servings are smaller than

you think: A cup of cooked fruits or vegetables constitutes one

serving, as does a cup of dried fruit, a cup of 100 percent fruit

juice, one cup of salad or a cup of tomato sauce over pasta.

Although both fruits and veggies are naturally low in calories and

high in fiber and water, try to tilt the balance in favor of the

veggies, says Dawn , a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic

Association and a dietician with Northwestern Memorial Wellness

Institute in Chicago.

" One serving of fruit is about 60 calories, and veggies have about

25. It's about one-third less, " she says. " Try to have two to three

servings of fruit, but then really try to bulk up on the vegetables. "

------ Archives:

http://lists.calorierestriction.org/archives/crsociety.html