Training & Nutrition - Reuters: New Guidelines Say Eat Less Fat and Exercise More

This is one of the Top stories on Yahoo! right now, Is this really news? http://dailynews.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=585&ncid=585&e=9&u=/nm/20020905/sc_nm/health_food_dc

Anyone remember the headline a few weeks ago? "drinking causes people to look more attractive." :lol:

lol...Actually, I think it *is* news. A government sponsored agency of some kind, making recommendations for all Americans to exercise at least an hour a day, and distinguishing between different types of fats (saturated, mono, omega3 and omega6, transfatty acids)? Those may be well-known items to people interested in nutrition and fitness, but I don't remember government recommendations for all Americans reflecting what seems to me fairly current. (I don't think the current food pyramid distinguishes between types of fats, for instance. Or types of carbs, either.)

Given that most of it was quite sensible, given the source, I was a little puzzled by this statement:

"We suggest that no more than 25 percent of total calories should come from added sugars -- essentially soft drinks, pastries, cookies, candy and other foods and beverages to which sugar is added during production."

They want a population to become healthier by throwing away 25% of their daily calories on junk food? :confused:

Oh, well, maybe the 60 minutes of exercise a day will get more people communting on bicycles :)

I finally found the report that this newsreport was based on, it's at http://www.nap.edu/books/0309085373/html/

It looks pretty umm, clinical, it seems to be based on the original report that replaced RDAs/RNIs with DRIs (which I thought happened some years ago, where we started getting the %DVs on food labels), and has expanded on that report (rather than being a completely separate report.)

Just in case anyone has trouble sleeping tonight :)

Here's a quote from the article:

"We recognize that lifestyles of many in the United States and Canada might make this goal seem difficult to achieve," panel chair Joanne Lupton, a professor of nutrition at Texas A&M University, told a briefing.

A more accurate statement would replace the word “lifestyle” with the words “the laziness”.

:eek:

Quoted from the aritcle:

"The panel of 21 scientists and physicians, formed at the request of Congress and various U.S. government agencies and Health Canada, stressed that the guidelines are aimed at healthy people and not designed to help people lose weight."

What's this mean? If you are already healthy and eating and exercising this way keep doing it? If not, wait for some other guidlines?

I recently saw a news story with the earth-shaking revelation that women can live longer if they exercise! Duh... gee, imageine that you'll live longer if you don't sit on your ass all day watching tv or surfing the net. And people get paid to figure this out. There was another study recently that said kids need to get more exercise.

I am always amused by how long it takes the government to get around to advocating the practices of the health-conscious subpopulation. Recent "revelations" include the value of: aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, weight-bearing exercise, dietary fiber, quasi-vegetarianism, Vitamin C, minerals, and Vitamin E.

When Jack LaLane founded one of the nation's first "health clubs" in 1937, the mainstream considered him to be a whacko. How many of his critics are still alive and (VERY) well at age 86?

Originally posted by John E
.....When Jack LaLane founded one of the nation's first "health clubs" in 1937, the mainstream considered him to be a whacko. How many of his critics are still alive and (VERY) well at age 86?

To quote my favorite philosopher Mr William Nelson:
"There more old drunks than there are old doctors, so I guess I'll have another round".:beer:

Jack LaLanne is still alive? Wow. But I keep seeing people who look ten years younger than they are and it's always because they are athletic. Like one guy who I was told raced at master's level. I was "gedouda here!" I thought he was like 27, tops- turns out he's 34. I keep seeing all these cyclists who are in their 50s and 60s and have the physiques of teenagers! Of course being an athlete is no guarantee of perfect health- you can still get cancer or other diseases, but you sure can LOOK a lot younger for longer!