A new report commissioned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration makes a number of recommendations aimed at addressing the obesity epidemic.
The 136-page report prepared by The Keystone Center, an education and public group based in Keystone, Colo., made some obvious suggestions such as cutting portion sizes; marketing more low-calorie foods and making them more available; and increasing fruits and vegetables.
I need to look at the report in more detail, but it does make one very interesting finding, of which you may already be aware: Americans consume one-third of their daily calorie intake outside the home.
That’s why it’s so important for restaurants to start doing things like shaving down those humongous portions, offering better-quality foods, adding fruits and veggies to meals, and even offering a calorie count to their meals.
The report also pointed out that as of 2000, the average American took in 300 more calories a day than was the case 15 years earlier, according to Agriculture Department statistics cited in the report.
This is a good first step for the FDA to fund such a report.
“We must take a serious look at the impact these foods are having on our waistlines,” said Penelope Slade Royall, director of the health promotion office at the Department of Health and Human Services.
When Americans dined out in 2005, guess what topped the last?
Hamburgers, french fries and pizza, according to The NPD Group, a market research firm.
A side salad was the # 4 choice for women, but # 5 choice for men, according to the eating pattern study.
Join me in taking a closer look at this study.