Jewish World Review Feb. 16, 2005 / 7 Adar I 5765

Mary C. Curtis

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Consumer Reports


You want me to exercise how much?


http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | I'm sure the departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture meant well when they issued new U.S. dietary and exercise guidelines. How were they to know the goals they set would be enough to send even fit Americans into a funk?

The updated guidelines, at 71 pages, offer 41 recommendations on what to eat and how often to exercise. They spell out the consequences for those who don't quite reach a bar set amazingly high.

What we should be eating can be summarized in one word - roughage. It sounds much better the way the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group, describes moving Americans "towards a more plant-based direction" of whole grains, beans and vegetables.

Like I said - roughage.

I suppose it's possible to make traditional treats more nourishing - pizza with a broccoli and white bean topping.

The report urges Americans to eat less highly processed foods with unhealthy fat, added sugar and too much salt.

All this comes in the middle of a cold spell that makes a body cry out for mashed potatoes, meat loaf and gravy, topped off by an Irish coffee with whipped cream.

I try to eat right and avoid anything with high fructose corn syrup or trans-fatty acids at the top of the ingredient list. However, the printing is so tiny that I can't be completely sure. What happens if I backslide?

For a while, I felt pretty good - even slightly arrogant - about the items in my pantry. When my son was little, I convinced him that cranberry juice and seltzer mixed together was "soda." That caused a brief rift when he discovered Sprite and the truth. It was a small price to pay for instilling healthy eating habits.

But I peeked into my larder after these latest guidelines were published and didn't like what I saw. The hot chocolate that's been my evening reward lists sugar and corn syrup before the cocoa.

I think the real trouble comes with those serving sizes. Who eats just one-quarter of a pint of Ben & Jerry's?

The revised exercise numbers are more discouraging.

Thirty minutes are the minimum if you don't want to keel over suddenly.

That's 30 minutes a day.

To lose weight, double that to 60 minutes. To keep it off, try 90 minutes.

If I get to the gym four times a week for a mix of cardio and weight classes, I think I'm Superwoman. Now I'm worried.

I don't mean to imply that the information isn't important. Snacking America definitely needed a wake-up call.

I especially applaud new efforts to limit advertising sugary treats to children, something other countries have been doing for years.

When confronted with guidelines this strict, though, will a lot of busy folks ask, "who has the time" and just give up?

Here are my suggested guidelines to a healthy life:

Two weeks of granola earns a nice slice of cheesecake.

Five days at the gym, then massage.

As Mary Poppins once sang: A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.

Better make that a spoonful of nonfat yogurt.



Mary C. Curtis is Executive Features Editor/Columnist at The Charlotte Observer. Comment by clicking here.

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