Junk Food Takes a Hit

By Christine Gorman

You may not care what the government tells you to eat, but you can bet that the $640 billion-a-year food industry pays close attention. So a lot of behind-the-scenes squabbling preceded last week's release by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services of a new set of 10 national nutrition guidelines.

One guideline, for example, was supposed to read "choose beverages and foods that limit your intake of sugars." But after challenges from the sugar industry and a letter of protest to Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman from 30 Senators, the USDA and HHS decided to split the difference. A headline was changed to...MODERATE YOUR INTAKE OF SUGARS, but the stronger advice to "limit your intake of beverages and foods that are high in added sugars" was left in the text.

By contrast, the guideline on sodium unequivocally urges consumers to "choose and prepare foods with less salt." Elsewhere, there's the familiar exhortation to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, plus a new emphasis on eating whole grains, not just highly processed foods like most breakfast cereals and pastas. For the first time, the guidelines stress the importance of daily physical activity, whether or not you are overweight.

Probably the most glaring omission from the guidelines is a clear call to eat less. They say only to choose "a sensible portion size" and "balance calories" with regular physical activity. These quibbles aside, the resulting 40-page document offers solid nutritional advice, provided you read carefully between the lines.

--By Christine Gorman. Reported by Melissa August/Washington

With reporting by Melissa August/Washington