USDA new guidelines

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has come out with a new set of

dietary guidelines, and they're surprisingly holistic. They're

centered, of course, around the familiar Food Guide Pyramid. But

instead of focusing exclusively on what you should put in your mouth,

the government guidelines advise you to take the " ABC " approach:

- Aim for fitness

- Build a healthy base

- Choose sensibly

In other words, these dietary guidelines include a prominent call for

physical activity and a healthy weight. The purpose: To reduce health

risks associated with the chronic diseases that kill or disable

Americans most frequently--heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes,

stroke, and osteoporosis.

The guidelines go on to advise you to eat from the Food Guide Pyramid,

build your diet on grains, fruits, and vegetables, choose low-fat

foods, and limit your consumption of sugary drinks and sweets. They

bend over backwards to assure you that you don't have to give up

favorite foods. And they remind you to do what Americans need to do

most of all--keep portion sizes sensible, not supersized. For a copy

of the easy-to-use guidelines, go to

http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/Pubs/DG2000/Index.htm