Growing Focus On Fruits And Vegetables - health of Americans - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), May, 2001

Experts at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) predict that 2001 will see an ever-greater reliance on vegetables and fruits in the nation's homes, restaurants, and food markets, mirroring the newfound prominence these foods are enjoying in public health policy. A series of recent events has set the stage for this shift in eating patterns:

* Heart and cancer experts joined in placing consumption of fruits and vegetables first on lists of dietary guidelines for prevention.

* The Department of Agriculture (USDA) revised its Dietary Guidelines for Americans to lend added emphasis to consumption of fruits and vegetables.

* The National Cancer Institute reviewed the 5 A Day Program--which encourages people to consume five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables--and called for its expansion.

* The USDA issued a report on the health effects of popular high-protein diets that was highly critical of "fad" regimens, redirecting the nation's attention to diets high in vegetables and fruits.

"Driven by mounting scientific evidence, the national health organizations have retooled their dietary advice by putting fruits and vegetables front and center, where they belong," proclaims Melanie Polk, AICR Director of Nutrition Education. "At the same time, a host of simple new strategies are making it easier than ever for people to take advantage of the tremendous health benefits these foods offer....

"We have reached an important milestone. Today, for the first time, those wishing to lower their risk for the world's three most pervasive and deadly diseases--heart disease, stroke, and cancer--are hearing a single, clear message. The crux of that message is the tremendous disease-fighting potential of diets high in fruits and vegetables."

She points out that the different sets of prevention guidelines have evolved in similar fashion. For years, both AICR and the American Heart Association led off their dietary guidelines with specific advice about the precise percentage of fat Americans should include in their diets, along with admonitions to reduce salt and alcohol intake. As research continued, though, scientists began to suspect that demonizing specific foods was not enough, and that effective disease prevention demanded a more comprehensive approach.

Today, warnings about excessive consumption of fat, salt, and alcohol remain, but they have been placed in a larger context that spotlights positive overall choices about diet and lifestyle. "After all," Polk notes, "healthy diets come with an inevitable bonus: they tend to be lower in fat and salt. That's because meals built around fruits and vegetables effectively push less-nutritious foods to the side."