"health and nutrition" news and stories

A recent study done at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles studied the diets of normal weight and overweight people and found that the normal weight participants ate more fruit and more fiber each day than their heavier counterparts. The overweight eaters tended to consume more total fat and cholesterol, and fewer carbohydrates. The normal weight subjects ate an average of one more piece of fruit per day.

Scientists are saying that their findings lead them to believe that the composition of the daily diet can make a big difference in obesity levels and though the study was on too small a scale to extrapolate the data to the nation population at this time, it is an indicator that the still-popular high fat, low carb diets may not always be the best choice when looking to lose weight or maintain it. Researchers stress, of course, that there is no "magic formula," but when the formula might involve one more piece of fruit per day, what's the harm in adding it in?

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This week marked the one year anniversary of the MyPyramid website, based on the USDA's "new" food pyramid. The site has been one of the most popular government website with 1.7 billion hits in its first year.

We're all now familiar with the pyramid itself, which has moved away from the idea that one nutrition standard plan fits everyone and to the notion that individuals require their own specialized dietary and healthy eating needs. The website is an interactive site that allows individuals to track and analyze their eating habits and physical activity, and offers guidance based on the President's Healthier US Initiative and current nutrition research.