Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.


Americans have a love/hate relationship with food. We love to eat it, but we hate to think about what's best for our health. Last year, a panel of nutrition experts released a set of nutrition guidelines designed to help doctors guide their patients in making better food choices.

Dr. Manisha Chandalia, a nutrition scholar in the Center for Human Nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, says the new guidelines are similar to what doctors have already been telling their patients: Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, eat less fat and cholesterol, and exercise more often. A balanced, sensible diet that incorporates a variety of foods is easier to stick to than a fad diet that limits certain kinds of foods.

Next: starting good nutrition at an early age.

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^March 2006

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