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Cardiovascular Conditions / Dietary Goals of the United States
Page: 2
[Press Conference, Friday, January 14, 1977, Room 457, Dirksen Office Building]
STATEMENT OF SENATOR GEORGE McGOVERN
ON THE PUBLICATION OF DIETARY GOALS FOR THE UNITED STATES
Good morning.
The purpose of this press conference is to release a Nutrition Committee study entitled Dietary Goals for the United States, and to explain why we need such a report.
I should note from the outset that this is the first comprehensive statement by any branch of the Federal Government on risk factors in the American diet.
The simple fact is that our diets have changed radically within the last 50 years, with great and often very harmful effects on our health. These dietary changes represent as great a threat to public health as smoking.
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Too much fat, too much sugar or salt, can be and are linked directly to heart disease, cancer, obesity, and stroke, among other killer diseases. In all, six of the ten leading causes of death in the United States have been linked to our diet.
Those of us within the Government have an obligation to acknowledge this. The public wants some guidance, wants to know the truth, and hopefully today we can lay the cornerstone for the building of better health for all Americans, through better nutrition. |
Last year every man, woman and child in the United States consumed 125 pounds of fat, and 100 pounds of sugar. As you can see from our displays that's a formidable amount of fat and sugar.
The consumption of soft drinks has more than doubled since 1960—displacing milk as the second most consumed beverage. In 1975, we drank an average of 295, 12 oz. cans of soda.
In the early 1900's, almost 40 percent of our caloric intake came from fruit, vegetables and grain products. Today (1977) only a little more than 20 percent of calories come from these sources.
My hope is that this report will perform a function similar to that of the Surgeon General's Report on smoking. Since that report, we haven't eliminated the hazards of smoking, nor have people stopped smoking because of it. But the cigarette industry has modified its products to reduce risk factors, and many people who otherwise be smoking have stopped because of it.
The same progress can and must be made in matters of nutritional health, and this report sets forth the necessary plan of action:
1. Six basic goals are set for changes in our national diet;
2. Simple buying guides are recommended to help consumers attain these goals; and
3. Recommendations are also made for action within Government and industry to better maximize nutritional health.
I hope this report will be useful to millions of Americans. In addition to providing simple and meaningful guidance in matters of diet, it should also encourage all those involved with growing, preparing and processing food to give new consideration to the impact of their decisions on the nation's health. There needs to be less confusion about what to eat and how our diet affects us.
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