Authorities have called the American diet "pathogenic." The foods we eat contribute to the current epidemics of tooth decay, obesity, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and cancer. Increasing medical evidence links Americans' high fat diet to heart disease, stroke, and certain forms of cancer. Our growing consumption of sugars causes tooth decay, which costs Americans three billion dollars a year in dental bills alone. Government agencies and health organizations are urging Americans to improve their health by changing their diets. Here, at last, is a clearly written account of what we are eating now and what Americans ate in the early 1900s, putting dietary changes in perspective. - Back cover.

Written and organized to be accessible to a wide range of readers, Improving America's Diet and Health explores how Americans can be persuaded to adopt healthier eating habits. Moving well beyond the "pamphlet and public service announcement" approach to dietary change, this volume investigates current eating patterns in this country, consumers' beliefs and attitudes about food and nutrition, the theory and practice of promoting healthy behaviors, and needs for further research. The core of the volume consists of strategies and actions targeted to sectors of societyâ€"government, the private sector, the health professions, the education communityâ€"that have special responsibilities for encouraging and enabling consumers to eat better. These recommendations form the basis for three principal strategies necessary to further the implementation of dietary recommendations in the United States.

During the past decade, tremendous growth has occurred in the use of nutrition symbols and rating systems designed to summarize key nutritional aspects and characteristics of food products. These symbols and the systems that underlie them have become known as front-of-package (FOP) nutrition rating systems and symbols, even though the symbols themselves can be found anywhere on the front of a food package or on a retail shelf tag. Though not regulated and inconsistent in format, content, and criteria, FOP systems and symbols have the potential to provide useful guidance to consumers as well as maximize effectiveness. As a result, Congress directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to undertake a study with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to examine and provide recommendations regarding FOP nutrition rating systems and symbols. The study was completed in two phases. Phase I focused primarily on the nutrition criteria underlying FOP systems. Phase II builds on the results of Phase I while focusing on aspects related to consumer understanding and behavior related to the development of a standardized FOP system. Front-of-Package Nutrition Rating Systems and Symbols focuses on Phase II of the study. The report addresses the potential benefits of a single, standardized front-label food guidance system regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, assesses which icons are most effective with consumer audiences, and considers the systems/icons that best promote health and how to maximize their use.

“Reading Richard Pillsbury’s remarkable No Foreign Food, like the grand opening of a new restaurant in one’s neighborhood, is an exciting and pleasurable event. He engagingly chronicles the amazing diversity of America’s food ways that are so central to our history and culture, but he also tells us why our eating habits are much more than mere gastronomic experiences.” Karl Raitz UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY “No Foreign Food is the only serious up-to-date treatment of American food habits that I know—a subject unaccountably neglected by most students of the American scene. In Pillsbury’s skillful hands, American food habits become more than just a set of cranky likes and dislikes, but instead a mirror to America’s larger culture. ... It is an indispensable book for any serious student of the American scene.” Pierce Lewis PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY No Foreign Food explores the evolution and transformation of the American diet from colonial times to the present. How and why did our bland colonial diet evolve into today’s restless melange of exotic foods? Why are Hoppin’ John, lutefisk, and scrapple, once so important, seldom eaten today? How has the restaurant shaped our daily menus? These and hundreds of other questions are addressed in this examination of the changing American diet.

Did you know that the leading killer in America, cardiovascular disease, is directly linked to meat consumption? Or that you save more water by not eating one pound of beef than you would by not showering for a whole year? Diet for a New America simply and eloquently documents these ecological concerns and more, as well as the little-known horrors that animals experience during factory farming. Few of us are aware that the act of eating can be a powerful statement of commitment to our own well-being, and at the same time to the creation of a healthier world. In Diet for a New America, you will learn how your food choices can provide ways to enjoy life to the fullest, while making it possible that life, itself, might continue. Heeding this message is without a doubt one of the most practical, economical, and potent things you can do today to heal not only your own life, but also the ecosystem on which all life depends. Reading this book will change your life.

Based on a five year study, here is the lifetime family diet that can prevent or reverse atherosclerosis, heart disease, high blood pressure, diet-related cancers, and other degenerative diseases, and encourage easy, permanent weight reduction.

Unbelievable, impossible--but true! Based on the latest nutritional and environmental science, The New American Diet will turn modern weight-loss thinking on its head, and change the way you eat, look and live--for good! In this groundbreaking new 6-week weight-loss plan, based on the latest research and test-driven by 400 people--men and women who lost an average of 15 pounds in just 6 weeks!--authors Stephen Perrine and Heather Hurlock expose the truth about scores of recently discovered obesity-causing chemicals lurking in the American diet, chemicals so hazardous to our weight that researchers have coined a new phrase for them: "Obesogens." The New American Diet unveils the first diet plan to reverse "the obesogen effect" and strip off 10, 20, 30 pounds or more! Discover why your weight isn't your fault, and why calories eaten and calories burned are only the beginning of the story. Learn how to lose weight while eating all your favorite foods--steak, pasta, ice cream and even chocolate--by breaking free of the "Old American Diet" myths that are keeping us fat.

Weight loss for grownups! Drawing on the NIH/AARP Diet and Health Study, the largest-ever survey of American diet and lifestyle Complete with three prescriptive weight-loss plans, the AARP New American Diet helps you lose up to 10 pounds in 2 weeks while staying vital, happy, and healthy for a lifetime. Author John Whyte, MD, Chief Medical Expert for the Discovery Channel, reveals surprising new research insights, such as the fact that drinking diet soda and eating fat-free foods can actually lead to weight gain. Filled with practical advice and listing the top 25 diet busters and the top 25 diet boosters, this breakthrough book combines the best of the Mediterranean diet and the American diet and includes up-to-the-minute guidelines on meat, alcohol, fat, sugar, and fiber consumption. Drawing on the NIH/AARP Diet and Healthy Study, the largest-ever research project on American diet and lifestyle Packed with simple, practical advice you can put to work right away to help get healthy, stay vital, and lose weight Includes three prescriptive weight-loss plans—a 7-day plan, 2-week plan, and 4-week plan Published in conjunction with AARP, working on behalf of millions of members nationwide

Diet and Health examines the many complex issues concerning diet and its role in increasing or decreasing the risk of chronic disease. It proposes dietary recommendations for reducing the risk of the major diseases and causes of death today: atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (including heart attack and stroke), cancer, high blood pressure, obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, liver disease, and dental caries.