Washington, D.C.-A panel of nutrition experts convened by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is issuing an alternative to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, the federal government's recommendations of what Americans should eat. President Clinton released the government's new guidelines this morning in his weekly Saturday radio address.
"We called together a new expert panel because it's clear the government lacks the will to confront America's poor dietary habits head on," says Neal D. Barnard, M.D., PCRM president.
Despite the increasing prevalence of obesity in America, the government's new guidelines did not cut back on recommended servings of meat, cheese, and other fatty foods. "Rather than encourage Americans to eat right, our public officials cater to the meat and dairy lobbies," says Barnard.
To help Americans make more educated choices about their diets, PCRM convened a panel to develop a healthier set of guidelines. In contrast to the government's 10 guidelines, the panel's version includes just five:
Panelists included Patricia R. Bertron, R.D.; T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., of Cornell University; Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D., of The Cleveland Clinic; Suzanne Havala, M.S., R.D., of the Vegetarian Resource Group; Virginia Messina, M.P.H., R.D., of Nutrition Matters, Inc.; Milton R. Mills, M.D.; and Myriam Parham, R.D., of East Pasco Medical Center.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a Washington-D.C.-based nonprofit that focuses on preventive medicine, particularly good nutrition, and higher standards in research. It has campaigned vigorously for healthier dietary guidelines since its founding in 1985; its lawsuit against the federal government for wrongfully withholding certain information pertaining to the development of the guidelines is pending.