Notes from the Scientific Department
National Nutrition Summit on the Agenda
A national summit on nutrition is being planned by the federal government for May 2000. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss trends in diet and disease relationships in the United States as well as to address and prioritize means of prevention and treatment. Recently, the US Department of Agriculture solicited public comments on the planning of the summit. The VRG submitted the following remarks:
Shanthy Bowman, PhD
US Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
10300 Baltimore Avenue
Building 005, Room 125, BARC-West
Beltsville, MD 20705-2325
Comments of The Vegetarian Resource Group on the US Department of Agriculture's request for input as published in the November 26, 1999, Federal Register, page 66451: National Nutrition Summit: Notice of a Public Meeting to Solicit Input in the Planning of a National Nutrition Summit
Dear Ms. Bowman:
On behalf of the nonprofit Vegetarian Resource Group, I would like to offer the following comments for consideration in the planning of the May 2000 National Nutrition Summit.
1. VRG favors the continued use of the Food Guide Pyramid as the preferred tool with which to teach all Americans — adult, youth, and school-age children — how to eat to support health.
2. Emphasis should be placed on encouraging and supporting a national shift towards a diet with a foundation of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes and a movement away from diets in which animal products play a predominant role.
VRG supports the "unified dietary guidelines" agreed upon by The American Cancer Society, The American Heart Association, and The American Dietetic Association, as well as other health organizations, and especially applauds such statements as Americans should "Choose most food from plant sources" and "Minimize the consumption of high-fat foods, especially those from animals."
Vegetarian or plant-based diets are associated with lower body mass index and lower rates of obesity, reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, and lower incidence of certain cancers and diabetes.
3. Exercise should be promoted as an equally important adjunct to dietary intervention in the support of health and treatment of such diseases and conditions as obesity, osteoporosis, coronary artery disease, diabetes, and others.
Thank you for considering these comments.
Respectfully submitted,
Suzanne Havala, MS, RD, LDN, FADA
Nutrition and Policy Advisor
VRG in the News
VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, was interviewed by the Washington Times for a story about teenage vegetarians. Nutrition Advisor Suzanne Havala, MS, RD, was interviewed by Prevention Books for a chapter in an upcoming book.
