People in Britain eat too much refined sugar, too much fat, and not
enough fruit and vegetables, says a report launched this week by the Department
of Health.
The 200-page report was produced for the department鈥檚 Committee on Medical
Aspects of Food Policy by its Panel on Dietary Reference Values (see 鈥楤ritain鈥檚
deadly diet鈥�, New 女生小视频, 11 May). It recommends how the nation can keep
itself healthy by eating a balanced diet including 40 or so nutrients. It
builds on a previous version, published in 1979, which covered only 10 nutrients.
鈥業t鈥檚 the most comprehensive modern report of its kind in the world,鈥�
said William Waldegrave, Britain鈥檚 health minister.
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鈥業f the dietary recipe (in the report) was widely followed in Britain,
there would be a major improvement in health,鈥� said Donald Acheson, the
government鈥檚 Chief Medical Officer. 鈥楥onstipation would disappear, coronary
heart disease would be very much reduced, and the relationship between badly
balanced diets and certain types of cancer would become clearer.鈥�
The report says that taken as a whole nation, Britons need to increase
consumption of dietary fibre considerably, from the current average intake
of 11 grams per day to 18 grams per day. This, says the panel, will contribute
considerably to the alleviation of constipation.
Likewise, people should cut their consumption of refined sugar from
around 80 grams per day to 60 grams per day, the equivalent of 12 teaspoons
of sugar. The panel says that in populations where consumption is 60 grams
per day or less, 鈥榙ental caries are rare鈥�.
Also, the report says, we should take in much more of our energy from
the carbohydrates in fruit and vegetables, cutting the energy intake from
fat from 40 per cent to 35 per cent.
鈥楶lease, please eat more fruit and vegetables,鈥� said Roger Whitehead,
chairman of the panel, 鈥榖ecause the carbohydrates they contain bring a wide
range of advantages.鈥�
Like fibre, these carbohydrates ease constipation, and unlike other
sources of energy such as fat and sugar, they have none of the complications
relating to heart disease and tooth decay. Also, they contain antioxidants
that help to mop up chemicals from some fats that can damage cells. 女生小视频s
suspect that in some cases, the damage might lead to cancer.
Britons should also reduce the amounts of saturated fat they consume
from 16 per cent to 11 per cent of their total energy intake. We should
also reduce the amount of salt we eat, although the report gives no recommendation
of daily intake. Likewise, some people would benefit by eating more vitamin
C, more calcium and more vitamin A.
