Proper Nutrition Builds a Healthier Country

Encouraging people to eat nutritious foods that improve their health is one of the main focuses of the American Public Health Association (APHA).

The organization devotes specific attention to helping others eat better as they spearhead National Public Health Week this week. They’ve successfully accomplished this for nearly 20 years – always during the first full week of April.

According to recent statistics, Americans are eating 31% more calories than 40 years ago, including:

• 56% more fats and oils
• 14% more sugars and sweeteners
• 15 more pounds of sugar per year

This year, the organization is emphasizing 3 major suggestions:

• Balance calories with physical activity to manage weight
• Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free dairy
• Consume less sodium, saturated fats, trans fats, added sugars and refined grains

The APHA is dedicated to helping Americans make better food choices. They’re encouraging more education, access to nutrition and safer foods.

• Besides opening channels for more Americans to receive healthcare, recent healthcare reform brings changes to how foods are labeled. In restaurants – the number one place where Americans consume too many high calorie, high fat and high sodium foods – menus must now share caloric and nutritional information. Self-service foods must also list similar information.

• The organization is promoting efforts of the USDA, to improve the critical nutrition and hunger safety net for 32 million children who eat school lunch and the 12 million who each school breakfast each day.

• Ensuring people are eating healthy foods also means making sure the food is safe to eat. Currently, 5,000 people die each year due to food borne contaminants. There were also 325,000 hospitalizations and 76 million illnesses. Health care costs and loss of productivity resulting from food borne contaminants cost the U.S. economy more than $44 billion each year.

Visit National Public Health Week to learn more about the organization’s efforts to help Americans eat better.

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Source

http://www.nphw.org/

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