Essay About Eat Study And Recent Survey Report

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Meat Is The One Food Group Eaten in Appropriate Amounts
Americans eat too much of some foods and too little of others.
The one food group eaten in recommended amounts is meat.
A study by MRCA Information Services , an independent research
organization, shows that on average Americans eat 2.2 servings
per day from the Meat Group _ which is within the recommended 2-3
servings per day. (Foods in the Meat Group include meat,
poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts.)
The MRCA study covered actual food consumption as well as
consumer attitudes toward foods. The recent survey report is
called “Eating in America Today/Second Edition” (EAT II). The
research was commissioned by the Meat Board.
EAT II showed that persons in all segments of the population
overconsume Fats, Oils and Sweets, and they underconsume foods
from the Vegetable, Fruit, Bread and Milk groups. Government and
other health authorities recommend that we eat fats and sweets
only “sparingly,” but actual consumption is excessive. The EAT
report notes that Fats, Oils and Sweets, eaten alone or added to
enhance the flavor of other foods, add calories without adding
other nutrients.
While meat is the only food group eaten in appropriate amounts,
many people remain confused about meats role in the diet. Some
people believe that substituting other foods for meat will reduce
their fat and cholesterol intake, but, the EAT study reveals,
there are minimal nutrition differences in diets between self-
identified meat-eaters and meat-avoiders or vegetarians.
The report also “documents the vast discrepancy between what men
and women eat compared to what they think they eat,” said Dr.
Eric Hentges, director of nutrition research for the Meat Board.
Here are additional EAT II findings:
— Both men and women greatly underestimate the numbers of servings
they eat from the Bread Group and from the Fats/Oils/Sweets
Group. They do not recognize the sources of “hidden fats” in
their diets. Hidden fats in the Bread and Vegetable groups
contribute more fat to our diets than do red meats and processed
meats. Meat contributes fat, but it supplies large amounts of
essential nutrients_ including balanced protein, iron, zinc and
vitamins.
— Average intake of foods from the meat Group (including meat and
other protein sources) is 6.4 ounces per day, or within the
recommended level of 5 to 7 ounces of meat per day. Total Meat
Group intake includes less than 2 oz. of beef and only 0.6 oz. of
processed meat. Many people think their diets would be more
healthful if they ate little or no meat. But, in fact, most
persons eat appropriate amounts of nutrient-dense beef and other
meats.
— Self-identified meat-eaters consume only slightly more meat than
self-identified vegetarians and meat-avoiders. While vegetarians
are sometimes perceived as eating low levels of fat, they consume
about the same level as meat-eaters. Hidden fats in non-meat
foods increase fat intake by vegetarians to levels comparable to
those of meat-eaters.
EAT II is expected to help educators in constructing healthful
diets for Americans, Hentges says.
Average Daily Intake Of Foods In the Meat Group
Meat Group Ounces Per Day
Beef 1.8
Pork 0.7
Processed Meats 0.6
Eggs, Beans 1.3
Poultry 1.2
Fish 0.5
*Total consumption per day, 6.4 oz. Not included in chart –
lamb, 0.02; veal, 0.02. Sources: MIRCA Information Services and
Meat Board.
Slimmed-Down Beef Is Healthful Food
“Beef is back, slimmer and trimmer. . . Todays leaner cuts of
beef can hold their own with poultry and many other protein
foods.” This was pointed out in an article on modern beef in the
University of Texas Lifetime Health Letter.
The article compares the fat and cholesterol contents of lean
beef with fat and cholesterol