Fitness Is Key To Healthy Lifestyle 10% Prevalenceof sedentaryleisure-time behavior among adults by sex and age, 1997 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Men Women [J 18-24 [) 25-44 [7 45-64 GE 65+ Source: CDC/NCHS, National Health Interview Survey, 1997 @ There’s more to America’s weight issues than what people eat. Nearly 40 percent of America’s adults are sedentary during their leisure time. (NAPSA)—With the issue of obesity appearing in the headlines, some observers have lost sight of the old adage: “You can have yourcake and eatit, too.” All foods can be part of a healthy diet, according to Sheila Cohn, R.D., a registered dietician with the National Restaurant Association. The key is balance and moderation, complemented by physical activity, for a healthy lifestyle. “One also has to look beyond just level of exercise and overall dietary choices, and consider family history and genetic susceptibility and other medical conditions, to determine why some people are prone to becoming overweight,” says Cohn. The average American eats out about four times a week. That meansthere typically are 17 more meal occasions in a week that comprise a person’s diet. When Americansdo dine in one of the nation’s 858,000 restau- rants, they find a wide variety of foods in a selection of portion sizes—meeting customers’ demandsfor choice, value and flexi- bility, as well as their tastes and dietary needs. According to a National Restaurant Association survey, more than 70 percent of adults agreed that there are enough portion sizes available to people who are watching their calories and fat consumption. “The goal of the restaurant industry is to provide a variety of food options to accommodate the diverse needs of a diverse population,” says Cohn. However,it is important to rememberto balance this variety of food choices and staying active. Therein lies the problem. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics revealed that nearly 40 percent of American adults are completely sedentary duringtheirleisure time. Other studies have shown that new technology, such as the Internet, video games and other video entertainment, further encour- ages a sedentary lifestyle. A recent Columbia University study found that there is a link between television and video viewing amongchildren and the increased risk andrise in obesity. According to the National Restaurant Association, science clearly proves that food cannotbe, and is not, the sole culprit of the increasing rate of obesity in the U.S. Experts agree that this problem is fundamentally about energy balance—how much weeat in relation to how manycalories we burnoff each day. The National Restaurant Association, founded in 1919, is the leading business association for the restaurant industry. For more information, visit www.restaurant.org.
