"Smart Meal Seal" Campaign Aims to Help Reduce Obesity
September 10, 2007—Denver—The Colorado Department
of Public Health and Environment's
Physical Activity and Nutrition Program issued a challenge
today for
restaurants to evaluate the food on their menus and offer
more healthy
choices. Shana Patterson, a registered dietitian with the
program, also
encouraged Coloradans who dine at participating restaurants
to look for
the department's Smart Meal Seal on identified menu items.
Restaurants
participating in the Smart Meal Seal program showcase
entrees that are
lower in fat and saturated fat and include components such
as beans,
whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Patterson noted that
restaurant
customers and managers might be surprised to learn that many
meals
currently offered at restaurants qualify as Smart Meals.
"We would like to see the Smart Meal Seal program expand to
restaurants
across the state," Patterson said. "When restaurants
identify menu items
that contain higher amounts of nutrient-dense foods, their
customers are
equipped to make healthier food choices."
Participating restaurants in the Denver metro area
include Beau Jo's
Pizza, Delectable Egg, Great Harvest Bread Company on
Colorado Blvd.,
Kate's at 35th Ave., Masalaa Indian Restaurant and
McDonald's metro
outlets. In Weld County, the Cafe at Woody's, Coyote's
Southwestern
Grill and Greeley Country Club are participating.
According to information provided by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture
at www.MyPyramid.gov, all people over the age of 2 should
eat 2 cups of
a variety of fruits and 2 ½ cups of a variety of vegetables
each day. An
increase in fruit and vegetable consumption has been
associated with a
decreased risk of certain cancers, cardiovascular disease
and
hypertension. "Overweight and obese people are less likely
to consume
five or more fruits and vegetables each day," said
Patterson. The new push to expand the department's Smart
Meal Seal program
coincides with the annual observance of National Fruit and
Vegetable
Month in September. Patterson encouraged Coloradans to take
advantage
of the wide variety of fruits and vegetables from around the
world that
can be found in local grocery stores. "To incorporate
these foods into your diet," she said, "try meals at
home using fruits and vegetables from countries in Latin
America, the
Middle East, Europe and Africa, as well as foods from the
United States.
You also can sample foods from around the world at
restaurants.
Colorado is home to many restaurateurs who specialize in
ethnic
cuisine." According to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a
school-based survey
conducted by the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment
biennially in Colorado, 81 percent of adolescents in
Colorado consume
fewer than the recommended number of servings of fruits and
vegetables
each day. The U.S. Health and Human Services plan, in its
report Healthy
People 2010, recommends two or more daily servings of fruit
and three or
more daily servings of vegetables (with one-third being dark
green or
orange vegetables). Among the healthy eating objectives
included in the report are that 50
percent of Americans would consume three or more daily
servings of
vegetables (with one-third being dark green or orange
vegetables) and
that 75 percent of Americans would consume two or more daily
servings of
fruit. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health
and
Environment, only about half of Coloradans are consuming the
recommended
daily amounts of vegetables and fruits. To find out how a
restaurant can participate in the Smart Meal Seal
program or to get information on how to en
courage family members to eat
more fruits and vegetables, please contact Barry Strand at
the Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment, 303-692-2574 or
by E-mail
at bstrand@cdphe.state.co.us. More information also is
available at
www.livewellcolorado.com and
www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org.
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