000435 Web Site Allows Users to Measure Eating Habits

Washington - Stepping up its assault on obesity in America, USDA said it has created a new Web site allowing Internet users to measure their eating habits against current dietary guidelines.

With just a few clicks of a mouse, nutrition professionals and the general public can gauge their diets with the USDA's interactive healthy eating index.

The Web site, http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/, analyzes specific foods rating them according to their nutritional content. Internet users can analyze dietary status and maintain a cumulative record to observe any progress.

USDA officials said while the index is not a substitute for advice from a nutrition or health professional, it is a first step for consumers looking for guidance on healthier living.

According to a United Nation's report this year, more than half of adults in the United States were overweight by international standards and 23% of American adults were seen as obese, or being more than 30% above ideal body weight.

The USDA will release its revised dietary guidelines later this year, spelling out what Americans should eat and in what quantities. Groups from the American Association of Retired Persons to sugar and meat industry groups have been lobbying the government over what changes should be made.

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said the new guidelines will likely be controversial, but said it is the government's role to guide Americans into adopting a healthier lifestyle.

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