Playing with your food could harm your family

As wives and mothers we tend to take most of the responsibility for what is served at mealtimes. Because it is often up to us whether or not our loved ones eat a healthy diet, nutrition is not something we should treat lightly.

Gulf News recently announced that 60% in the UAE are obese. But, obesity - with all of its negative health implications – has become an international problem serious enough to cause governments to take action.

In 1994 the U.S. Department of Agriculture started a new division to improve the nutrition and well-being of Americans. They still run an ongoing public awareness campaign to educate the population about healthy eating. The UK government has introduced a similar program.

Qualified nutritionists are central to both countries’ initiatives. Even though they have different approaches to marketing what a healthy eating plan looks like, they offer similar advice. The diagram below combines both countries’ recommendations.

The ideal way to eat – with each food group shown as part of the whole diet

Similarities between dietary recommendations made by the USA and UK governments

For further information on the UK and US governments’ recommendations on healthy eating, visit www.MyPyramid.gov and www.Food.gov.uk.