[ti:Why Do Few Americans Know about Nutrition Guide?] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:01.32]Only one in four Americans [00:04.48]know about the most recent government effort [00:08.68]to get people to eat a healthy diet. [00:13.28]That information comes from a study released Tuesday [00:18.28]by the National Center for Health Statistics. [00:23.48]The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) [00:29.36]introduced the logo, an image [00:33.36]representing healthy eating, in 2011. [00:38.52]It is called MyPlate. [00:41.92]The image replaced the food pyramid logo [00:46.36]the USDA used from 1992 to 2011. [00:54.24]Nutrition experts criticized the food pyramid [00:58.52]for placing too much importance on carbohydrates [01:03.92]from grains and not enough importance on fats. [01:09.88]MyPlate uses a dinner plate [01:12.72]with four colored sections for fruit, [01:16.72]vegetables, grain and protein, [01:20.76]with a smaller circle for dairy products, [01:25.60]such as low-fat milk or yogurt. [01:30.60]It encourages Americans [01:33.12]to make half of their meals fruits and vegetables. [01:39.24]The study also found that about 10 percent of Americans [01:45.12]had tried to follow the guidance of MyPlate. [01:50.76]That means the program that costs about $3 million a year [01:57.08]has not reached a big majority of Americans. [02:03.64]Diet-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes [02:09.12]and heart disease have continued to rise [02:13.32]since MyPlate was introduced. [02:17.72]"This is currently the primary education tool [02:22.24]that communicates guidelines for Americans," [02:26.04]said the study's lead writer, Edwina Wambogo. [02:32.40]She is a nutrition expert at the health information agency. [02:38.96]"MyPlate should be doing a little bit better." [02:43.48]Marion Nestle, a food policy expert, [02:47.92]said the MyPlate program does not include an education program [02:53.96]and does not deal with many foods Americans eat. [03:00.64]A USDA official said the agency's proposed 2023 budget [03:08.92]aims to increase spending on the program [03:13.44]from $3 million to $10 million a year. [03:20.36]The idea is to help the MyPlate program reach more people. [03:27.80]The recent study said people who called their diet excellent, [03:33.88]very good or good were more likely to have heard of MyPlate [03:42.16]than those who said their diet was fair or poor. [03:49.40]Dr. Vijaya Surampudi is a nutrition specialist [03:54.80]at the University of California, Los Angeles. [04:00.60]She said MyPlate leaves out important details about fats [04:06.80]and the differences between vegetables. [04:11.32]And Nestle noted that MyPlate fails to show that vegetables, [04:17.60]grains, and dairy foods also contain protein. [04:24.60]The new study advises more research into why some groups [04:30.28]are less likely to know about and follow government guidance. [04:37.12]It also said additional research was needed [04:41.76]to find out how best to reach people with poor diets. [04:49.32]But the answer is not so simple, Surampudi suggested. [04:56.12]People know now that they should eat more fruit and vegetables. [05:03.04]Beyond that, the message gets less clear. [05:09.12]"The minute it gets a little confusing, people shut down," she said. [05:17.96]I'm Andrew Smith. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM