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Meat Is The One Food Group Eaten in Appropriate Amounts

Americans eat too much of some foods and too little of others.

The one food group eaten in recommended amounts is meat.

A study by MRCA Information Services , an independent research

organization, shows that on average Americans eat 2.2 servings

per day from the Meat Group _ which is within the recommended 2-3

servings per day. (Foods in the Meat Group include meat,

poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts.)

The MRCA study covered actual food consumption as well as

consumer attitudes toward foods. The recent survey report is

called "Eating in America Today/Second Edition" (EAT II). The

research was commissioned by the Meat Board.

EAT II showed that persons in all segments of the population

overconsume Fats, Oils and Sweets, and they underconsume foods

from the Vegetable, Fruit, Bread and Milk groups. Government and

other health authorities recommend that we eat fats and sweets

only "sparingly," but actual consumption is excessive. The EAT

report notes that Fats, Oils and Sweets, eaten alone or added to

enhance the flavor of other foods, add calories without adding

other nutrients.

While meat is the only food group eaten in appropriate amounts,

many people remain confused about meat's role in the diet. Some

people believe that substituting other foods for meat will reduce

their fat and cholesterol intake, but, the EAT study reveals,

there are minimal nutrition differences in diets between self-

identified meat-eaters and meat-avoiders or vegetarians.

The report also "documents the vast discrepancy between what men

and women eat compared to what they think they eat," said Dr.

Eric Hentges, director of nutrition research for the Meat Board.

Here are additional EAT II findings:

-- Both men and women greatly underestimate the numbers of servings

they eat from the Bread Group and from the Fats/Oils/Sweets

Group. They do not recognize the sources of "hidden fats" in

their diets. Hidden fats in the Bread and Vegetable groups

contribute more fat to our diets than do red meats and processed

meats. Meat contributes fat, but it supplies large amounts of

essential nutrients_ including balanced protein, iron, zinc and

vitamins.

-- Average intake of foods from the meat Group (including meat and

other protein sources) is 6.4 ounces per day, or within the

recommended level of 5 to 7 ounces of meat per day. Total Meat

Group intake includes less than 2 oz. of beef and only 0.6 oz. of

processed meat. Many people think their diets would be more

healthful if they ate little or no meat. But, in fact, most

persons eat appropriate amounts of nutrient-dense beef and other

meats.

-- Self-identified meat-eaters consume only slightly more meat than

self-identified vegetarians and meat-avoiders. While vegetarians

are sometimes perceived as eating low levels of fat, they consume

about the same level as meat-eaters. Hidden fats in non-meat

foods increase fat intake by vegetarians to levels comparable to