USATODAY.com - Revised food pyramid to emphasize calories, exercise

I was somewhat encouraged by the new governmental recommendations that came out on food and exercise. While definitely not groundbreaking, the strictness is surprising.

USATODAY.com - Revised food pyramid to emphasize calories, exercise:

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

"The government, alarmed by Americans' increasing weight, took its boldest step yet to fight the problem by issuing new dietary guidelines advising Americans to exercise about an hour a day, eat more fruits and vegetables and slash their intake of the trans fats found in processed foods."

Of course some are claiming the recommendations are too tough. For instance an hour a day may be more than needed:

""Seeking an hour of exercise is "too daunting," says obesity expert James Hill of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. "We can't even get people to do 15 minutes, and now we're asking them to do an hour.""

and 5-13 servings of fruits and vegetables is a significant increase:

"The guidelines also call for five to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and cutting back on sugar. Past rules called for five to nine produce servings."

Gee, have you heard this anywhere before? Exercise, eat better, and watch your calories. All good advice!