Dietitians: Nutrition advice ignored

CHURUBUSCO, N.Y., Dec. 29 (UPI) -- America has a toxic food environment and health and nutrition advice goes largely ignored by U.S. adults, two registered dietitians warn.

Dietitians Suzanne Dixon and Dave Ellis of the functional food company AppleBoost Products Inc. note sensible nutrition counsel has been available for decades, but Americans are failing miserably at maintaining their health. Dixon and Ellis, who offer no-nonsense need-to-know advice for anyone serious about health, fitness and nutrition, point out:

-- Americans are bombarded by junk food commercials and surrounded by fast-food joints, which have an affect on healthy eating.

-- If maintaining a healthy body weight was easy, two-thirds of American adults wouldn't be overweight. The older people get, the harder it is to live lean.

-- Reading food labels won't make people healthy -- you don't need a label to tell you apples, oatmeal, and carrots are good food choices and chips, cookies and fast foods are not.

-- Drinking the wrong liquids can be fattening. Stick to water, 100 percent fruit juice or similar healthy beverages.

-- Fewer than seven hours of sleep means the body produces more of the stress hormone cortisol, which spurs hunger.