Diet and activity must work together.

Americans will not meet national health goals until diet and physical activity are merged into one set of lifestyle behaviors, according to participants at a colloquium organized by The American Institute of Wine & Food. They called on the committee revising the Federal government's dietary guidelines to put priority on merging diet and activity as interdependent behaviors that should not be treated separately. "After decades of nutrition advice, it is now clear that restrictive recommendations don't work long term, and diet alone can not carry the burden of a healthful lifestyle," maintains C. Wayne Callaway, a Washington, D.C., physician involved with writing the first set of dietary guidelines in 1980.

A statement issued by the group of authorities in nutrition, physical activity, and culinary arts said that the diseases impacted by diet also are affected by physical activity, which allows increases in the amounts and types of foods consumed, improves nutrient utilization, and makes it more likely to achieve the Recommended Dietary Allowances.

To sustain healthful activity and dietary behaviors, it is necessary to respect individual preferences for food and activity and bring pleasure back into the equation, indicates John Foreyt, who directs the nutrition research clinic at Baylor College of Medicine...