Innovative Nutrition Program Wins ADA Award

American Institute for Cancer Research
Monday, 21 October 2002

AICR's New American Plate Hailed for "Unique, Creative" Approach

The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) today received the American Dietetic Association's prestigious 2002 Presidents' Circle Nutrition Education Award. The award, which recognizes "the development and dissemination of scientifically sound nutrition information [that is] unique in concept, creative in presentation and free from specific commercial message or endorsement," was given out at a gala dinner coinciding with the ADA's 2002 Food and Nutrition Conference.

ADA President Julie O'Sullivan Maillet, Ph.D., R.D., praised AICR's wide-ranging and highly effective nutrition education programs in general and singled out the innovative New American Plate campaign in particular.

"With the New American Plate, AICR has distilled a number of vital health messages into a highly visual presentation that speaks to people in a simple, intuitive way," she said. "This campaign combines the latest science, a memorable, striking design, and a dose of old-fashioned common sense to simultaneously address short-term goals like weight management and long-term goals like the prevention of chronic disease."

In accepting the award, AICR Vice President for Education and Communications Jeff Prince outlined the New American Plate's beginning. "The knowledge that healthy diets could lower cancer risk was driven home by AICR's 1997 Expert Report, which analyzed over 4,500 studies," he said. "That report showed that our everyday choices have a dramatic impact on our risk for cancer, and went on to stress the importance of a healthy weight, regular exercise and a diet high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans."

Just three years after that report was published, however, American obesity rates had reached an all-time high, and the bestseller lists were thronged with "quick fix" diets. Experts at AICR grew concerned because many of these fad diets advocated cutting back on vegetables and fruits – the very same components of the diet that have been shown to be the strongest cancer-fighters.

"At the same time, American portion sizes – in restaurants and at home – had quietly and steadily ballooned. The common-sense notion of portion control was all but abandoned in light of the murky promises made by fad diets."

In such an environment, AICR devised a simple approach that makes it easier than ever to eat for lower risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. At the same time, the campaign combats the obesity epidemic by refocusing attention on the notion of portion size, and providing tools for adapting personal portions to suit individual caloric needs.

The simple advice, backed by an eye-catching design, is to "take a good look at your plate." Make sure that vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans cover two-thirds (or more) of the plate, while animal-based foods cover one-third (or less).

Meals that are composed according to the New American Plate tend to "push" high-fat, high-calorie foods off the plate in favor of plant foods that contain protective fiber and phytochemicals. Such cancer-protective, heart-healthy meals also help keep weight gain in check.

"There's nothing to count or measure," said Prince. "The program involves a simple 'rule of thumb' that helps people eat for both weight management and reduced risk for chronic disease."

Since the New American Plate campaign was launched in September 2000, over one million individuals have requested the brochure. Hundreds have attended New American Plate seminars across the country, and thousands more have availed themselves of the campaign's placemats, posters and health aids. Subsequent brochures in the New American Plate series, entitled One-Pot Meals, Comfort Foods and Veggies, have proven equally popular, and a New American Plate public service announcement introduced in January 2002 has been telecast more than 4,800 times on more than 300 stations across the country.

The American Institute for Cancer Research is the nation's third largest cancer charity, focusing exclusively on the link between diet and cancer. The Institute provides a wide range of education programs that help millions of Americans learn to make dietary changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S. The Institute has provided over $62 million in funding for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.

The American Dietetic Association in the nation's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. Its mission is to promote optimal nutrition and well being for all people by advocating for its nearly 70,000 members.

To order New American Plate materials, call AICR at 1-800-843-8114 Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Time. The text of all four brochures in the New American Plate series can be downloaded from the AICR website.

For more information, or to contact American Institute for Cancer Research, see their website at: www.aicr.org