WASHINGTON - Cave men lived a healthy lifestyle: Their calorie intake stayed low because food was hard to find, and they exercised regularly to bring home the bacon.
The government wants Americans to follow that approach. Today, however, food is at their fingertips, driving has replaced running and people are fatter than ever.
New dietary guidelines coming out Wednesday are expected to place more emphasis on counting calories and exercising daily, along with swapping whole grains for refined ones and eating a lot more vegetables and fruits.
The advice is not really new. But Americans don't heed it, so the government sees the guidelines as an opportunity to change people's ways.
The recommendations will be incorporated into the familiar Food Guide Pyramid, which most Americans know about but which few actually follow. The Agriculture Department is revising the pyramid for the first time since 1992, when it was developed.
"It has been a big problem in the past that basically, the federal government has published a booklet and then crossed their fingers and hoped that Americans ate better," said Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a health advocacy group.
"That's clearly not been enough. What we need is significant investment in programs and changes in policy and the food environment that help Americans to eat better and watch their weight," Wootan said.
The guidelines being issued by the Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments were expected to reflect the recommendations of a 13-member panel of scientists and doctors who spent nearly a year reviewing Americans' diet and health.
The committee said people lead sedentary lifestyles and choose their food poorly, leading many to exceed the calories they need even as they fail to get enough nutrition.
Controlling calories - not limiting carbohydrates, as some popular diets recommend - is key to controlling weight, the panel said.
Also key is daily exercise. The panel recommended a minimum of at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise - brisk walking or gardening - on most days.
But it said many adults need to exercise for 60 minutes or more to prevent weight gain, and people who have lost weight may need to exercise for 60 to 90 minutes to keep it off.
The panel said to choose fats and carbohydrates wisely. That means severely restricting trans fat that can clog arteries and eating fiber-rich whole fruits and whole grain breads versus juice and refined grains. It said people need at least three one-ounce servings of whole grains each day.
People should eat five to 13 servings each day of fruits and vegetables, depending on their age and level of activity, the panel said.
The committee recommended cups rather than serving sizes in many instances; by this measure, the average person would need 4½ cups of fruits and veggies to maintain his or her weight.
That might sound like a lot, but it's easy to do, said Robert Earl, senior director for nutrition policy for the National Food Processors Association.
"Let's say you drink a serving of orange juice, you eat a banana, you have a salad with one of your meals, and at dinner, you have a vegetable," Earl said. "I'll bet you're at close to 4 cups already, if not more. The important thing is to move consumers in the right direction."
The panel also said people need to reduce the amount of salt they eat to about one level teaspoon each day - salt is linked to high blood pressure - and they should drink alcohol in moderation, about one drink each day for women and two for men.
New versus old dietary guidelines
Here are key differences between updated dietary guidelines and those issued in 2000. The Health and Human Services and Agriculture departments on Wednesday unveiled the new guidelines, which are updated every five years and will be incorporated into an updated food pyramid.
CALORIES
New guidelines: Balance calories between the amount you eat and the amount of energy you burn. For moderately active people between the ages of 31 and 50, recommended calories would be 2,000 per day for women and 2,400 to 2,600 for men.
Old guidelines: Aim for a healthy weight, based on Body Mass Index.
EXERCISE
New guidelines: Thirty minutes of exercise is the minimum. Exercise for 60 minutes to maintain weight and prevent weight gain. If you've lost weight, exercise for 60 to 90 minutes daily.
Old guidelines: Be physically active every day, accumulating about 30 minutes of exercise daily.
NUTRITION
New guidelines: Eat a variety of foods that are high in nutrients and low in saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, added sugars and salt. Follow government recommendations such as the food guide pyramid.
Old guidelines: Let the pyramid guide your food choices and pick a variety of grains, especially whole grains, and fruits and vegetables.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
New guidelines: Eat at least 4 1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables a day if you have a 2,000-calorie diet. Eat more or less depending on the calorie level.
Old guidelines: Eat 3-4 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit a day.
CARBOHYDRATES
New guidelines: Eat fiber-rich whole fruits and vegetables and whole grains often. Eat and drink little added sugar or caloric sweeteners.
Old guidelines: Choose a variety of grains, especially whole grains, and a variety of fruits and vegetables daily. Choose food and drinks to moderate sugar intake.
FAT
New guidelines: Keep trans fat as low as possible. Get no more than 10 percent of your calories from saturated fat and no more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol daily.
Old guidelines: Keep your diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat.
SALT
New guidelines: Limit salt to about one level teaspoon a day.
Old guidelines: Eat and make foods with less salt.
ALCOHOL
New guidelines: If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation, about one drink per day for women and two for men.
Old guidelines: Same.
FOOD SAFETY:
New guidelines: Clean hands, food contact surfaces and fruits and vegetables. To avoid getting sick from food, separate raw, cooked and ready-to-eat foods while shopping, preparing or storing foods.
Old guidelines: Same.
At a Glance:
NEW DIETARY GUIDELINES: The government urged most Americans to eat fewer calories and exercise 30 to 90 minutes a day, updating guidelines that advised people to lose weight but gave few specifics on how to do it.
THE FOOD PYRAMID: The guidelines will be used to update the familiar food pyramid within the next couple of months. Among the possibilities is the pyramid taking on a new shape.
DAILY RECOMMENDATIONS: People should eat three one-ounce servings of whole grains and five to 13 servings of fruits of vegetables; limit salt to one level teaspoon and alcoholic beverages to one drink each day for women and two for men.
On the Net:
Dietary Guidelines: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/
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