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Experts say food pyramid outdated, revision planned
By Danielle Hillis
dhillis@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Cereal boxes may never be the same.
The food guide pyramid, the familiar graphic found on food labels and packing since 1992, is under construction.
The United States Department of Agriculture plans to revise the graphic in order to include a consideration of a person's age, gender, weight and fitness level.
In a recent press release, the department said the changes came in response to new dietary
"Most college students eat whatever."
Nick Menefee
Nick Menefee
Food board chair at Battenfeld Scholarship
Hall
guidelines and the nation's growing obesity problem.
ng beauty professo. The changes can't come too soon, said Lawrence nutritionist Peter Kimble.
Peter Kimble. "There were so many problems with the old pyramid," Kimble said. "I never recommend it to people."
opple. The food guide pyramid graphically represents what and how much food a person should eat in a day.
The current pyramid is divided into six food groups, with daily recommendations based on servings. The pyramid considers three calorie-intake levels when determining portions.
Nothing is finalized, but early plans call for the new food guide to be divided into nine or more categories. Cups and ounces will replace servings and 12 calorie-intake levels will be considered. A graphic has not been designed.
The department is accepting public comments and suggestions on the revision. The department plans to release finalized guidelines and a graphic in the winter of 2005.
winter 2015
Kimble said he stayed away from the current pyramid because it was vague and grouped food in general categories. For example, the pyramid recommends six servings of grains per daw.
"You can get that from six Twinkies," Kimble said.
The new pyramid will specifically recommend whole grains, such as oatmeal and brown rice.
Kimble said he hoped a new graphic would increase nutritional awareness, but he remained skeptical.
"People still have to use the pyramid for it to matter," he said.
pyramid for it to make. As food board chair at Battenfeld Scholarship Hall, Nick Menefee is in charge of coordinating meals for 50 residents. The Topeka junior said he did not consult the food guide pyramid before planning a meal.
before planning for the new food groups available, but we don't use the pyramid." Meneфе said.
grandma Menefee said he thought most students could care less about the pyramid.
"Most college students eat whatever," he said.
- Edited by Doyle Murphy
Help shape food guide
The United States Department of Agriculture is requesting written public comments for the new food guide graphic. The department wants to know how much people eat, how many calories people consume, and what nutritional goals people have, among other information.
Comments will be accepted until Oct. 26. They should be sent to: Guide Pyramid Reassessment Team, USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1034, Alexandria, VA 22302.
Poison ivy grows behind Miller Scholarship Hall and in many other wooded areas on campus. Poison ivy is a native plant to the area, making it difficult to kill.
Poison ivy abundant throughout University
By Abby Mills almills@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Leaves of three,let it be.
Leaves of three, let it be. The simple rhyme for spotting poison ivy may be one of the best ways to prevent exposure to the weed.
Shannon Cline was last year's beautification chair for Miller Scholarship Hall when she was infected with poison ivy. She was inspecting flower beds around the hall last September and soon found rashes on her neck and arms.
She said flower beds were so overgrown, she could not see which areas had poison ivy. Fear of the weed prevented hall residents from working on plants
If it weren't for the poison ivy, Cline said, residents would have cleared out the overgrown patio area in back, which overlooks Mount Oread.
"It's a shame — it's such a beautiful view," Cline said. "We have made efforts to use this space, but we don't know what we can do."
Chris Romero, physical plant supervisor for the University of Kansas, said Miller had a particularly difficult patch of poison ivy on the northeast corner of the building.
"That one has been hard to kill for some reason," he said. "I've tried killing that thing for five years now. It's a pain in the butt."
Romero thought the plant's roots had gotten so large and deep that the poison he uses hasn't been able to penetrate to the inner root. He also thought the plant had grown a resistance to the current poison. Romero said he was looking for something stronger.
While Miller was a unique case, Romero said, there's nothing unique about poison ivy on the hill.
"Any wooded areas on campus have poison ivy," Romero said. "It's a natural plant to the area. Long before any of us were here, it was on the prairie."
Romero said landscaping crews prevented poison ivy on maintained parts of campus with a granular herbicide, but could not prevent growth in more natural areas
"If you go out in the woods, it's your own fault," he said.
cleaning yards - fraternities and sororities especially."
sororites especially.
Strother said spring and fall were the worst times because people were doing more outside activities.
She said camping was another activity that could lead to poison ivy infection and warned that Clinton Lake was a common place for
students to become infected
Myra Strother, staff physician at Watkins Health Center, said the health facility sees many students who are infected with poison ivy in fall and spring.
"The main thing to know is we have it everywhere around here," she said. "People often get it
Most people do not need to seek medical treatment for poison ivy, but those who have a severe allergic reaction should go to a doctor to stop it from spreading. Strother said.
Despite myth, poison ivy does not spread by touching infected
parts once the oil that originally caused the rash is gone. Strother said if the rash continued to spread the day after it first appeared, it was because the person's system was reacting to the allergen.
Strother said steroids would stop the rash, but were given only to people with severe reactions.
Tips for preventing and treating poison ivy:
**Recognize the enemy — Poison ivy can grow in vines or shrubs. Leaves are grouped in bunches of three and turn yellow or red in the fall, often before other plants. The leaves can cause rashes even if they're dying or dead.**
Prevent contact - Poison ivy rash is caused by contact with urushiol, an oil the plant produces. Wear long sleeves, pants and shoes that cover the feet when in the yard or wooded areas. Keep clean - Wash any areas that may have touched oil. If done within five minutes, a rash could be prevented. Also wash clothes or equipment that may have touched the oil.
Cool off - Rashes get worse with heat. Keep rashes cool with products like Aveneo, cool baths or calamine lotion. Source: American Academy of Dermatology,
Dermatology
www.aad.org/pamphlets/Poison
vv.html
"For a person with a mild case that will go away on its own, we don't give steroids," she said. "You don't want to take them unless you need them."
— Edited by Michael Owells
University Forum
At ECM Center across from The Crossing and Cafe Luna Lunch 12-12:30 $3.00 Student $5.00 Others
Wednesdays 12:30-1:30 pm
A Mexican Immigrant's Tale
SEPTEMBER 10
A Mexican Immigrant's Tale Roma Meraz Valencia will relate her experience as an immigrant making it to the USA after several attempts and eventually becoming a KU student.
SEPTEMBER 17
Norman R. Yetman, Professor of American Studies and Sociology at KU In 1964, Yetman discovered virtually unknown books in the Library of Congress that contained first person narratives of slave experiences. He wrote and published Voices from Slavery and Life Under a Peculiar Institution.
"El Jardin": Some Children Left Behind Film makers Ranjit Arab and Aaron Paden
SEPTEMBER 24
Slave Narratives
The successful election of Connie Morris to the Kansas Board of Education is the focus of this documentary film. Morris campaigned for removal of illegal immigrants from schools despite a Supreme Court ruling prohibiting the practice.
OCTOBER 1
The Challenges and Promise of Internationalization Post 9/11
Internationalization Post 791 Diana Carlin, Dean, Graduate School and International Programs at KU Dean Carlin will share information about the Student and Exchange Visitor Information Service, an INS program to track non-immigrant students and scholars, which is one of the new challenges of current government policy.
OCTOBER 15
OCTOBER 8
Nine Scorpions in a Bottle: Welcome to the Supreme Court Stephen R. McAllister, Dean, Law School at KU How is it that with a diversity of opinions and perspectives a sense of justice prevails?
Why Make a Park Out of a Prairie? Marty Birrell, Director of Lawrence Prairie Park Center Working to preserve and endangered ecosystem provides a way to educate the public on particular environmental issues.
OCTOBER 22 Nearer Than You Might Think: World Religions in Douglas County George Wiley, Chair, Department of Philosophy and Religion at Baker University will report on the increasing presence of Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic and other traditions in the US and Douglas County.
OCTOBER 29
What's For Dinner? Eating in America Don Stull, Professor of Anthropology at KU and coauthor of Slaughter House Blues: The Meat and Poultry Industry in North America
Americans are rapidly losing their connection to their agrarian heritage and don't understand where food comes from, how it gets to the table, who produces it, and what it costs. We jeopardize the very food supply that sustains us.
NOVEMBER 5
The Academic Study of Native American Religious Traditions: An Intro to Key Issues
NOVEMBER 12 Planning for University Forum Spring 2004
The Academic Study of Native American Religious Traditions: An Intro to Key Issues Michael J. Zogry, Acting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at KU Zogry will provide an introduction to certain key issues in the academic study of Native American religious traditions by highlighting particular traditions of selected communities and offering suggestions for further inquiry.
NOVEMBER 19
Kansas Territory: Slavery or Free? Tim Rues, Administrator Constitution Hall Lecompton Members of the Lecompton Re-enactors will deliver monologues from an original play depicting characters representing pro-slavery and free state positions.
NOVEMBER 26
No Forum: Thanksgiving Holiday
December 3 Sacred Choices: Contraception and Abortion in Ten World Religions Cynthia Weems, Minister of Metropolitan Avenue United Methodist Church in Kansas City, Kansas. Weems will review how diverse religious traditions present their positions on contraception and abortion.
December 3
December 10
The Many Voices of Tom Averill Tom Averill, writer in residence at Washburn University As a fiction writer, teacher, and commentator for KANU, Averill uses many styles and voices. Averill will talk about the denervation and creation of unique speech and nattarion of his work.
Faith Forum: A Liberating take on Christianity
assert, Conversation and dialogue in personal, social and environmental concerns
-emphasis on exploring spirituality and faith. Lots of O & A.
ECM represents a stream of the Christian faith tradition that tries to be intellectually honest, tolerant, and sensitive to how we know mystery in our lives. We take the Bible seriously, but not literally. We are open and affirming to everyone regardless of sexual orientation, ethnicity, or gender.
We understand ourselves as interdependent with the environment and believe that our ethical perspectives need to take into consideration this relationship with the earth. We gather in a variety of ways to discern how best to celebrate and join with God in a call for justice and a need to practice compassion in the university.