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USDA Offers Handy
Free Nutrient Info Database
NEW YORK (Reuters
Health) - The US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) has just made it easier for people with Palm Pilots and
other handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) to maintain
healthy diets while on the go.
Their National Nutrient Database of
more than 6,000 food items can now be downloaded into PDAs, making
nutrient information as easily accessible as the PDAs' calendars
and calculators.
"It's nutrition in your pocket, at
home or at work," Phyllis Johnson, director of the USDA's Agricultural
Research Service, which manages the nutrient database, said in
a statement. And it is available to consumers free-of-charge,
as an "e-government service," she added.
The database program, which is categorized
by food groups, allows users to scroll through an alphabetized
list of foods, and gives consumers information on approximately
30 nutrients in each food listed. It also includes a handy "portion
modifier" feature that allows consumers to adjust the given portion
size, either upwards or downwards, to the portion size that they
would ordinarily eat.
What's more, doctors can also use
the database to recommend low-sodium foods to patients with heart
conditions, or to help their patients choose foods that are appropriate
for their weight-loss plan.
The database will also soon be available
for downloading onto personal computers.
"Easy access to nutrient information
on thousands of foods provides a new tool to help consumers follow
a healthy diet," USDA Secretary Ann M. Veneman said in a statement.
"Consumer information and education about healthy lifestyles and
diets will help advance President Bush's Healthier US initiative."
Consumers who own handheld personal
digital assistants with the Palm operating system can download
the software in about 30 seconds from www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp.
The USDA's Agricultural Research Service
launched the portable nutrient database in cooperation with HealtheTech,
Inc., of Golden, Colorado. The announcement was made earlier this
week during the American Dietetic Association's annual conference,
held in Philadelphia.
Reference
Source 89
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