Atwater to the present: evolution of nutrition education

Atwater charted a new course for nutrition education 100 years ago by using the scientific process to develop dietary guidance to improve public health and well being. Each of the areas of research to which Atwater gave leadership--nutrient requirements, food composition, food consumption, and consumer economics--are essential components in the development of dietary guidance. The emerging science of nutrition was translated into recommendations for a healthful diet by Caroline Hunt in 1916 in the first USDA food guide. Other familiar food guides were the "Basic-7" developed in the 1940's and the "Basic-4" from the 1950's. These early guides focused primarily on getting enough nutrients. By 1970, research was providing evidence of the role of excessive intakes of certain food components in the etiology of chronic disease. With the release of the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" in 1980, work began on a new food guide to address both concerns about nutritional adequacy and overconsumption. Research involved development of a new food guide and a graphic to illustrate it. Although the time since the release of the new Food Guide Pyramid has been short, its wide acceptance by the professional community, industry, and the media promises to make it an effective nutrition education tool.