The new dietary guidelines for an increasingly flabby nation, out Wednesday, take a tough line on couch potatoes.
Most Americans lead sedentary lives and choose their food poorly, consuming far more calories than they need even as they may be failing to get adequate nutrition, the guidelines say.
The document goes on for more than 70 pages but can be summarized in four words: Eat less.
Controlling overall calories, not just a diet fad, such as curbing carbohydrates, is the key --- plus a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate exercise like brisk walking or energetic gardening every day.
The bad news for the exercise-averse: Many will need at least 60 minutes daily to prevent weight gain, and people who've lost weight may need up to 90 minutes most days to keep it off.
For a nation in which two-thirds of the population is overweight or obese, the government's prescription is far less alluring than the siren song of diets that promise success without sacrifice.
But the sad truth is that losing weight is hard work.
For those who find the government's intake and exercise guidelines too daunting, the dietary supplements that promise weight loss or other health benefits are an appealing alternative.
The institute said what has long been obvious: Supplements should be required to meet the same standards of effectiveness and safety as conventional medical treatments.
But thanks to the industry's political clout, Congress has shielded it from regulation while hundreds of people have been killed and thousands made ill by its products.
Will Congress now heed its doctors' advice on supplements?