Ch. 2 Tools for Healthy Eating Flashcards
Principles of healthy eating
- balance
- variety
- moderation
- nutrient density
- energy density
Balanced diet
healthy proportion of nutrients to maintain health and prevent disease
Variety
including a mixture of different food groups and foods within each group
- improves diet quality
- no single food or food group contains every single nutrient
Moderation
consuming reasonable but not excessive amounts of foods and nutrients
- limit portions of nutrient-dense and energy-dense foods
Nutrient density
measurement of nutrients in food compared to the kilocalorie content
- high in nutrients, low in kilocalorie
- low in fat and added sugar
- avocados, peanut butter, etc. are exceptions
Energy density
measurement of kilocalories in a food compared with the weight of the food
- most high-fat foods are energy dense
- eating low-energy-dense foods can promote weight loss (larger portions, improves satiety and decrease hunger)
Dietary reference intakes (DRIs)
provide recommendations on nutrient needs for individuals
- maintain good health
- prevent chronic diseases
- avoid unhealthy excesses
- organized by Institutes of Medicine)
- nutrient requirements differ based on: pregnancy, age, and gender
Dietary guidelines for Americans
provides broad dietary and lifestyle advice
MyPlate (Choosemyplate.gov)
helps individuals implement recommendations of the DRIs and Dietary Guidelines
Exchange system
groups foods according to macronutrient content; used for meal planning
Nutrition facts panel
provides Daily Values and information to help consumers choose healthy foods
DRIs five reference values
- Estimated average requirement (EAR)
- Recommended dietary allowance (RDA)
- Adequate intake (AI)
- Tolerable upper intake level (UL)
- Acceptable macronutrient distribution range (AMDR)
- RDA or AI (not both), the AMDR, and the UL are used to assess quality of meals
Nutrient requirements
amount of nutrient needed to prevent malnutrition or deficiency; reflected in DRIs
Estimated average requirement (EAR)
amount of nutrient projected to meet needs of 50% of healthy Americans by age and gender
- used to calculate RDAs
- measure the amount of nutrient a healthy individual absorbs, stores, and maintains daily
- DONT use this amount when planning your diet
Recommended dietary allowance (RDA)
recommendation for each nutrient that should meet the needs of nearly all (97% to 98%) of the individuals in a specific gender and age group
- higher than EAR
- no RDA»_space; AI
- aim for this amount
Adequate intake (AI)
amount of a nutrient that groups of similar individuals should consume to maintain good health
- average daily intake level
- aim for this amount if no RDA