Chapter 2: Dietary Guidelines and Foods Policy Flashcards
What are 3 ways to determine nutritional status?
- dietary analysis
- laboratory tests
- health or disease state
Explain how you conduct a dietary analysis (3 steps)
- recording everything a person ate for a period
- comparing recorded intake levels to specific recommendations
- determining whether the person’s nutrient status is adequate, deficient or excessive
define: dietary reference intakes; what are the 4 types?
A set of scientifically determined reference values for nutrient requirements. They tell us how much of a nutrient is required to meet the needs of an individual. Used to assess individual nutritional status and inform dietary recommendations for populations
- estimated average requirement (EAR)
- recommended dietary allowance (RDA)
- adequate intake (AI)
- tolerable upper limit (TUL)
define: estimated average requirement (EAR)
- The amount of a nutrient that will meet the needs of 50% of the population
define: recommended dietary allowance (RDA)
- The amount of a nutrient that meets the needs of 97% of the population
This is the preferred DRI for determining accuracy
define: adequate intake (AI)
- Determined by observing how much nutrient healthy people eat
- Justification: since these individuals don’t show signs of deficiency, probably adequate amount for others
define: tolerable upper limit (TUL)
The recommended intake limit for a nutrient. Consuming beyond this limit increases the likelihood a person will show signs of toxicity
define: estimated energy requirement; what is it dependent on (5)
estimates the total amount of energy needed to maintain a person’s current size
- depends on sex, age, weight, height, and activity levels
define: acceptable macronutrient distribution range; state the AMDR for carbs, lipids, and proteins
- Acceptable macronutrient distribution range: gives recommendations for the percentage of energy to come from each of the three energy-yielding nutrients (carbs, lipids, proteins)
- carbs: 45-65%
- lipids: 20-35%
- protein: 10-35%
Canada’s Food Rules
- 1942
- due to the need to ration during war time
Describe Canada’s Food Guide and list the important themes (4) and guiding principles (3)
- themes: variety, accessibility, cultural relevance, seasonal availability
guiding principles - Eat a variety of nutritious foods
- Limit the intake of processed or prepared foods
- Knowledge and skills are needed to navigate the complex food environment: plan and prep, share meals with family, choosing nutritious options when eating out
What are the 7 food behaviour recommendations from Canada’s Food Guide?
- Be mindful of eating habits (how, why, when, quantity, where); develop a positive one
- Cook more often
- Enjoy your food
- Eat meals with others
- Use food labels
- Limit foods high in sugar, sodium and fat
- Be aware of food marketing
What are the major changes from the last Canada food guide?
- No more food groups
- Emphasis on eating behaviours, not just food you eat; guidance on good decisions
- Focus on dairy is eliminated
- Recommendations to eat less processed foods
- Water as drink of choice
- Emphasis on plants and less animals
What are some nutritional recommendations for pregnant and breastfeeding women?
- choose foods with healthy fats (nuts, seeds, fatty fish, vegetables); omega 3 fatty acids is good for healthy brain development
- choose fish low in mercury because at high levels it impacts child brain development
- eat more to support the growth of a child
- avoid raw/ undercooked foods because there is a higher risk for food poisoning during pregnancy
What are some recommendations from the First Nations Healthy Food Guideline?
- Increase the use of traditional foods by protecting, restoring and relying on them more.
- Decrease the use of sugar-sweetened beverages to help protect teeth and children’s health.
- Increase the intake of vegetables and fruits. Indeed, many traditional plants and animals are believed to have medicinal, nutrition and healing properties.
- Serve healthier foods in reasonable portions. There is a focus on reducing the amount of fat, sugar and salt. Also, the concept of a balanced plate can help with portioning meals.
- Increase the number of community gardens to both provide nutritious food and bring the community together.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Key messages:
- Follow a healthy diet across the lifespan.
- Focus on variety, nutrient density and amount.
- Limit calories from added sugars and saturated fats and reduce sodium intake.
- Shift to healthier food and beverage choices.
- Support healthy eating patterns for all
Brazilian Dietary Guidelines 2014
- what is it?
- list 3 guidelines
- first country level food guide to focus more on food behaviour than a specific diet
- inspired the new Canadian food guide
Guidelines - use whole foods and limit the consumption of processed and ultra processed foods
- eat regular meals in appropriate environments and in company whenever possible
- be critical of food advertisements and marketing
How has Canadian Food Policy changed the food we consume?
- Reduce sodium content in prepackaged foods
- Fortify milk and margarine with vitamin D to combat Canadian deficiency
- Eliminate artificially produced trans fats from food supply
required components of a Canadian food label (6)
- common name of the food
- net quantity
- name and address of producer and/or distributor
- date marking (best before date)
- ingredients list
- nutrient facts box
How has the ingredients list changed on a Canadian food label?
- minimum type height requirement
- black font
- bolded titles
- grouping of sugar based ingredients
- white or neutral background
- bullets or commas to separate ingredients
How has the nutrient facts box changed on a Canadian Food label?
- calories are prominently displayed
- serving sizes are prominently displayed
- % of daily value for sugar is displayed
- exact amounts are shown (potassium, calcium, and iron)
- vitamin A and C are no longer displayed
- footnote included about % of daily value
What are the different claims companies can make about food?
- food composition claim
- health claim (disease reduction and function claims)
- nutrient content claim
What is classified as a natural health product (NHP)? What group regulates these products?
- vitamins, minerals, multivitamins, probiotics, amino acids, essential fatty acids, homeopathic and traditional medicines
- Regulated by the Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate
What risks are associated with natural health products?
- Risks: could contain incorrect ingredients
- claims may not be fully supported by evidence
- may promote unwanted side effects like allergic reactions
- negative interactions with other NHPs and prescription drugs
What is the approval process like for natural health products?
- Must be safe, effective, and appropriately labelled
- Must provide safety and efficacy evidence to the government to get licence
(clinical trials, studies, publications, list of ingredients and source, strength, dose, recommended uses) - Once approved will get a natural product number (NPN) or homeopathic medicine number (DIN-HM)
What is the labelling requirements for NHPs (8)?
- product name
- net quantity
- product licence number
- recommended dose
- medicinal ingredients
- non medicinal ingredients
- warning/ caution statement
- storage conditions
Discuss menu labelling
- no Canada wide regulation on restaurants and nutritional info on menus
- American chains must have menu labelling if they have 20+ restaurants
Discuss: Ontario’s Healthy Menu Choice Act 2015
- history
- purpose
- focus
- stipulates?
- statement
- First province to enact menu-labelling legislation as outlined in their HMCA
- Purpose: help people make informed decisions that would reduce risk of disease
- Focus: calorie information
- Stipulates that food service places with 20+ locations in Ontario must display calories on their menus along with a contextual statement
- Statement: “adults and youth (13+) need an average of 2k calories a day and children need 1.5k calories a day; individual needs vary”
discuss the Informed Dining Program
- 2012
- Voluntary menu-labelling program beginning in BC then rolling out nationwide in 2013
- if a restaurant had the Informed Dining label then nutritional info is available upon request
What has research shown about voluntary vs mandatory food labelling?
- No significant difference between consumers noticing nutritional info if there was the informed dining program compared to having no programs at all
- Consumers are 2x more likely to notice the calorie labelling on menus at places with Ontario’s mandatory program, when an establishment had no program or used the IDP, only 12% of patrons said nutrition info influenced their food choices
- When calories are labelled on the menu, 38% of patrons said that the info influenced their food purchase
Conclusions: - people are more likely to notice nutritional information if it is prominently displayed.
- when nutrition information is prominently displayed on menus, it can influence the choices that consumers make
