healthy eating validation Flashcards
What food and drinks are not part of the five food groups? Why should we limit consumption of these food and drinks?
Unsaturated spreads and oils. Discretionary choices: Soft drinks, sports drinks, alcohol, lollies, chocolate, chips, biscuits, processed meat. We should limit consumption of these food and drinks because they contain a large amount of sugar, salt, and saturated fat which can increase risk of health complications.
Five major food groups
- Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high cereal fibre varieties
- Vegetables and legumes/beans
- Fruit
- Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds and legumes/beans
- Milk, yogurt, cheese and/or alternatives, mostly reduced fat
How many serves of vegetables are recommended for adults? What is a serve of vegetables?
The recommended intake of vegetables for adults is 5-6 serves per day. A standard serve of vegetables is about 75g (100-350kJ). The recommended intake of fruit for adults is at least 2 serves per day. A standard serve of vegetables is about 150g (350kJ).
Why are fruit juices not an appropriate replacement for eating whole fruit?
Fruit juices provides energy (kilojoules) but most lack dietary fibre. They are acidic and frequent consumption may contribute to an increased risk of dental erosion. Dried fruit can also stick to
the teeth and increase the risk of tooth decay. For these reasons, fruit juice and dried fruit should be consumed only occasionally and in small amounts. Fruit juice should not be given to infants less than 12 months of age.
When a fruit is juiced, most of the insoluble fibre, that is naturally found in whole fruit, is removed. This creates a high concentration of the sugars (including fructose), calories, and micronutrients, making them easier and quicker to absorb, which in turn increase blood sugar levels and elevates our calorie intake.
Why are wholemeal or wholegrain types of cereals preferred to refined type? Include an explanation of the importance of dietary fibre.
Wholemeal cereals are preferred to refined type because they provide more dietary fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Dietary fibre is important in the diet as it is linked to lower cholesterol and lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, excessive weight gain, and some cancers. It also decreases risk of constipation.
Breakfast cereals that are marketed to children can contain a large amount of added sugar. What other foods are a better alternative to high sugar cereals?
Added sugars can increase the kilojoule content of our diet and reduce our intake of important nutrients when we eat these foods in place of foods from the Five Food Groups. High or frequent intake of foods and drinks containing added sugars can lead to tooth decay in both children and adults. Recent evidence shows that intake of sugar-sweetened drinks can increase the risk of excessive weight gain in both children and adults.
Muesli toppings such as oats, fruit, dried fruit, coconut sugar, and honey, are better alternatives to high sugar cereals. Also, foods such as eggs, chia pudding, granola, fruity oatmeal, avocado toast, quinoa, fruit topped yogurt, almond butter & banana toast, and breakfast smoothies, are all much better alternatives to high sugar cereals.
Why are processed meats considered discretionary choices?
Processed meats such as salami, mettwurst, bacon, and ham are classified as discretionary choices because they are high in saturated fat and/or salt. Consuming processes meat may be associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer.
What are discretionary choices?
Discretionary choices are foods that are not an essential or necessary part of healthy dietary patterns.
Explain why vegans should take a Vitamin B12 supplement.
Vitamin B12 is mainly found in animal products, and vegans do not consume animal products.
Some people have food allergies. If a person is allergic to dairy products, how do they obtain the nutrients normally supplied by the dairy group?
Those that cannot have, or do not want to have dairy products, choose alternative products that have calcium (a nutrient). Some products may have added calcium such as calcium-enriched soy, rice drinks. Fish with bones (such as sardines or salmon), almonds or tofu can be rich sources of calcium. Seafood (especially mussels, oysters and prawns) and many plant foods (especially seeds, grain-based foods, and green leafy vegetables) contain some calcium too.
Why should people avoid too many drinks with sugar or alcohol?
Sugary drinks can damage teeth, cause people to become overweight or increase risk of diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The liver breaks down most of the alcohol you drink so that it can be removed from the body. This process creates harmful substances. Large amounts of these substances can damage liver cells and cause serious liver disease. Alcohol causes 4 out of 5 deaths from liver disease. Heavy drinking can alsoincrease your blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels, both of which are major risk factors for heart attacks and strokes. Long-term alcohol misuse can weaken your immune system, making you more vulnerable to serious infections. For women who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is the safest option.
What factors influence how much water a person should drink each day?
Activity levels: people who do vigorous physical activity should drink more water as they lose water through sweat and respiration. Climate: people living in hotter environments will lose more water through sweat, and therefore need to consume more water to replace it. Diet:
What is saturated fat and why should it be limited in a healthy diet?
Saturated fat is a type of dietary fat. It is one of the unhealthy fats, along with trans fats. Foods containing saturated fats include butter & cream, lard & dipping, coconut & palm kernel oils, biscuits, cakes, pastries & pies, processed meats, commercial burgers, pizzas & fried foods, potato chips & crisps, sausages, untimed meats, and full cream dairy products (especially cheese).
Saturated fats increase the risk of heart disease. Too much saturated fat can cause cholesterol to build up in your arteries (affect cholesterol levels), and hence should be limited in a healthy diet. It is important to replace foods containing saturated fats with foods that contain unsaturated fats (such as either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats).
What are unsaturated fats and what foods can they be found in?
Unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) are fats that stay liquid at room temperature and contain one or more double or triple bonds between the molecules. Unsaturated fats are essential for health and are less likely to clog your arteries.
Unsaturated fats examples
- seeds
- nuts
- legumes/beans
- avocado
- oats
- fish
- lean grass-fed meat
- poultry
- eggs