Lecture 2: Tools for Healthy Eating Flashcards
Components of a Healthy Diet
- Diet incorporates:
- Balance
- Variety
- Moderation
- High in nutrient density
- Be aware of energy density
Balance
Include a healthy proportion of nutrients to maintain health and prevent disease
* Balance allows room for less healthy foods
* Unbalanced diets can lead to undernutrition or overnutrition and, if prolonged, malnutrition.
* Undernutrition: A person’s nutrient and/or energy needs aren’t met through diet.
* Overnutrition: Excess nutrients and/or energy are consumed.
* Malnutrition: The long-term consequence of consuming too many or too little nutrients or energy
Variety
- Choose a variety of food within each food group and across
different food groups - Different foods contain different nutrients
- Helps the body obtain all necessary nutrients
- Minimizes the potential for negative interactions between
foods
Moderation
- Consume reasonable but not excessive amounts of foods/nutrients
- All foods and beverages can fit
- There are no ”good” or “bad” foods!
- Moderation means not consuming too much energy, fat,
sugar, alcohol or sodium
Nutrient Density
A measure of the nutrient a food provides compared to
its kcal content.
* High nutrient
* Low kcal – generally low in fat and added sugar
Energy Density
- A measurement of the kcal in a food compared with the weight
of the food - Eating low energy-density foods can promote weight loss
Tools for Planning a Healthy Diet
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
MyPlate
Exchange System
Food Labels
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)
provide nutrient recommendations for healthy individuals
Reference values used for planning and assessing the diets of healthy people on an average daily basis
* Goals:
* Prevent deficiencies
* Decrease incidence of chronic disease and
promote health
* Avoid unhealthy excess
* Different requirements exist for different
life stages and ages
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Provide broad dietary and lifestyle advice
- Set of diet and lifestyle recommendations designed to
improve and maintain health and decrease risk of
chronic disease for individuals aged 2 and older - Updated every 5 years by the US Dept of Agriculture
(USDA) and Dept of Health and Human Services (HHS) - Used to develop federal food, nutrition, and health
policies and programs - Used as the basis for federal nutrition education
materials
MyPlate
helps individuals implement the recommendations of the DRIs and Dietary Guidelines
- Puts dietary guidelines into practice for the
general public - Emphasizes proportionality: the
relationship of one entity to another - The ChooseMyPlate.gov website determines the
amount of food to consume from each food group
based on an individual’s daily kilocalorie needs.
Important points:
* The calculated values use the leanest food choices with no
added sugar.
* Vary the food choices within each group to ensure that the
diet is adequate.
* On days where intake of a food group is inadequate,
consume more foods from that group the next day
1/2 plate = fruits + vegetables
1/2 plate = grains + protein
Exchange Systems
Groups foods according to macronutrient content to assist with meal planning
- The exchange system is a diet planning tool used to create meal plans based on the macronutrient content and total kilocalories of foods.
- Groups foods together based on carbohydrate, protein, and fat content
- Provides specific portion sizes for each food so each food in the group provides a similar amount of kilocalories per exchange
Six food groups in the exchange lists
* Starch
* Fruit
* Milk
* Vegetables
* Meat
* Fat
- Useful tool to control kilocalories, protein, and fat intake
Food Labels
Provides information to help consumers make food choices
The food label tells you what’s in the package to help consumers make informed food choices
Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)
- Intake that meets the estimated nutrient needs of 50% of
individuals in a sex and life-stage group - Used to assess and plans for populations
- Starting point for determining other values
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)
- Intakes that are sufficient to meet the nutrient needs of
97-98% of healthy individuals - Target for individual intakes
- Risk of deficiency is low at RDA
Adequate Intake (AI)
- Goal when insufficient data exists to determine RDA or EAR
- Based on observed or experimentally determined
approximations of the average nutrient intake by a healthy
population - Intake at or above AI is unlikely to be deficient in that
nutrient
Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)
- Maximum daily intake that is unlikely to pose a risk of
adverse health effects - Helps prevent nutrient toxicities
- Specific to life stage and sex
DRI Energy Intake Recommendations
- Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDRs)
- Estimated Energy Requirements (EERs)
Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDRs)
- Ranges of intake for energy-yielding
nutrients - Ensure that intake of nutrients is
adequate and proportionate to
physiological needs - Expressed as % of total energy intake
- Carbohydrates: 45-65% of kcal
- Protein: 10-35% of kcal
- Fat: 20-35% of kcal
Estimated Energy Requirements (EERs)
Average energy intake values predicted to maintain
weight in healthy individuals
Formulas based on:
* sex
* age
* height
* weight
* activity level
2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines
- Follow a healthy dietary pattern at every life stage
- Customize and enjoy nutrient-dense food and beverage choices to reflect
personal preferences, cultural traditions, and budgetary considerations - Focus on meeting food group needs with nutrient-dense foods and beverages, and stay within calorie limits.
- Limit foods and beverages higher in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium, and limit alcoholic beverages.
A healthy dietary pattern limits…
Sodium
Saturated Fats
Trans Fat
Added Sugars
Alcohol
My Plate Recommendations: Vegetables
Vary the veggies
5 Subgroups
* Dark green
* Red and orange
* Beans and peas
* Starchy
* Other
Count as starches due to higher carb and calorie intake:
* Peas
* Potatoes
* Sweet potatoes
* Corn
* Winter squash
(butternut, spaghetti,
acorn,etc.)
My Plate Recommendations: Fruits
- Fresh
- Frozen
- Canned in juice or water
- Dried
- 100% fruit juice
- Recommendation: no more
than 4-6oz/day - Beware of juice “drinks”
My Plate Recommendations: Grains
Make half your grains whole
- Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel
- Refined grains are lacking “full nutrient package”
My Plate Recommendations: Protein
Go with lean protein
- Vary your protein
food choices - Includes meat, poultry,
seafood, beans and peas,
soy foods, nuts and seeds - Choose seafood at least twice
per week - Keep portions small and lean
- Watch sodium levels in
processed meats
My Plate Recommendations: Dairy
Get Calcium Rich Foods
- Drink fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk
- Choose reduced fat cheeses
- Unflavored/unsweetened preferable
- Cream, butter, cream cheese, and eggs not included
- Calcium-fortified foods may not provide other nutrients found in dairy products
Portion
The amount of food eaten in one sitting
Serving Size
A standard amount of food that is customarily consumed as defined by the FDA
Estimating Portion Size
Women’s palm = 3oz of cooked meat
“O” made by thumb +index finger = 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Women’s fist = 1 cup
Tip of index finger = 1 teaspoon of margarine
Requirements for a food package
FDA mandates that every packaged food be labeled with:
* Name of the food
* Net weight
* Name and address of manufacturer or distributor
* List of ingredients in descending order by weight
* Nutrition facts panel
Nutrition Labeling
Nutrition Labeling and Education Act in 1990 mandated:
* Uniform nutritional information
* Serving sizes
* Specific criteria for nutrient descriptors and health claims
Additional Food Label Requirements since 1990
Nutritional information:
- Total kilocalories
- Total fat
- Saturated fat
- Trans fats
- Cholesterol
- Sodium
- Total carbohydrate
- Dietary fiber
- Total sugars
- Added sugars
- Vitamin D
- Calcium
- Iron
- Potassium
Food Label Requirements since 1990
- Uniform serving sizes among similar products
- Indication of how a serving of the food fits into an overall
daily diet - Uniform definitions for descriptive label terms such as
“light” and “fat free” - Health claims that are accurate and science-based, if made
about the food or one of its nutrients - Presence of the eight common allergens (+ sesame required
Jan 2023)
Foods that don’t need a Food Label
- Raw fruits and vegetables and fresh fish do not have a label.
- Stores must post the nutrition information on the most
commonly eaten fruits, vegetables, and fish near where the
products are sold.
Regulation of Meat and Poultry
- Regulated by USDA
- Food labels in grocery stores are required and must indicate
in which country the animal was born, raised, and
slaughtered.
Foods Exempt from having a Nutrition Facts Panel
- Plain coffee and tea
- Some spices, flavorings, and other foods that offer negligible amounts of
nutrients - Ready-to-eat foods that are prepared and sold in retail establishments and
restaurants - Food produced by small businesses
Nutrition Facts from Nutrition Panel
- Serving information
- Calories
- Nutrients
- Quick guide to percent Daily Value (%DV)
- 5% or less = low
- 20% or more = high
Daily Values (DVs)
Give a general idea of how the nutrients in the food fit into the overall diet.
Based on a 2,000-kilocalorie diet:
* Food is considered high in a nutrient if the DV is 20% or
more.
* Food is considered a good source of a nutrient if the DV is
between 10% and 20%.
* Food is considered low in a nutrient if the DV is less than 5%.
- There is no DV for trans fat, sugars, and protein.
- Some Nutrition Facts panels have a footnote at the bottom that provides a summary of DVs for 2,000- and 2,500-kilocalorie diets.
Label Claims
Can reveal potential health benefits
Three types of health claims allowed:
1. Nutrient COntent Claims: claims on amount of nutrient in food (eg: free, low, reduced, extra lean, or lite)
2. Health Claims: has to contain two components- food/dietary components and corresponding disease or health condition (eg: Soluble fiber that naturally occur in oats has shown to lower blood cholesterol levels, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease)
3. Structure/function claims: Claims on the label that describe how a nutrient or dietary compound affects the structure or function of the human body (eg: calcium builds stronger bones or fiber maintains bowel regularity)
Lack of definition on food labels
Some terms have no definition and are not regulated (eg: natural)
Can be put on any food and has no value or meaning
Ingredients List
Must be listed in descending order of predominance by weight (most —> least)
