Ch 1 - A Closer Look: The Food Environment and Food Choices - Attempt 1

1. A closer look - The food environment and food choices Some foods are nutrient-rich, while others are energy-rich yet nutrient-poor. Whole foods are the most nutrient dense because nutrients are left intact, which supports the best satiety cues (for example, an orange vs. orange juice), and overall confer the best outcome physiologically. Three-day diet records are often used to get an idea of an individual's overall dietary habits to determine average daily caloric intake and how nutrient-rich the diet is. In the following question, you'll be asked about three days' worth of one meal, either breakfast, lunch, or dinner. For the next three days, select the items that are richest in nutrients. Choose three items for each day's breakfast.

Day 1: Bacon Peanut Butter (contains only peanuts) Day 2: Skim Milk Variety pack of Quaker instant oatmeal Day 3: Box of regular Cheerios Fruit on the bottom regular yogurt Nature Valley granola bars Plain Greek yogurt Explanation: As mentioned, three-day diet records can be used to assess an individual's dietary habits. The individual can then consider which foods or drinks could be replaced with something more rich in nutrients. One of the easiest ways to think about replacing nutrient-poor foods with more nutrient-rich foods is to exchange a particular macronutrient with that same macronutrient (for example, replace a nutrient-poor protein with a more nutrient-rich one). Whole grains are more nutrient-dense than are foods made with refined white flour (packaged cinnamon rolls, white flour in pancakes); peanut butter is a more nutrient-rich source of protein than is bacon; whole fruits and vegetables are more nutrient-dense than are those canned in syrup; and plain Greek yogurt is a more nutrient-rich source of protein than is flavored yogurt, and with less sugar. Some foods seem like they should be healthy, but in fact contain large amounts of sugar and few nutrients (flavored instant oatmeals, granola bars).

Behavior change is a modification in human behavior. Changing unhealthy nutrition behaviors to healthy ones can be difficult due to a variety of reasons. Incorporating nutrient-dense foods into your meal plan is the recommended outcome. Consider your breakfast consumption. What would you have to change to include fruits, whole grains, and low-fat dairy in your meal? Choose the radio button below the image that depicts an individual making a change in nutrition behavior that increases the nutrient richness of his/her diet.

Explanation: Shopping for whole foods rather than eating at fast-food restaurants results in a more nutrient-rich diet. While some sit-down restaurants may have more nutrient-rich foods than fast-food restaurants, the only real way to know what is in the foods you eat is to prepare them yourself. Juice drinks that do not contain 100% juice have fewer nutrients compared to 100% juice.

People have many different motivations for their dietary choices. Some people eat more when bored or alone, while others will only eat full meals during social interactions. Other factors include convenience, price, cultural influences, work day schedules, stores available for purchase (convenience store versus grocery store), and so on. What is the likely motivation for a person giving up soup after an extended illness? Positive associations Habit Social interactions Negative associations Values

Negative associations Explanation: People can develop aversions to foods they ate while they were in uncomfortable situations, such as an extended illness. A person who ate a lot of soup during his/her illness may never what to eat it again after recovering.