Chapter 3: Making more nutritious choices

Nutrient content claim

Describes levels of nutrients in packaged foods, e.g. "free," "high," or "low."

Health claim

Describes the relationship between a food or food ingredient and the reduced risk of a nutrition-related condition.

Structure/function claim

Describes the role a nutrient plays in maintaining a structure, such as bone, or promoting a normal function, such as digestion.

Nutrition Facts panel

Information on food packaging that indicates nutrition information per serving of the food.

Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs)

Standards for recommending daily intakes of several nutrients.

Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)

The amount of a nutrient that meets the need of 50% of healthy people in a life stage/sex group.

Whole grains

The entire, ground, cracked, or flacked seeds of cereal grains as wheat, buckwheat, otas, corn, rice, wild rice, rye and barley.

Requirement

The smallest amount of a nutrient that maintains a defined level of nutritional health.

Estimated Energy Requirement (EER)

Average daily energy intake that meets the needs of a healthy person maintaining his or her weight.

Adequate Intakes (AIs)

Dietary recommendations that assume a population's average daily nutrient intakes are adequate because no deficiency diseases are present.

Organic food

Foods produced without the use of antibiotics, hormones, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, genetic improvements, or ionizing radiation.

Megadose

Generally defined as an amount of a vitamin or mineral that greatly exceeds the recommended amount.

Fortification

Is the addition of any nutrient to foods. May restore nutrients in foods that were lost during processing or provide specific health benefits

Daily Values (DVs)

Set of nutrient intake standards developed for labeling purpose.

Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)

Standard representing the highest average amount of nutrient that's unlikely to be harmful when consumed daily.

Enrichment

The addition of iron and the B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folic acid to refined cereal grain products.

MyPlate

USDA's interactive Internet dietary and menu planning guide.

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)

Various energy and nutrient intake standards for Americans.