BIO 121: Chapter 2 - Healthy Diets

Which of the following is true with regard to a healthy diet?

A healthy diet emphasizes nutrient-dense over energy-dense foods. A healthy diet provides calories and nutrients in amounts necessary to promote good health. A healthy diet is characterized by adequacy, balance, variety, and moderation.

Such foods get most of their calories from saturated fats and added sugars. Added sugars are found in sugar-sweetened drinks like sodas, energy drinks, and sports drinks, and desserts.

Average Americans typically get approximately one-third of their calories from solid fats and added sugars.

The percent Daily Value (%DV) serves as a guide to the level of key nutrients in one serving of food.

Developed specifically for use on food labels, DVs can help guide consumers toward better selections.

The current Dietary Guidelines also focus on improving the diet of Americans by encouraging small shifts in eating habits to align our diet with these healthy eating patterns

Emphasis is placed on the need to substitute nutrient-dense foods and beverages for less healthy choices (those that are high in saturated fat, added sugars and/or sodium, and calories).

Healthy diets also take into consideration the energy density of foods.

Foods that are rich in calories relative to weight are considered energy dense.

The researchers estimated that the best measure of a healthy diet was the amount of vegetables and fruits consumed, a measure that also works when evaluating diets from around the world.

Geographic location and culture have an enormous impact on what people eat—for example, Americans rarely eat rice for breakfast, although it is common in many Asian countries—but all share the same essential features.

For the nutrients that we sometimes eat too much of (total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium) the DV represents the maximum amount to eat per day.

In contrast, the DVs for carbohydrates and the nutrients listed below it on the food label (such as fiber, calcium, and iron) represent the minimum amount that we should consume each day, and our goal is to consume at least 100% of the DV for these nutrients.

Specifically, most healthy diet plans focus on eating more plant foods, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans.

Meals should include lean proteins from a variety of sources, and healthy fats, which are present in foods such as avocados, olive oil, nuts, and some types of fish. Healthy eaters should minimize their intake of unhealthy fats (lard, butter, fatty meats), sugar, and salt; eat appropriate portion sizes; and stay physically active

Here's a clue that food deserts don't provide the basics of a healthy diet:

Most of the food at corner convenience stores and fast-food restaurants is beige and brown—bread, soda, chips, and French fries, for instance.

In general, as the energy density of foods increases, the nutrient density decreases.

Most vegetables are nutrient dense as they provide lots of essential nutrients relative to their calorie content.

Healthy diets are full of foods with high nutrient density; these foods contain many beneficial nutrients relative to calorie content.

Nutrient-dense foods are a "good deal" nutritionally in that they provide many nutrients at a low calorie "cost."

Food labels must include a Nutrition Facts Panel that provides specific information about the calorie content and nutritional values for specific components.

On every food label, you will see serving size, number of servings, and number of calories per serving, as well as information on the amount of dietary fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, dietary sodium, carbohydrates, proteins, and at least two vitamins and minerals in each serving.

The NLEA also requires an ingredients list, which is another useful tool when making purchases, as it provides more specific information about what the food product contains. The ingredients must be listed in descending order of amount, measured by weight.

Other label requirements are that all juices must indicate the percentage of fruit juice content, and all foods must list any ingredient that could cause an allergic reaction, such as milk, peanuts, sulfites, and eggs.

First, let's consider variety:

Quite simply, this means choosing different foods, even within the individual food groups.

Solid fats are high in saturated fats, which are strongly linked to an increased risk of heart disease, but contribute few essential nutrients and no fiber.

Solid fats contribute approximately 19% of total calories in the American diet, and reducing their consumption is an important way to reduce the intake of saturated fats, excess calories, and the risk of heart disease.

Specifically, the DGAs recommend that Americans consume a variety of fruits, vegetables, and protein foods (including fi sh, poultry, legumes, nuts, and lean meats).

They also recommend that we replace refi ned grains with whole grains, and solid fats with oils; and limit the consumption of saturated fat (to 10% of total calories) and sodium. The limit for sodium is set at 2,300 milligrams per day for adults and children 14 years and older because excess sodium intake can increase the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) and heart disease.

Since their creation in 1980, the DGAs have been updated every five years by the .

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to the newest science-based information about nutrition and health, and they provide the core of federal food and nutrition education programs

All types of healthy diets have a few qualities in common:

a variety of foods, balanced across food groups and macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fats), adequate amounts that provide the calories and essential nutrients necessary to maintain and promote optimal health. Considering the high rates of obesity in the United States, another key component to remember is moderation—not overindulging in any one type of food or in potentially harmful foods, such as those that contain unhealthy levels of fat, sugar, and salt.

A healthy diet consists of

a variety of foods, chosen from all the major food groups—vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, and dairy—and provides the energy and essential nutrients we need.

The DGAs recommend that sodium intake should:

be restricted to 1,500 milligrams/day for individuals at risk of high blood pressure.

On a nutrition label, the list of ingredients:

begins with the ingredient that comprises the highest proportion of the product's weight.

Solid fats include

butter, beef fat, chicken fat, pork fat, stick margarine, and shortening.

Percent daily value (%DV) on processed food packages is:

developed specifically for use on food labels.

A good way to reduce solid fat intake is to

eat lean meats, and significantly reduce the intake of cheese, pizza, desserts, and pastries.

The water, fiber, and fat content of foods is the primary factor that determines .

energy density

Emphasizing nutrient-dense foods and reducing intake of energy-dense foods while meeting overall energy needs typically results in:

greater likelihood of achieving recommended intake of essential nutrients.

Currently, health claims that can appear on food labels:

have been approved by the FDA.

All of the following are true regarding the USDA MyPlate food guide, EXCEPT:

it is designed specifically for use by children rather than adults.

The World Health Organization's dietary guidelines:

reinforce recommendations from other countries around the world.

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) focus on healthy eating patterns—

the combinations of all the foods and drinks that we consume over time, and not on specifi c foods or nutrients.

Fat content has the opposite effect—

the more fat is added to food, the more energy dense it becomes, since fat has more than twice as many calories per gram as either protein or carbohydrates.

Another important component of a healthy diet is balance:

the right proportion of foods from each of the food groups, and the appropriate amounts of calories, macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) are characterized by all of the following, EXCEPT:

they are updated every 10 years.

The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 requires all of the following, EXCEPT:

warning if a food product contains excessive amounts of sugar or sodium.