Chapter 2 Nutrition: Tools for healthy Eating
Undernutrition
A person's nutrient and/or energy needs aren't met through diet
What Are the Dietary Guidelines for Americans? (cont'd)
•Creation and updates •Scientists establish the goals and offer dietary guidance. •Updated every 5 years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) •Designed to help individuals aged 2 and over: •Improve the quality of diet and promote health •Lower the risk of chronic disease and unhealthy conditions
The Daily Values Help Compare Packaged Foods
•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 percent or more. •Food is considered a good source of a nutrient if the DV is between 10 and 20 percent. •Food is considered low in a nutrient if the DV is less than 5 percent. •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.
Healthy Eating Means Consuming a Variety of Foods
•Eating a variety of foods improves diet quality. •No food or food group contains every single nutrient needed to be healthy. •Individuals should choose a variety of foods within groups and among groups to achieve a healthy diet.
•Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR)
•Ensure that intake of nutrients is adequate and proportionate to physiological needs •Carbohydrates: 45 to 65 percent of daily kcals •Fats: 20 to 35 percent of daily kcals •Proteins: 10 to 35 percent of daily kcals
Adequate Intake (AI)
•Estimate based on the judgment of the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) members, according to current research •Next best scientific estimate of the amount of a nutrient that groups of similar individuals should consume to maintain good health •Set without having established EARs •Only estimation for nutrients to determine dietary adequacy in infants
Food Labels Are Strictly Regulated by theFDA
•Every packaged food must be labeled with: •Name of food •Net weight—the weight of the food in the package, excluding weight of the package or packing material •Name and address of the manufacturer or distributor •List of ingredients in descending order by weight •Nutrition Labeling and Education Act in 1990 mandated: •Uniform nutritional information •Serving sizes •Specific criteria for nutrient descriptors and health claims
Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)
•Highest amount of a nutrient that is unlikely to cause harm if consumed daily •Consumption above this level increases risk of toxicity. •Not all nutrients have ULs.
Healthy Eating Includes Eating Low-Energy-Dense Foods
•Low-energy-dense foods •Eating low-energy-dense foods can promote weight loss. •Eating low-energy-dense foods means eating larger portions for the same number of kilocalories, which may improve satiety and decrease hunger.
What Is the MyPlate Food Guidance System?
•MyPlate is a visual depiction of the recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. •ChooseMyPlate.gov is a web-based tool that provides: •Information, tips, and tools to help people build a healthier diet •An interactive food guidance system that provides personalized food plans
MyPlate Emphasizes Changes in Diet
•MyPlate shows five food groups in relative proportion using a place setting. •The MyPlate icon and the information on the ChooseMyPlate.gov website promote proportionality, moderation, variety, and personalization. •MyPlate is split into five sections: grains, fruits, vegetables, protein, and dairy. •Oils are an important part of the diet but are not considered a food group.
Healthy Eating Includes Nutrient-DenseFoods
•Nutrient density is the measurement of the nutrients in a food compared to the kilocalorie content. •High in nutrients and low in kilocalories •Provide more nutrients per kilocalorie •Low in fat and added sugar •Some nutrient-dense foods are high in kilocalories (e.g., avocado, peanut butter). •Be mindful of the kilocalories in these foods and consume them in moderation.
What Are the Dietary Guidelines for Americans?
•Purpose •Improve nutritional quality and reduce incidence of overnutrition and its associated health problems for Americans •Educate and guide consumers concerning healthy diet and lifestyle choices •Shape all federally funded nutritional programs in areas of research and labeling
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)
•Recommendation for each nutrient that should meet the needs of nearly all (97 to 98%) of the individuals in a specific gender and age group •Higher than the EAR •Not available for all nutrients •For nutrients with no RDA, Adequate Intake (AI) can provide an alternative guideline.
The Nutrition Facts Panel Indicates Nutrient Values (cont'd)
•Some foods are 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 •Alcoholic Beverages
Food Labels Are Strictly Regulated by the FDA (cont'd2)
•Some foods are under the FDAs voluntary point-of-purchase program. •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. •Meat and poultry is regulated by the USDA. •Food labels in grocery stores are required and must indicate in which country the animal was born, raised, and slaughtered.
What Are the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)?
•Specific amounts of each nutrient one needs to consume to: •Maintain good health •Prevent chronic diseases •Avoid unhealthy excess •DRIs are updated periodically by a group of U.S. and Canadian scientists and health experts. •Committees are organized by the Institutes of Medicine.
How to Use MyPlate
•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.
DRIs Encompass Several Reference Values
•The DRIs cover five reference values: •Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) •Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) •Adequate Intake (AI) •Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) •Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) •The RDA or AI (not both), the AMDR, and the UL are used to assess the quality of meals.
Label Claims Can Reveal Potential Health Benefits
•The FDA mandates that all claims on labels follow strict guidelines. •Currently three types of health claims are allowed. •Nutrient content claims •Claims on the food label that describe the level or amount of a nutrient in the food •Terms such as free, high, low, reduced, extra lean, or lite are examples of nutrient content claims.
What Is the Exchange System?
•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
The DRIs Suggest an Intake Level for Each Nutrient
•There are different nutrient requirements for different life stages or conditions. •Pregnant versus nonpregnant status •Age •Gender
Overnutrition
Excess nutrients and/or energy are consumed
Exchange System
Groups foods according to macronutrient content; used for meal planning
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)
Provide recommendations on nutrient needs for individuals
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Provides broad dietary and lifestyle advice
Nutrition Facts Panel
Provides the Daily Values and information to help consumers choose healthy foods
Malnutrition
The long-term consequence of consuming too many or too little nutrients or energy
MyPlate (ChooseMyPlate.gov)
Web-based tool that helps individuals implement the recommendations of the DRIs and Dietary Guidelines
Food guidance systems
are graphics used to summarize guidelines to healthy eating.
balanced diet
includes a healthy proportion of nutrients to maintain health and prevent disease
Moderation
is the dietary principle of consuming reasonable but not excessive amounts of foods and nutrients.
Variety
is the dietary principle of including a mixture of different food groups and foods within each group.
Nutrient density
is the measurement of the nutrients in a food compared to the kilocalorie content. •High in nutrients and low in kilocalories •Provide more nutrients per kilocalorie •Low in fat and added sugar
Proportionality
is the relationship of one entity to another.
Food Labels Are Strictly Regulated by the FDA (cont'd)
•Additional requirements for the label since 1990 include: •Nutrition information: total kilocalories, kilocalories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, sugars, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron •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
MyPlate Emphasizes Changes in Diet(cont'd)
•MyPlate promotes proportionality. •Proportionality is the relationship of one entity to another. •Vegetables and fruits should be consumed in higher proportion than dairy and proteins in the diet. •Fruits and vegetables should make up half of the plate. •Smaller portions should come from grains and lean protein sources. •Dairy choices should be low-fat or fat-free.
Energy density
•is a measurement of the kilocalories in a food compared with the weight of the food. •Most high-fat foods are energy dense.
Healthy Eating Means Moderate Intake of All Foods
•All foods can be included in a healthy diet as long as they are consumed in moderation. •Consume foods high in added sugars and fat in smaller amounts. •Limit portions and number of servings of nutrient-dense and energy-dense foods such as nuts.
Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)
•Amount of a nutrient projected to meet the needs of 50 percent of healthy Americans by age and gender •Based on measurement that determines whether an individual is at risk for deficiency •EARs are not established when there is insufficient research to develop an appropriate measurement for a nutrient. •Once set, the EARs are used to calculate RDAs.
Estimated Energy Requirement (EER)
•Amount of daily energy needed to maintain a healthy body weight and meet energy needs based on age, gender, height, weight, and activity level •No DRI has been set for energy intake. •Individuals who consume more energy than needed will gain weight.
The Nutrition Facts Panel Indicates Nutrient Values
•Area on the food label that provides a list of specific nutrients obtained in one serving of the food •Rules about nutrients •Nutrients added to the product must be listed. •Nutrients associated with a health claim must be listed. •Serving size must be listed both by weight in grams and common household measures. •The rest of the information on the panel is based on the listed serving size.
MyPlate Emphasizes Changes in Diet: Important messages at ChooseMyPlate.gov are based on three recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines.
•Balance kilocalories. •Enjoy your food, but eat less. •Avoid oversized portions. •Increase the following foods. •Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. •Make at least half your grains whole grains. •Switch to fat-free milk or low-fat (1%) milk. •Reduce the following foods. •Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals—and choose the foods with lower numbers. •Drink water instead of sugary drinks. Basically •Balance kilocalories daily and choose nutrient-dense foods from each food group. •Choosing nutrient-dense foods lowers fat and sugar in the diet. •Being physically active helps with weight management and reducing risk for disease.
•Nutrient content claims
•Claims on the food label that describe the level or amount of a nutrient in the food •Terms such as free, high, low, reduced, extra lean, or lite are examples of nutrient content claims.
•Structure/function claims
•Claims on the label that describe how a nutrient or dietary compound affects the structure or function of the human body •Structure/function claims CANNOT state the nutrient or compound can be used to treat a disease or condition. •Dietary supplements that use structure/function claims must display a disclaimer on the label stating that the FDA did not evaluate the claim and that the dietary supplement is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." •These claims are the weakest.
)Health claims
•Contain two important components •A food or a dietary compound (e.g., fiber) •A corresponding disease or health-related condition that is associated with the substance •There are three types. •Authorized health claims •Health claims based on authoritative statements •Qualified health claims