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I learned that the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) serve as a guideline for the daily intake of essential nutrients to help maintain overall health and prevent deficiencies.
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The five food groups, along with their recommended servings, include grains (6-11 servings), vegetables (3-5 servings), fruits (2-4 servings), milk (3-4 servings), and protein (2-3 servings), while fats, oils, and sweets should be used sparingly.
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To maintain a healthy body weight, it is important to find a balance between food intake and physical activity, ensuring the consumption of nutrient-dense foods that provide the most nutrition for the least amount of calories.
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I discovered ways to control fats, sugars, and sodium in my diet, such as reading food labels, limiting added sugars, and using herbs and spices for seasoning instead of salt.
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I now understand the difference between enriched and fortified foods, with enrichment involving the addition of nutrients lost during processing, while fortification involves adding nutrients that are not naturally present in the food.
Learning Targets
After studying this lesson, I will be able to
explain the meaning and role of Recommended Dietary Allowances.
name the five food groups and recommended servings for each.
describe the guidelines for maintaining body weight.
describe tips to control fats, sugars, and sodium in foods.
list the information required on a nutritional information label.
differentiate between enriched and fortified foods.
interpret open-dating information on food labels.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans - A set of recommendations about smart eating and physical activity for all Americans.
These guidelines, published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS), provide science-based advice for healthful eating. The guidelines also provide information on the
importance of active living. This advice can be summed up in three key guidelines:
Make smart choices from every food group.
Find your balance between food and activity.
Get the most nutrition out of your calories.
ChooseMyPlate.gov – an interactive guide to healthful eating and active living. This is a useful tool for making healthful
food choices each day. It helps you put the Dietary guidelines into action.
The ChooseMyPlate website provides individually tailored advice about your daily calorie needs based on your age,
gender, and activity level.
Food Groups
1. Grains Group (Orange band)
6 to 11 servings per day
Nutrients: complex carbohydrates, fiber, iron, B vitamins
2. Vegetable Group (Green band)
3 to 5 servings
Nutrients: vitamins A, C, and K, calcium, iron, magnesium, fiber, and carbohydrates
3. Fruit Group (Red band)
2 to 4 servings
Nutrients: vitamins A, C, magnesium, potassium, fiber and carbohydrates
4. Milk Group (Blue band)
3 to 4 servings
Nutrients: protein, calcium, vitamins A, D, B2 and phosphorus
5. Protein Group (Purple band)
2 to 3 servings
Nutrients: protein, iron, B vitamins, and phosphorus
6. Fats, Oils, and Sweets (Yellow band) (Not a food group)
Use sparingly
Nutrients: fats and carbohydrates
Moderation in Fats - The Dietary Guidelines recommends that no more than 30 percent of daily calories come from fats.
To limit dietary fat and cholesterol:
Aim to get most of your calories from whole grains, vegetables, and fruits
Read labels on prepared foods to determine how much total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol a serving of food
contains.
Calculate the percentage of fat in one serving: Divide calories from fat by total calories.
Try to choose foods that have 3 grams or less of fat per serving. These foods are considered low in fat.
Moderation in Sugar - You might think that you don’t eat much added sugar, but sugars are hidden everywhere,
including in prepared food. You can moderate your sugar intake by:
Learning to identify added sugars by their names on food packages. Corn syrup, honey, and molasses are all
types of sugar, as are ingredients ending with –ose, such as sucrose and maltose.
Balancing foods that have added sugars with foods that have less added sugars.
Limiting your intake of foods that have added sugars but few other nutrients. For example choose 100 percent
fruit juice or water instead of regular soda.
Choosing fresh fruit or canned fruits packed in water or juice.
Moderation in Salt - Sodium is an essential mineral. It helps transport nutrients into your cells and helps move wastes
out. It also helps maintain normal blood pressure and nerve function. However most Americans consume far too much
salt, much of it from processed foods. Decreasing your salt intake can reduce your chance of high blood pressure and
may benefit your skeletal system by decreasing the loss of calcium from bone. To limit dietary salt intake:
Read the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels to find out how much sodium a serving contains.
Season foods with herbs and spices instead of with salt.
When eating at restaurants, ask for foods that are prepared without salt or salty flavorings or with reduced
amounts of them.
Taste foods before you salt them, and then go easy with the salt.
Choose fruits and vegetables often. They contain very little salt unless it is added in processing.
Healthful Eating Patterns - Variety, moderation, and balance are the foundation of a healthful eating plan. To make sure
you are getting enough nutrients out of the food you eat, choose nutrient-dense foods. These foods have a high ratio of
nutrients to calories.
1. Breakfast - “The most important meal of the day.” While you sleep, your body uses energy for functions such as
breathing and keeping your heart beating. By the time you wake up, your body needs a fresh supply of energy.
Breakfast jump-starts your metabolism, so if you’re dieting, breakfast is the worst meal to skip.
Improves mental and physical performance
Reduces fatigue later in the day
Tend to perform better at school, get better grades, and miss fewer days of school
Helps you maintain a healthy weight with less snacking or overeating later in the day.
* Breakfast foods don’t have to be the traditional meal of cereal, toast, etc.
2. Lunch and Dinner - Whether you eat a small lunch and big dinner; or big lunch and small dinner, make sure to
include a variety of foods from several food groups.
3. Snacks – Healthful snacks can give you energy to keep you going between meals. There are plenty of healthful
foods that you can enjoy when you need a quick bite:
Fresh fruit
Cut-up vegetables
String cheese
Unsalted nuts
Air-popped popcorn
Fat-free yogurt
Bread sticks
4. Eating Out, Eating Right – Making healthful food choices is just as important when you eat away from home.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Watch portion sizes – restaurant portions have grown larger over the years. If you think the serving size is
more than you need, try splitting the meal with a friend or wrap up leftovers to take home.
Pay attention to how foods are prepared – Anything fried is likely to be high in fat. Grilled, baked, and
broiled foods are healthier choices.
Add fresh vegetables and fruits – the salad bar can be a health-conscious eater’s best friend. If the
restaurant doesn’t have a salad bar, order a salad off the menu or ask the server to provide extra lettuce
and tomato for your sandwich.
Go easy on toppings – High-fat sauces, mayonnaise, butter, and sour cream add fat and calories to a dish.
Ask the restaurant to leave these out or serve them on the side.
Don’t drink your calories – choose water instead of soft drinks to satisfy your thirst without adding extra
calories to your meal.
Nutrition Label Basics
The Nutrition Facts panel on food products indicates the nutrient and calorie content of foods
Serving size and servings per container
Calories per serving and calories per serving from fat
Names and amounts of nutrients
Percent Daily Value, which is how much of a nutrient is in one serving and adds to the total daily eating plan.
Food labels also list the ingredients that are in the food item. The label lists those with the most weight or amount first.
Some sugars and sweeteners may be listed separately and lower on the list than if they were listed totally as one
ingredient.
Food Additives
Substances that are added to food intentionally to produce a desired effect to:
Add nutrients
Lengthen storage life and keep it safe to eat
Give flavor or color
Maintain texture
Control a foods acidity
Help to age food, such as cheese
Enriched food: a food in which nutrients that were lost in processing have been added back. (E.G., Breads, pastas, and
rice made of refined grains are enriched with B vitamins and iron).
Fortification: the addition of nutrients that are not naturally present (E.G., milk is fortified with vitamin D to help deposit
calcium in bones).
Sugar and Fat Substitutes
Sugar substitutes include fructose (a natural fruit sugar) which is sweeter than table sugar, so less is needed, has
fewer calories; and aspartame, a non-caloric sweetener.
Olestra, a fat replacement, is used in potato chips to give then fewer calories. Olestra passes through the body
undigested and causes gastrointestinal problems in some people.
Common claims found on food labels
Free – The food contains none, or an insignificant amount, of a given component: fat, sugar, saturated fat, trans
fat, cholesterol, sodium, or calories (i.e., foods labeled as being “calorie-free” must have fewer than five calories
per serving)
Low – means you can eat this food regularly without exceeding your daily limits for fat, saturated fat,
cholesterol, sodium, or calories. (i.e., low-fat foods must have three grams or less of fat per serving)
Light or lite – means there are one-third fewer calories or 50% less fat or sodium of the original version.
Less, fewer, or reduced – means the food has 25% less of a nutrient or calories than the original version.
Good source of – the food provides 10 to 19 percent of the daily value for a vitamin, mineral, protein, or fiber.
High, Rich-In, or Excellent source of – means the food provides at least 20% more of the Daily Value for a
vitamin, mineral, protein, or fiber.
Healthy – foods described as healthy must be low in fat and saturated fat and contain limited amounts of
cholesterol and sodium.
Organic Food Labels - Some foods may have a notation on their food label: “USDA Organic”. These food items are
produced without the use of certain agricultural chemicals, such as synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. These foods also
cannot contain genetically modified ingredients or be subjected to certain types of radiation. The USDA Organic label
makes no claims, however, that organic foods are safer or more nutritious than conventionally grown foods.
Open Dating – these dates help you determine how long the food will remain fresh.
Sell-by Date (Pull Date) – the last day on which the store should sell the product. You can still use the product
after the sell-by date, but the freshness of the food can’t be guaranteed.
Use by or Expiration Date – shows the last day on which a product’s quality can be guaranteed. For a short time,
most foods are still safe to eat after this date.
Freshness Date – Appears on foods with a short shelf life, such as baked goods. They show the last date on
which a product is considered fresh.
Pack Date – the date the manufacturer packaged or processed the product. It does not give the consumer an
indication of the product’s freshness.
Write 5 sentences about what you learned from the info sheet.
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