Nutrition Guidelines and

Assessment

Chapter

2

Linking Nutrients, Foods, and Health

• Planning How You Will Eat• Adequacy• Balance• Calorie Control• Nutrient Density• Moderation• Variety Source: Courtesy of USDA.

Dietary Guidelines

• Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010• A road map intended to guide personal choices and help you make informed food and activity decisions

Source: Reproduced from Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, 7th ed., US Government Printing Office, 2010. Courtesy of US Department of Agriculture

and US Department of Health and Human Services.

Key Recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans

• Overarching Concepts• Maintain calorie balance over time to

achieve and sustain a healthy weight• Focus on consuming nutrient-dense foods

and beverages

Key Recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans

• Balance Calories to Manage Weight• Foods and Food Components to Reduce• Foods and Nutrients to Increase• Recommendations for Specific Population

Groups

Key Recommendations

• Building Healthy Eating Patterns• Helping Americans Make Healthy

Choices• Ways to incorporate the Dietary

Guidelines into your daily life

Canada’s Guidelines for Healthy Eating

• Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide• A set of positive, action-oriented messages

for healthy Canadians• Canada’s Physical Activity Guide

• 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity a day for children and youth

From Dietary Guidelines to Planning What You Will Eat

• A brief history of the food group plans• MyPlate• Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide• Using MyPlate or Canada’s Food Guide

in diet planning

MyPlate

Source: www.MyPlate.gov

Courtesy of USDA.

MyPlate

• Key messages• Enjoy food but eat less• Avoid oversized portions• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables• Drink water instead of sugary drinks• Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk• Compare sodium in foods• Make at least half your grains whole grains

Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide

Source: Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide, Health Canada, 2007. © Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2009.

Exchange Lists

• Using the exchange lists in diet planning• Foods grouped by macronutrient content

• Carbohydrates• Fat• Protein

• Commonly used in planning diets for• Weight control• Diabetes mellitus

Recommendations for Nutrient Intake: The DRIs

• Understanding Dietary Standards• Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)

• A Brief History of Dietary Standards• Diet Reference Intakes

• Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs)• Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs)• Food and Nutrition Board

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)• Estimated Average

Requirement (EAR)• Amount that meets the nutrient

requirements of 50% of people in a life stage/gender group

• Based on functional indicator of optimal health

• Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)• Amount that meets the needs of

most people in a life stage/gender group

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)

• Adequate Intake (AI)• Amount thought to be

adequate for most people• AI used when EAR and RDA

can’t be determined• Tolerable Upper Intake

Level (UL)• Intake above the UL can be

harmful

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)

• Estimated Energy Requirement• Energy intake estimated to maintain

energy balance in healthy, normal-weight individuals

• Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges• Refer to Table 2.6

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)

• Using the DRIs• Population groups

• Assess adequacy of intake• Plan diets• Set policy and guidelines

• Individuals• Use RDA and AI as target levels for intake• Avoid intake above the UL

Food Labels

• Ingredients and Other Basic Information• Statement of identity• Net contents of the package• Name and address of manufacturer,

packer, distributor• List of ingredients

• Listed in descending order by weight• Nutrition information

Nutrition Facts Panel

• Daily Values• Compare amount

in one serving to the amount recommended for daily consumption

Food Labels: Claims

• Nutrient content claims• Descriptive terms, e.g., low fat, high fiber

• Health claims• Link one or more dietary components to reduced

risk of disease• Must be supported by scientific evidence

• Qualified Health Claims

Food Labels: Claims

• Structure/Function claims• Describe potential effects on body structure or

functions• Using Labels to Make Healthful Food Choices

Nutrition Assessment: Determining Nutritional Health

• The Continuum of Nutritional Status• Undernutrition• Overnutrition

• Nutrition Assessment of Individuals• Nutrition Assessment of Populations

Nutrition Assessment Methods

• Anthropometric Measurements

• Biochemical Tests

• Clinical Observations

• Dietary Intake

Nutrition Assessment Methods

• Methods of Evaluating Dietary Intake Data• Comparison to Dietary Standards• Comparison to MyPlate and the Dietary

Guidelines for Americans• Outcomes of Nutrition Assessment