Nutritional Guidelines andNutrition Labels

Chapter 10, pages 266-277

Dietary Guidelines

• These are a set of recommendations about smart eating and physical activity for all Americans.

• These guidelines provide science-based advise for healthful eating.

• These guidelines also provide information on the importance of active living.

Dietary Guidelines

• 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 to put the Dietary guidelines into action.

Basic Food Groups

1. Grains Group • Need 6 to 11 servings

per day• Nutrients include:– Complex carbohydrates– Fiber– Iron– B vitamins

Basic Food Groups

2. Vegetable Group• Need 3 to 5 servings

per day• Nutrients include:– Vitamins A, C, & K– Calcium– Iron– Magnesium– Fiber– Carbohydrates

Basic Food Groups

3. Fruit Group• Need 2 to 4 servings

per day.• Nutrients include:– Vitamins A, C– Magnesium– Potassium– Fiber– Carbohydrates

Basic Food Groups

4. Milk (Dairy) Group• Need 3 to 4 servings

per day.• Nutrients include:– Protein– Calcium– Vitamins A, D, B2– phosphorus

Basic Food Groups

5. Protein Group• Need 2 to 3 servings• Nutrients– Protein– Iron– B vitamins– phosphorus

Basic Food Groups

6. Fats, Oils & Sweets• Not considered a food

group, but is still needed for good nutrition, use sparingly.

• Nutrients include:– Fats– Carbohydrates

Moderation in Fats• The Dietary Guidelines

recommends that no more than 30% 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, & 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 foods.

• You can moderate sugar intake by:– Learning to identify sugars

by their names on food packages. Corn syrup, honey, and molasses are all types of sugar, as are ingredients that end with --ose, such as sucrose, fructose and maltose.

Moderation in Sugar– 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% fruit juice or water instead of regular soda.

– Choosing fresh fruit, or canned fruit packed in water or juice instead of syrup.

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 you salt intake can reduce your chance of high blood pressure and may benefit your skeletal system by decreasing the loss of calcium from bone.

Moderation in Salt• 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 food before you salt them, and then go easy with the salt.

• Choose fruits & 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.

Healthful Eating Patterns

• 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.

Healthful Eating Patterns• Breakfast jump starts your

metabolism, so if your dieting, breakfast is the worst meal to skip.

• Improves mental and physical performance

• Reduces fatigue later in the day.

• Students 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 do not have to be the traditional meal of cereal, toast, etc.

Healthful Eating Patterns• Lunch and Dinner –

Whether you eat a small lunch and big dinner; or a large lunch and small dinner, make sure to include a variety of foods from the several food groups.

Healthful Eating Patterns• 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

Healthful Eating Patterns• Eating Out, Eating Right –

Making healthful food choices is just as important when you eat away from home.

Healthful Eating Patterns• Some tips to keep in mind

include:1. 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.

Healthful Eating Patterns2. Pay attention to how foods

are prepared: • Anything fried is likely to

be high in fat.• Grilled, baked, and broiled

foods are healthier choices than fried foods.

Healthful Eating Patterns3. Add fresh vegetables and

fruits:• The salad bar can be a

health-conscious eater’s best friend.

• If a 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.

Healthful Eating Patterns4. 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.

Healthful Eating Patterns5. 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 & servings

per container.– Calories per serving and

calories per serving from fat.

– Name 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.

Nutrition Label Basics• Food labels also list the

ingredients that are in the food item.

• The label lists those ingredients 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• Food additives are

substances 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 to

enhance appeal of product.

– Maintain texture.– Control a foods acidity.– Help to age food faster,

such as cheese.

Enriched Foods

• An enriched food is a food in which nutrients that were lost in processing have been added back (e.g., breads, pasta’s, and rice made of refined grains are enriched with B vitamins and iron).

Fortified Foods

• Fortification is the addition of nutrients that are not naturally present (e.g., milk is fortified with vitamin D to help deposit calcium in bones)

Sugar & 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 substitute, is used in potato chips and other snacks to give them fewer calories.

• Olestra passes through the body undigested and can cause gastrointestinal problems in some people.

Common ClaimsFound 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 (e.g., foods labeled as being “calorie-free” must have fewer than 5 calories per serving).

Common ClaimsFound on Food Labels

• Low – means you can eat this food regularly without exceeding your daily limits for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or calories (e.g., low-fat foods must have 3 grams or less of fat per serving).

Common ClaimsFound on Food Labels

• Light or Lite – means there are 1/3 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.

Common ClaimsFound on Food Labels

• Good Source of – the food provides 10% to 19% 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.

Common ClaimsFound on Food Labels

• 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 cannot contain genetically modified ingredients or be subjected to certain types of radiation.

Organic Food Labels

• The USDA Organic Label makes no claim, however, that organic foods are safer or more nutritious than conventionally grown foods.

Open Dating

1. Sell-by (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.

2. 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.

Open Dating

3. 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.

4. Pack Date – the date the manufacturer packaged or processed the product.

• It does not give the consumer an indication of the product’s freshness.

• May show how long a product has been on the shelf .