Recommended Daily Intakes

How much (of what) do you need?

CAUTION

• Do not get hung up on numbers! People have different body types, metabolisms, and activity levels.

• Obsessing about calories can be harmful, and may sometimes lead to unhealthy eating patterns and psychological distress.

There are guidelines….

• It is wise, however, to follow some guidelines about how much nutrition you need in a day.

• Learning about which nutrients your body needs to function and grow will help you make good foodchoices.

CaloriesA calorie is a unit of measurement — but it doesn't

measure weight or length

A calorie is a unit of heat energy. When you hear something contains 100 calories, it's a way of describing how much energy your body could get from eating or drinking it.

Most teens don't have to worry about not getting enough calories because the body — and feelings of hunger — help regulate how many calories a person eats.

Energy in Energy out

Calorie Intake Again: Individual calories needs vary according to size and

activity level.

• Girls aged 14 to 18 need between 1,800 and 2,400 calories daily.

• Boys aged 14 to 18 need 2,000 to 3,200 calories daily.

• Teenagers who are inactive will need fewer calories, and would usually stay within the lower ranges.

• Teenagers who participate in sports, high-intensity activities, or manual labour will need to maintain a caloric intake in the higher ranges.

Dietary Reference Intakes• Health Canada, along with U.S partners, issue nutrient

recommendations based on the latest information. These are called Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI).

• Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the average daily dietary intake of a nutrient that is sufficient to meet the requirement of nearly all (97-98%) healthy persons. This is the number to be used as a goal for individuals.

• The % Daily Value (% DV) can help you make informed food choices. Look for it in the Nutrition Facts table on food packages.

Keep in mind: 5% is a little, 15% is a lot

Find the serving size, calories, and %DV

Nutrients Included on LabelsNutrients you may want more of are:• Calcium• Iron• Fibre• Vitamin A• Vitamin CNutrients you may want less of are:• Fat• Saturated and trans fats• Sodium

• Interactive Labelling Map: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/nutrition/cons/inl_flash-eng.php

ASSIGNMENT• Create a day’s worth of meals from one of the three

nutrition guides located on your desk. • The meals are intended for yourself. So, if you are a 15

year old male who is very active, you would follow the caloric recommendations specific to that demographic (see notes).

• Compare your meals to those your group members came up with. Of the three restaurants, which do you think has the most nutritional value? Why? Discuss.

• Pass in the following:– A breakdown of each meal (items, calories, nutrients)– A total calorie count and a total nutrient count (represented by

DV%)

sources

• http://kidshealth.org/kid/nutrition/food/calorie.html#

• http://www.livestrong.com/article/422467-teenage-caloric-needs/?utm_source=undefined_R1&LS-2659

• http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/nutrition/cons/dv-vq/index-eng.php