Warm-Up

What types of information found on food labels can assist you in choosing healthy food?

Guidelines For Healthful Eating

Lesson 23

Objectives Evaluate the concepts of balance,

variety and moderation using the Food Guide Pyramid and dietary guidelines

Examine the effects of healthful eating behaviors on body systems

Select healthful meals and snacks as part of a balanced diet

Analyze nutritional information on food labels

Identify safe food handling practices

Dietary Guidelines Created by the U.S Department of

Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Published a booklet “Nutrition and Your

Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans A set of recommendations for healthful eating and

active living

Recommendations grouped into three areas known as the ABCs of good health

A: Aim For Fitness Deals with fitness goals In addition to healthful eating, regular physical

activity is important to health promotion and disease prevention

Aim for a healthy weight Helps you look and feel good Health care professional can help you to determine a

healthy weight for your height and age Be physically active each day

Improves your overall health and fitness Try to include at least 60 minutes of moderate

physical activity in your daily routine

B: Build a Healthy Base The “base” is the food guide pyramid

A guide for making healthful daily food choices Make food choices carefully

Eat the recommenced number of daily serving from each of the five major food groups in the pyramid

Choose a variety of grain products, especially whole grain products

Most of your daily food choices should be grain products Rich in complex carbs and fiber Whole wheat bread, oatmeal, brown rice

Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables Rich in vitamins and minerals Boost immune system

Keep food safe to eat Cook food thoroughly Refrigerate perishables Wash hands before and after handling foods

C: Choose Sensibly Choose a diet low in saturated fat and

cholesterol Choose beverages and foods to limit

intake of sugars Choose and prepare food with less salt

Moderation is the key

Moderation in Fats Some fats are necessary but most Americans

eat too many fats Remember no more than 30% of daily calories

should come from fats Choose unsaturated fats of saturated ones

Tips for limiting fat Aim to get most of your calories from whole grains,

vegetables and fruits Read labels to determine how much fat and

cholesterol a serving of the food contains Calculate the percentage of fat in one serving Choose food that have 3 grams or less per serving

Considered low in fat

Moderation in Sugar Learn to identify sugars by their names on

food packages Corn syrup, honey, molasses are all types of sugar! Look for ingredient ending in –ose such as sucrose

and maltose as those are sugars as well Balance foods with added sugars with food that have

less added sugar Limit intake of foods with added sugar

Tips to limit sugar intake Choose fresh fruits or canned fruits packed in water

or juice, not syrup Choose 100% fruit juice or water, instead of soda In between meals try to snack on healthier

alternatives

Moderation in Salt Sodium is an essential mineral but most American

consume way too much Transports nutrients into the cell and helps move wastes out Helps maintain normal blood pressure and nerve function Limiting salt intake decreases your chances of developing

high blood pressure Limiting salt intake may also benefit your skeletal system by

decreasing the loss of calcium from bones

Tips to limit salt intake Read nutrition fact on food labels, paying attention to how

much sodium is in each serving Season foods with herbs and spices instead of salt When eating out, ask for food prepared without salt, or with

reduced amounts Taste foods before salting them and go easy with the salt

shaker Choose fruits and vegetables often as they contain very little

salt

Healthful Eating Patterns Variety, moderations and balance are the foundation to a

healthful eating plan Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

When you sleep your body uses energy for functions such as breathing and keeping your heart beating

By the time you wake up you need a fresh supply of energy Eating breakfast improves mental and physical performance

and reduces fatigue later in the day Choose nutritious snacks

Figure 5.6 pg 128 Eat out, Eat Right

Remember portion control- most restaurant meals are much larger than the serving sizes in the Food Guide Pyramid

Offset a larger meal with a smaller meal later in the day Ask to see a list of nutritional information before placing your

order

Nutrition Labeling

The law requires that information panels be placed on packages of food that are intended for sale

Figure 5.7 pg 131Nutrition Facts

Ingredients List Most food labels list the food’s ingredients

by weight, in descending order The ingredient with the greatest amount is

listed first However, food labels that list several

similar ingredients can be confusing Ex: sugar, honey and corn syrup are all

‘sugars’ but listing them separately would give a consumer the impression that the product contains less sugar than it really does

Food Additives

Substances intentionally added to food to produce a desired effect

May be used to enhance: Flavor Color Storage life

Sugar and Fat Substitutes The food industry has developed a number

of substitutes for sugar and fat Many diet drinks sweetened with

aspartame Fructose, the natural sugar in fruits, is

used as a sweetener Some potato chips are made with fat

replacers Olestra in an example. It passes through the

body undigested. This can cause gastrointestinal problems in some people

Product Labeling

Food labels may state potential heath benefits of a food

May also contain details about the condition that the food was produced in Organic, contains some organic

ingredients

Nutrient Content Claims Light or Lite

Calories reduced by at least 1/3 Fat or sodium levels have been reduced by at least 50% (1/2)

Less Food contains 25% less of a nutrient or calories than a comparable

food Free

Food contains no amount, or an insignificant amount of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars or calories (remember, this is PER SERVING)

More Food contains 10% more of the Daily Value for a vitamin, mineral,

protein, or fiber High, Rich In, Excellent Source Of

Food contains 20% more of the Daily Value for a vitamin, mineral, protein, or fiber

Lean Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish product that has less than 10 grams

of total fat, less than 4 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95mg of cholesterol per 3-ounce serving