jimtrue.com : school : HS1322 : CH02: Using Dietary Recommendations, Food Guides, and Food Labels to Plan Menus

Posted by Jim True on October 13, 2009 8:31 PM. Last Updated October 13, 2009 8:31 PM

Disclaimer for all material noted here is at the bottom of this web page.

CH02: Using Dietary Recommendations, Food Guides, and Food Labels to Plan Menus

Quiz next week on 1, 2 and 12

Dietary Recommendations and Food Guides

• Dietary Recommendations: Discuss specific foods to eat for optimum health
• Food Guides [the MyPyramid.gov food pyramid, figure 2.5]
• Tell us the amounts of foods we need to eat to have a nutritionally adequate diet
• Based on current dietary recommendations, the nutrient content of foods, and the eating habits of the targeted population

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2005)

• Provides science-based advice to promote health and reduce risk for chronic diseases thru diet and physical activity
• Recommendations are targeted to the general public over 2 years of age in the US
• By law the Dietary Guidelines is updated every 5 years

9 Categories of Dietary Guidelines (2005)

1. Adequate Nutrients Within KCal Needs
• Meet recommended intakes within energy needs by adopting a balanced eating pattern such as that in MyPyramid
• MyPyramid differs in important ways from common food consumption patterns in the United States. In general, MyPyramid recommends:
• More dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, and low-fat milk and milk products
• Less refined grains, total fats (especially cholesterol and saturated and trans fats), added sugar, and kcalories
• Consume a variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages within among the basic food groups while choosing foods that limit that intake of:
• saturated and trans fats
• cholesterol
• added sugars
• salt
• alcohol
2. Weight Management
• To maintain body weight in a healthy range, balance kcalories from foods and beverages with kcalories expanded
• To prevent gradual weight gain over time, make small decreases in food and beverage kcalories and increase physical activity
3. Physical Activity
• Engage in physical activity and reduce sedentary activities to promote health, psychological well-being, and a healthy body weight.
• To reduce the risk of chronic disease in adulthood, engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, above usual activity, on most days of the week
• For most people, greater health benefits can be obtained by engaging in physical activity of more vigorous intensity or longer duration
• To help manage body weight and prevent gradual, unhealthy body weight gain in adulthood, engage in approximately 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous- intensity activity on most days of the week while not exceeding caloric intake requirements
• Achieve physical fitness by including:
• cardiovascular conditioning
• stretching exercises for flexibility
• resistance exercises or calisthenics for muscle strength and endurance
4. Food Groups to Encourage
• Fruits & Vegetables: 2 cups of fruit, 2 1/2 cups of vegetables per day; variety of fruits and vegetables per day and select from sub groups: dark green, orange, starchy vegetables, legumes, any other vegetables.
• Whole Grains: 3 or more ounces of whole grain per day
• Milk and Milk Products: 3 cups per day fat free or low fat milk or milk products
Lean Meat and Proteins: 15-20
5. Fats (20-35%, 15-20% Proteins)
• Consume less than 10% of kcalories from saturated fatty acids and less than 300 mg/day of cholesterol, and keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.
• Keep total fat intake between 20-35% of kcalories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acid, such as fish, nuts and vegetable oil
• Animal sources of saturated fats: cheese, beef (ground beef), milk, margarine, eggs, chicken skin, dairy products (such as ice cream)
• Sources of poly- and mono-unsaturated fats: liquid vegetable oil (soybean, corn or safflower oil) and fish. Plant sources: Olive oil, canola oil, Sunflower, and nuts. Oil is always LIQUID at room temperature; fats will be SOLID at room temperature (animal sources).
• When selecting and preparing meat, poultry, dry beans and milk or milk products, make choices that are lean, low-fat or fat-free.
• Limit intake of fats and oils high in saturated and/or trans fatty acids, and choose products low in such fats and oils; avoid sources of fats from animals
6. Carbohydrates
• Choose fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains often
• Choose and prepare foods and beverages with little added sugars or caloric sweeteners such as amounts suggested by MyPyramid
• Whole Grains:
• Whole wheat
• Whole oats/oatmeal
• Whole corn
• Popcorn
• Brown rice
• Whole rye
• Bulgur
• Millet
• Quinoa
• Sorghum
7. Sodium & Potassium
• Consume less than 2300mg (about 1 teaspoon of salt) of sodium per day
• Choose and prepare foods with little salt
• Eat potassium-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables (bananas, oranges, squash, potatoes, grapefruit)
8. Alcoholic Beverages
• Moderation: 2 drinks/day for men and 1 drink/day for women
• 1 drink = 12 oz beer, 5 oz Wine or 1 1/2 oz of hard liquor/distilled spirits
9. Food Safety
• To avoid microbial foodborne illness:
• Clean hands, food contact surfaces and fruits and vegetables. Meat and poultry should not be washed or rinsed
• Separate raw, cooked, and ready-to-eat foods while, shopping, preparing, or storing foods
• Cook foods to a safe temperature to kill microorganisms
• Chill (refrigerate) perishable food promptly and defrost foods properly
• Avoid raw (unpasteurized) milk or any products made from raw milk, raw or partially cooked eggs or foods containing raw eggs

MyPyramid (figure 2.5/break down figures for different types), pg 45

• Grains
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Milk
• Meat and Beans
• Steps to a Healthier You
• Activity
• Moderation
• Personalization
• Proportionality
• Variety
• Gradual Improvement

Grains

• 1 ounce equivalent = 1 slice bread, 1 small muffin, , 1 cup ready to eat cereal flakes, 1/2 cup cooked rich, pasta or cooked cereal
• Make HALF your grain choices be whole grains

Vegetables

• Subgroups: dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, beans, starchy vegetables, other vegetables
• 1 cup of vegetable = 1 cup cut-up raw or cooked vegetables, 1 cup vegetable juice, 2 cups leafy salad greens (raw)

Fruits

• 1 cup fruit =
• 1 cup cut-up raw or cooked fruit
• 1 cup 100% fruit juice

Milk

• 1 cup milk =
• 1 cup milk or yogurt
• 1 1/2 ounces natural cheese (such as cheddar)
• 2 ounces processed cheese (such as American)

Meat & Beans

• 1 ounce =
• 1 oz lean meat, poultry, or fish
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup cooked dry beans or tofu
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1/2 oz nuts or seeds

Oils

• Oils provide:
• polyunsaturated fatty acids: flaxseed, nuts, spinach
• monounsaturated fatty acids
• vitamin E: vegetable oils, spinach, nuts (anti-oxidants)
• and essential fatty acids: avocado, spinach, nuts, flaxseeds, peanuts

Discretionary Calories may be used to:

• Increase amount of food selected from a food group
• consume foods that are not in the lowest fat form- such as 2% milk or medium-fat meat or items that contain added sugars
• add oil, fat, or sugar to foods
• consume alcohol (for those who consume alcohol)
• examples: fat in cheese, fat in chicken, most luncheon meats, sugar added to fruits and drinks, sugar and fat added to pie, cookies, etc.

Key Food group Messages from MyPyramid.gov

• Focus on fruits
• vary your veggies
• Get your calcium-rich foods
• Make half your grains whole
• Go lean with protein
• Know the limits on fats, etc etc etc

Planning Menus using MyPyramid

1. Does the day's menu on the average provide at least the number of servings required from each of the major food groups for a 2000-kcal diet?
2. Are most of the menu items nutrient-dense (without solid fat or sugars added)?
3. Does the menu have whole-grain breads, etc. at each meal?
4. Are most meat and poultry items lean?
5. Are fish, beans, and other meat alternates available?
6. Does the menu include servings from each of the vegetable subgroups: dark, orange, green, beans, starchy and other?
7. Do most veggies and fruits have their skins and seeds?
8. Are there more choices for fresh, canned, or dried fruit than for fruit juices?
9. Are low-fat or fat-free milk and other dairy choices available?
10. Are the fruit juices 100% juice?
11. Are foods (especially desserts) high in fat, sugar, and/or sodium balanced with choices lower in these nutrients?
12. Is a soft margarine available that does not contain trans fat?
13. Are unsweetened beverages available?

Food Labels

• Required on Food Labels:
• Food Name
• Ingredient List
• Net Weight
• Name and address of manufacturer
• Nutrition facts
• Daily Value: A set of nutrient-intake values developed by the Food and Drug Administration used as a reference for expressing nutrient content on nutrition labels.

Nutrition Content Claims

• Claims on food labels about the nutrient composition of a food
• Regulated by the FDA
• Examples:
• Low calorie: 40 kcal or less
• Low fat: 3 grams or less of fat
• High in...: 20% or more of Daily Value

Health Claims

• Claims on food labels that state certain foods or food substances (as part of an overall healthy diet) may reduce the risk of certain diseases. Must be approved by FDA.
• Example: "Diets low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure, a disease associated with many factors." (An "A" claim).
• This claim may be put on foods that meet the criteria for low sodium (140 mg sodium or less)
• Ranking system for Health Claims
• A: High: significant scientific agreement
• B: Moderate: evidence is not conclusive
• C: Low: Evidence is limited and not conclusive
• D: Extremely Low: Little scientific evidence supporting this claim

Portion Size Comparisons

• Portion sizes in the Food Guide Pyramid do not always match the serving sizes on food labels. Food labels allow consumers to compare the nutrients in two products
• Portion sizes in the US have been steadily increasing

Disclaimer: These are MY notes taken from classroom lectures while I'm in the classroom. While I'm perfectly happy to share my notes with my classmates and I know I take very good notes, you should still make every effort to attend the class and TAKE YOUR OWN NOTES. I will not transcribe everything the instructor says in the classroom, and I will NEVER post pre-exam reviews. My notes will not replace the value of actually attending class and taking your own class notes.I also cannot attest to their accuracy, other than they are what was provided in the lecture; you should not reference my notes as "expert opionion" by any means, and if you notice an error or omission, please do me the favor of e-mailing me with the correction and I will re-post my notes. End of Disclaimer.