Health and NutritionCanada and Venezuela

Food Guide

ESL CLB 6 Amalia Koutakos

Presented by Maria Quintero

Venezuela's National Institute of Nutrition's (INN) 'Spinning Top of Foods' (Image: INN). Canada's Health Food Guide

Food guide

Venezuela’s food guide is the “food spinning top”, which is divided into five food groups: • Cereals an tubers at the top.• Followed by vegetables and

fruits.• Animal-source foods.• Fats and sugars.

The string is a line of water where a family engages in physical activity.

Food guide

Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide is in the shape of a rainbow and each color represents one of the four food groups:

• Vegetables and Fruit.• Grain Products. • Milk and Alternatives.• Meat and Alternatives.

Food guides is based on a foundation diet concept - they identified minimum requirements, necessitating those with higher needs to self-select more food. The total diet approach aimed to meet both energy and nutrient requirements, recognizing that energy needs vary.

With the total diet approach came large ranges in the number of servings from the four food groups to accommodate the wide range of energy needs for different ages, body sizes, activity levels, genders and conditions such as pregnancy and nursing.

To meet higher energy needs, the rainbow schematic encouraged selection of more servings from the Grain Products and Vegetables and Fruit groups, a concept that was graphically presented through larger bands of the rainbow compared to those used to illustrate the Milk Products and Meat and Alternatives groups.

In order to have a healthy nutrition that suits the nutritional recommendations for the Venezuelan population, the Nutrition Institute classified foods into groups according to their nutritional value and each of them was given a distinctive color.

Grains, cereals, tubers and legumes are identified in yellow; vegetables and fruits in green; milk, meat and eggs in blue; sugars in gray; fats and vegetable oils in orange and as a complement, the rope of the spinning top represents water and the physical activity which ensures a better quality of life.

The way in which foods are organized in the spinning top is intended to guide the population with respect to a proper and balanced intake of foods. That is to say, is provides a guide for the body to achieve all the nutritional components to improve growth, development and health.

Same between Canada’s Food Guide and Venezuela’s Food Guide

• They represent three groups with the same colours for: Vegetable and fruit is green, Grain products is yellow and Milk is blue.

• The classified are foods into groups according to their nutritional value and each of them was given a distinctive color

• The Venezuela’s food guide looks like a spinning top but does not look like a rainbow.

• The Canada’s food guide have one less food groups than Venezuela’s food guide.• The Venezuela’s food guide includes physical activity in it’s food guide but Canada’s food guide

does not include.• The Venezuela’s food guide includes the water in it’s food guide but Canada’s food guide does

not include.• Canada’s food guide has the first the groups of vegetables but Venezuela’s food guides has

represent in the second group.

Comparison of the two Food Guides:

Differences between Canada's Food Guide and Venezuela’s Food Guide

FLAX SEEDS

From website: www.whfoodd.com

Most plant foods contain at least small amounts of phytonutrients called lignans. Lignans are unique fiber-related polyphenols that provide us with antioxidant benefits, fiber-like benefits, and also act as phytoestrogens. Among all commonly eaten foods, researchers now rank flaxseeds as the #1 source of lignans in human diets. Flaxseeds contain about 7 times as many lignans as the closest runner-up food (sesame seeds).

They contain about 338 times as many lignans as sunflower seeds, 475 times as many as cashew nuts, and 3,200 times as many lignans as peanuts.

Flaxseeds also belong high up on our list of antioxidant-rich foods. When flaxseeds are compared with other commonly eaten foods in terms of their total polyphenol content (polyphenols are one very important group of antioxidants), flaxseeds rank 9th among 100 commonly eaten foods. Flaxseeds turn out to be significantly higher in polyphenol antioxidants than fruits like blueberries or vegetables like olives.

The antioxidant benefits of flaxseeds have long been associated with prevention of cardiovascular diseases and have recently also been tied to decreased insulin resistance.

*High in omega 3.*Potent anti-inflammatory*Fires up your metabolism*Burns fat*Full of anti-occidants*High in fibre*Aids in constipation*Pulls debris out of the bowels*Lowers Cholesterol*Lowers blood pressure*Rich in lingams-phytoestrogens that protect against cancer*Anti-viral*Anti-bacterial

FLAX SEEDS

Arepa: is a flatbread made of ground maize dough or cooked flour prominent in the cuisine of Venezuela and Colombia. It is eaten daily in those countries and can be served with various accompaniments such as cheese, avocado, or (especially in Venezuela) split and used to make sandwiches. Various sizes, maize types, and added ingredients are used to vary its preparation.

The Arepa is a flat, round, unleavened patty made of soaked, ground kernels of maize, or—more frequently nowadays—maize meal or maize flour which can be grilled, baked, fried, boiled or steamed. The characteristics vary by color, flavor, size, and the food with which it may be stuffed, depending on the region. It can be topped or filled with meat, eggs, tomatoes, salad, cheese, shrimp, or fish depending on the meal.

AREPA

CACHAPA

Cachapas are a traditional Venezuelan and Colombian dish made from corn. Like arepas, they are popular at roadside stands. They can be made like pancakes of fresh corn dough,[1] or wrapped in dry corn leaves and boiled (cachapa de hoja). The most common varieties are made with fresh ground corn mixed into a thick batter and cooked on a budare, like pancakes; the cachapa is slightly thicker and lumpier because of the pieces from corn kernels.

Cachapas are traditionally eaten with Queso de Mano (hand[made] cheese), a soft, mozzarella-like cheese, and occasionally with fried pork chicharrón on the side. Cachapas can be very elaborate,[2] some including different kinds of cheese, milky cream, or jam. They can be prepared as an appetizer, generally with margarine, or as a full breakfast with hand cheese and fried pork.

PLANTAIN (PLATANO) Plantains, also known as plátanos, are closely related cultivars of fruit or dessert banana. In general, they treated as vegetables in the kitchen much like fellow tropical produces such as potatoes, taro, breadfruit, yam, sweet potatoes, etc. Indeed, they are one of the staple sources of carbohydrates for larger populations in Asia, Oceania, Africa, Central Americas and Shout Americas for centuries, served in main courses.

Plantain relatively has more calories weight for weight than that in the fruit bananas.

It contains 2.3 g of dietary fiber per 100 g (6% of DRA per 100 g). Adequate amount of dietary-fiber in the food helps normal bowel movements, thereby reducing constipation problems.

Fresh plátanos have more vitamin C than bananas. Plantains carry more vitamin A than bananas.

They too are rich sources of B-complex vitamins, particularly high in vitamin-6(pyridoxine). Pyridoxine is an important B-complex vitamin that has a beneficial role in the treatment of neuritis, anemia, and to decrease homocystine (one of the causative factors for coronary artery disease (CHD) and stroke episodes) levels in the body. In addition, the fruit contains moderate levels of folates, niacin, riboflavin and thiamin.

They also provide adequate levels of minerals such as iron, magnesium, and phosphorous. Magnesium is essential for bone strengthening and has a cardiac-protective role as well.

Fresh plantains have more potassium than bananas. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure, countering negative effects of sodium.

See the table below for in depth analysis of nutrients:

Plantains (Musa species),Nutritive Value per 100 g

(Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)

PrincipleNutrient

ValuePercentage of

RDA

Energy 122 Kcal 6%

Carbohydrates 31.89 g 24.5%

Protein 1.30 g 2%

Total Fat 0.37g 2%

Cholesterol 0 mg 0%

Dietary Fiber 2.30 g 6%

Vitamins

Folates 22 µg 5.5%

Niacin 0.686 mg 4%

Pyridoxine 0.299 mg 23%

Riboflavin 0.054 mg 4%

Thiamin 0.052 mg 4%

Vitamin A 1127 IU 37.5%

Vitamin C 18.4 mg 31%

Vitamin E 0.14 mg 1%

Vitamin K 0.7 µg 1%

Electrolytes

Sodium 4 mg <1%

Potassium 499 mg 10.6%

Minerals

Calcium 3 mg <0.5%

Iron 0.60 mg 7.5%

Magnesium 37 mg 9%

Phosphorus 34 mg 5%

Zinc 0.14 mg 1%