DIET PLANNING & READING FOOD LABELS

U.S. Diet - Recommended vs. Actual Intake Based on Five Food Groups

U.S. Diets Actual vs. recommended:• Twice as many grains

(mostly refined)• 20% more protein• 40% fewer veggies

(french fries count)• 60% fewer fruits• 50% less dairy

Diet Planning Principles

• Adequacy: Sufficient energy (kcals) + adequate nutrients• Balance: Enough but not too much• kCalorie (energy) control

• Energy in = energy out• Choose High nutrient density foods

• Nutrient density: nutrients vs. kcals• Healthy diets contain foods that have HIGH nutrient density and

LOW energy density

• Moderation: Choose Foods low in fat & added sugars• Variety: highly beneficial – if diet is not varied, nutrients

are not varied which could = poorer health

Dietary Planning Tools

There are several tools to help plan a healthy diet:

• Dietary Guidelines for Americans• Evidence-based advice

• Attain and maintain a healthy weight• Reduce risk of chronic disease• Promote overall health

• Reviewed and revised every five years

• ChooseMyPlate- recommendations for individual food groups (specific)

• http://www.choosemyplate.gov

USDA Food Patterns

Help consumers plan their own diets based on kcals and 5 food groups:• Fruits• Vegetables• Grains• Protein• Dairy

Estimate your kcal needs….

Discretionary kcals

Discretionary kcals are usually from added sugars and fats in foods

• Should be < 15% total kcals consumed so for a 2000 kcal diet there are 258 discretionary kcals• (20 oz. Coke = 250 kcals)

Portion Control Important!

Utilize Plate Tools to Keep Portions in Check

Portion Sizes

Estimating Portions 3 oz. portion of meat/poultry/fish

When Choosing Groceries…• Vegetables – Choose fresh/frozen > canned• Legumes - cheap, low fat, nutrient dense• Fruit - fresh whole > juice• Meat (loin/round - watch prime and choice), fish, and

poultry (remove skin)• Milk/Dairy - choose low fat or non fat

• Shop the perimeter of the store• Avoid processed foods: as processing increases,

nutrients tend to decrease

READING FOOD LABELS

Food Labeling

• 1973 – U.S. Food & Drug Administration implemented rules for food labeling

• Rules modified several times – and may be modified again

• Required for most packaged foods that contain more than one ingredient

• Restaurants with 20+ locations must provide menu nutrition information (watch portion sizes – they are not uniform)

Required on food package labels• Product Common Name; address of manufacturer, packer

or distributor • Net contents in weight, measure or count • Ingredient list – must list ALL including additives for

preserving or enhancing foods in descending order by weight

• Country of origin• UPC Code/product code• Product dating (if applicable)

Required on Food Package Labels• Religious symbols (if applicable)

• Ex: kosher

• Safe-handling instructions (if applicable)

• Special warning instructions (aspartame, peanuts, etc)

FDA Guidelines• http://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ConsumerInfor

mation/ucm078889.htm

Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP)

• Serving sizes - established by FDA - all labels for similar products must use same serving size

• Everything in NFP is “per serving” so serving size is IMPORTANT!

• Nutrient amount, % Daily Value (DV), or both for several nutrients

More Label Information

Use the web sites below to review how to read labels.• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nutrition-facts/NU00293

• Fortified foods - addition of nutrients that either weren’t present originally, or were present in low amounts

• Enriched foods - nutrients added back in that were lost during processing

Claims on Food Labels – regulated by FDA3 Types of Claims are allowed on Food labels if the food meets specific criteria:

Label Claims• Nutrient: characterize the quantity of a nutrient in a food

• Examples: “good source of fiber”; “fat-free”; “low sodium”• MUST meet specific definitions to be used

• Health: characterize the relationship between a nutrient or other substance in a food to a disease or health-related condition• Examples: “diets low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood

pressure”• MUST meet specific definitions to be used; MUST use “may”, not

“will”• Need scientific evidence to support

Label Claims

Structure-Function: characterize the relationship between a nutrient or other substance in a food and its role in the body

• Example: “slows aging”; “builds strong bones”; “promotes a healthy heart”; “supports immunity”

• Do not require FDA approval• Very common – especially on “health” foods

**Be careful of structure-function claims. Many sound like health claims, but there is no scientific evidence to support the claim!

Nutrition Facts Panel Quiz• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjFVOZ_ALuM