Guidelines for Healthful Eating
Nutrition-Mrs. Stec
PA State Standards/Objectives/Vocabulary/Essential Question
10.1.12.E: Identify and analyze factors that influence the prevention and control of health problems. research medical advances technology government policies/regulations
Each student will evaluate the concepts of balance, variety, and moderation using the My Plate and National Dietary Guidelines.
Student will examine the effects of healthful eating behaviors on body systems.
Each student will be able to formulate healthful meals and snacks as part of a balanced diet.
Dietary Guidelines
Food Guide Pyramid
My Plate
Nutrient-dense
How does eating breakfast fuel your body for the day?
Guidelines for Eating Right and Active Living
Several tools, including the USDA's My Plate and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, are available to help you plan a diet that will provide adequate nutrients as well as reduce your risk of developing heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are a set of recommendations about smart eating and physical activity for all Americans. These guidelines, published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), provide science-based advice for healthful eating. The guidelines also provide information on the importance of active living. This advice can be summed up in three key guidelines:
- Make smart choices from every food group.
- Find your balance between food and activity.
- Get the most nutrition out of your calories.
Many Americans consume too many calories and too much saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, added sugar, and sodium. At the same time, many people do not meet the recommended intake for fiber and a number of vitamins and minerals. Therefore, people should choose mostly nutrient-dense foods. These foods have a high ratio of nutrients to calories. The more nutrient dense a food is, the more nutrients it packs into a given number of calories.
- For example, a single large carrot and a half ounce of potato chips have about the same number of calories, but the carrot is higher in nutrients. By eating more carrots and fewer potato chips, you will get more nutrients out of the same number of calories. This doesn’t mean that you have to give up all your favorite high-calorie foods.
Any food that supplies calories and nutrients can be part of a healthful eating plan. You can plan to include them into your daily eating plan along with healthful, nutrient-dense foods.
- For example, try eating a small serving of potato chips with a lean, nutritious turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato and some carrot or celery sticks. If your overall diet is nutrient dense, your eating plan can include an occasional treat.
Following recommendations in the My Plate plan can help you choose proper foods for you.
Of course, part of managing your weight in a healthy manner includes physical activity. It is proposed that Americans engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week to reduce the risk of chronic disease and to avoid unhealthy weight gain.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans define weight management as meaning "to maintain body weight in a healthy range, balance calories from foods and beverages with calories expended, and to prevent gradual weight gain over time, make small decreases in food and beverage calories and increase physical activity".
Making Smart Choices
Choosing a variety of foods from each food group will provide all the nutrients your body needs. There are five major food groups: Grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, and protein.
My Pyramid/My Plate
- Is a guide for making healthful daily food choices.
- It represents a clear, useful depiction of current recommendation for healthful eating which will help you increase your energy and improve your physical and mental performance. You can also achieve or maintain your personal body weight as well as protect you against five of the ten leading causes of death.
Please take a look below that the images. In 1992 the Food Guide Pyramid was introduced, which focused on variety, moderation, and proportion. Next in 2005, the MyPyramid Food Guide was introduced. You can see that it was update to change the bands from horizontal to vertical and added physical activity. Now, in 2011 My Plate has been introduced. This new icon serves as a reminder for healthy eating and the new tag line "Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Please check out MyPlate to get started! You can also click here to make a daily food plan for yourself.
Within each food group, some choices are better than others. The Dietary Guidelines offer recommendations for choosing the most healthful foods from each food group:
- Focus on fruits. Eat a variety of fruits. Fresh whole fruits that provide fi ber are a better choice than fruit juice.
- Vary your veggies. Vegetables fall into several categories. These categories include dark green vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, and spinach, and orange vegetables, such as carrots, pumpkin, and winter squash. Try to eat a good mix of different types of vegetables each day.
- Get your calcium-rich foods. Low-fat and fat-free dairy products are good choices. Teens should aim to drink three cups a day of low-fat or fat-free milk or an equivalent amount of low-fat yogurt or cheese. If you aren’t a milk drinker, you can get your calcium by choosing calcium-fortified foods and beverages.
- Make half your grains whole. Get at least three ounces of brown rice or whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, and pasta each day. When choosing processed foods, such as breads and cereals, check the ingredient label to make sure the grains are described as “whole.”
- Go lean with protein. Choose lean meats and poultry. Prepare them by grilling, baking, or broiling. Proteins, or any foods, that are prepared by frying in oil will add extra fat to your diet. This can increase the risk of overweight and obesity. Also, try getting more of your protein from fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds.
- Limit certain foods. Avoid foods that are high in fat—especially saturated fats and trans fats. Also, limit foods with salt and added sugars. Remember, it’s okay to occasionally enjoy a few foods that are high in sugar, salt, or fat. If you enjoy eating a sweet snack each day, you can use physical activity to burn the extra calories.
Starting the Day Off Right
Eating breakfast has many benefits for kids and teens.For example, children who eat breakfast typically do better in school and are less likely to be overweight. You may find it easier to fit breakfast into your schedule if you do some of the prep work the night before. For instance, you can set the table for breakfast before you go to bed. That way, all you have to do in the morning is fill your cereal bowl or put the bread in the toaster. Other ideas for quick and easy breakfasts are instant oatmeal or grits, hard-cooked eggs (which can be cooked the night before), and whole-grain muffins.
If you simply don’t care for traditional breakfast foods, there are plenty of other choices for starting your day off right. For instance, try a whole-grain bagel or toast with peanut butter or melted cheese. A breakfast burrito (eggs, cheese, and salsa on a tortilla) can also be a quick and healthy alternative.
Remember, eating breakfast is comparable to filling up your gas tank. If your gas tank is on empty, your car won't start. If your stomach is empty, your body won't function the best it could!
Sensible Snacks and Eating Out
Healthful snacks can give you energy to keep you going between meals. Enjoying a sensible snack after school, for instance, can keep you from coming to the dinner table so hungry that you eat twice as much as you should. There are plenty of healthful foods that you can easily enjoy when you need a quick bite:
- Fresh fruit
- Cut-up vegetables, such as celery or carrot stick
- String cheese
- Unsalted nuts
- Air-popped popcorn
- Fat-free yogurt
- Bread sticks
Making healthful food choices is just as important when you eat away from home. With a little effort, you can find the most healthful, nutrient-dense items on the menu. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Watch portion sizes. Restaurant meals have grown larger over the years. If you think the serving size is more than you need, try splitting the meal with a friend or wrapping up the leftovers to take home.
- Pay attention to how foods are prepared. Anything fried is likely to be high in fat. Grilled, baked, and broiled foods are healthier choices. Add fresh vegetables and fruits. The salad bar can be a health-conscious eater’s best friend. If the restaurant doesn’t have one, order a salad off the menu or ask the server to provide extra lettuce and tomato for your sandwich.
- Go easy on toppings. High-fat sauces, mayonnaise, butter, and sour cream add fat and calories to a dish. You can make your meal lighter by asking the restaurant to leave these out or serve them on the side.
- Don’t drink your calories. Choose water instead of soft drinks to satisfy your thirst without adding extra calories to your meal.