1. Ch. 7 Nutrition for Life Section 3 Meeting Your Nutritional Needs
Section 4 Choosing a Healthful Diet

2. Key Terms
Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs): recommended nutrient intakes that will meet the needs of almost all healthy people
Daily value (DV): recommended daily amount of a nutrient; used on food labels to help people see how a food fits into their diet
Food Guide Pyramid: a tool for choosing a healthy diet by selecting a recommended number of servings from each of the five food groups
Dietary Guidelines for Americans: a set of diet and lifestyle recommendations developed to improve health and reduce nutrition-related disease risk in the U.S. population

3. Key Terms
Nutrient density: a measure of the nutrients in a food compared with the energy the food provides
Vegetarian: a dietary pattern that includes few or no animal products

4. What Are RDA’s
Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) are the recommended nutrient intakes that will meet the needs of almost all healthy people
Not exact requirements but are meant to serve as general guidelines for correct nutrient intake

5. Understanding Food Labels
Food labels provide a convenient source of nutrition information about foods and the way foods fit into your diet.
Food labels include a set of nutrition facts, information about the processing of the food, and a list of ingredients
Serving Size
Single serving size shown at the top of the Nutritional Facts panel
The amounts of nutrients given before this are the amounts found in this serving size
Calories
Label must list total calories and the calories from fat in a seving of the food
Also list descriptions for foods that are lower in calories

6. Understanding Food Labels
Daily Values
Nutrients are listed on food labels by weight and as a % of a 2000 Calorie diet
Total fat
Listed by weight and as a % of DV
Cholesterol
Sodium
Listed by weight and as a% of DV
Total carbohydrates
Nutritional Facts Labels includes all sugars whether they are natural or added
Protein
Must be listed in grams
The % of the DV is not usually listed
Vitamins and Minerals
Calcium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin A and some B vitamins are given on labels only as a % of the DV

7. Understanding Other Terms on Food Packaging
Ingredient List
Listed on the label in order of weight—those present in the largest amounts are listed first
Calories
Some foods are calorie free(less than 5 calories), light or lite(1/3 fewer calories that the regular brand has), low calorie(no more than 40 Calories), or reduced calorie(25% fewer calories than the regular brand has) to help a person reduce his or her calorie intake
Cholesterol
Low cholesterol(20 milligrams or less), or cholesterol free(less than 2 milligrams)
Sugars
Added to food s are included in the ingredient list
Sugar free(less than .5 grams of sugar), No sugar added, without added sugar, or reduced sugar (25% less sugar than the regular brand has
Fats
Fat free (less than .5 grams of fat), low fat (3 grams of fat or less), extra lean (less than 5 grams of fat), low in saturated fat (1 gram or less)
Important to remember that even though a food may be labeled low fat, it can still be high in calories

8. Food Guide Pyramid
Visual tool for planning your diet that divides foods into six food groups
Shows the number of servings needed from each group to make a healthy diet
Serving recommendations are given in ranges so that people with different calorie needs can use the pyramid
Choose a variety of foods from each group

9. Dietary Guidelines for Americans
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are a set of diet and lifestyle recommendations developed to improve health and reduce nutrition-related disease risk in the U.S. population
Guidelines are designed for all Americans over the age of two

10. Know the ABC’s for Good Health
Aim for Fitness
Aim for a healthy weight
Be physically active each day
Build a healthy base
Let the Food Guide Pyramid guide your food choices
Choose a variety of grains, especially whole grains on a daily basis
Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables daily
Keep food safe to eat
Choose sensibly
Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat
Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugars
Choose and prepare foods with less salt
Adults who drink alcohol should do so in moderation

11. Choose the Right Snacks
Snacking isn’t a “bad habit”
When done right, it increases your nutrient intake and helps you maintain a healthy weight
A piece of fruit and a yogurt on the way to school is much better than not having any breakfast.
The problem with snacking is that we don’t always choose healthy foods
High nutrient density foods

12. Nutrition Throughout Life
A Healthy Start in Infancy
Diet is fairly simple
Diet is high in fat to provide energy and to allow their rapid growth and development
Continuing Good Nutrition in Childhood
From 2 years of age onward, children can generally meet their nutrient needs by following the recommendations of the food guide pyramid but choosing smaller portions
Teens Need to Eat Right to Grow
Eat meals on the run or skip meals all together because of busy schedules
Too little milk and too many sodas resulting in diets low in important nutrients
As growth and development speeds up, your body needs more energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals

13. Nutrition Throughout Life
Adults Aren’t Growing
As you enter adulthood, growth in height slows and then stops. As a result, the number of calories a person needs to maintain a healthy weight decreases
As adults become less active, their calorie intake needs to decrease
A person’s nutritional needs change at each stage of life—infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood
Infants and children need more food energy per pound of body weight than adults do

14. Special Dietary Needs
Athletes, pregnant women, and people who are ill have special dietary needs.
Special Requirements of Athletes
Whether training, competing, or just staying fit, athletes need extra energy and water to maintain their performance and endurance
Follow a diet based on the Food Guide Pyramid and rink plenty of water
Diet high in carbohydrates to provide the quick energy required for exercise (complex carbs and B vitamins )
Two hours before exercising, you should eat a high carbohydrate snack