Nutrition Guidelines: Tools for Planning a Healthful Diet Nutrition and Wellness Chapter 4

Diet Tools ▪ 5 main tools – Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) – Dietary Guidelines for Americans – Exchange lists – MyPlate – Food Labels and Daily Values

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) ▪ Released in 2005, for the most part are used by scientists and nutritionists ▪ Are reference values for nutrients and food components that can be used to plan and assess diets for healthy people – Purpose is to promote health and prevent chronic disease and the effects of excessive or deficient nutrient intakes.

DRI Includes 4 types of nutrient reference standards 1.Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) ▪ Recommendation estimated to meet the needs of 50% of the people in a defined group (half would be deficient in the nutrient) 2.Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) ▪ Average daily intake of a nutrient required to meet the needs of most healthy individuals 3.Adequate Intake (AI) ▪ A reference value that is used when there is insufficient evidence to determine an EAR ▪ Based on estimates and observations of people who appear to be healthy and well nourished 4.Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) ▪ Maximum level of ongoing daily intake for a nutrient that is unlikely to cause harm to most people in the defined group (could be harmful if daily intake goes above UL)

Dietary Guidelines for Americans ▪ Revised every 5 years (2010 is most recent, look for 2015 coming soon! ~Fall ‘15) ▪ Aid for policymakers and the basis of Federal nutrition assistance programs such as school meals and Meals on Wheel - for ages 2 years and over. ▪ Two basic themes summarize the message of the guidelines: – Maintain calorie balance over time (healthy weight) ▪ Balance calories in (eating) with calories used by the body (physical activity – Focus on consuming nutrient-dense foods and beverages ▪ Provide vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that have positive health effects with low calories ▪ Limit or avoid SoFAS – foods high in calories from solid fats and/or added sugars

Exchange Lists for Meal Planning ▪ Used to plan a healthy meal or follow a special diet – Classifies foods into groups of similar nutrient and caloric content ▪ Developed by the American Dietetic Association and the American Diabetes Association – Originally used to help individuals with diabetes manage their blood sugar ▪ Six basic lists used to organize foods – Starch – Fruits – Milk – Vegetables (nonstarchy) – Meat/meat substitutes – Fats ▪ Must know common exchange sizes for foods – Small apple exchanged for a small orange (~60 calories w/ 15 g. of carbs) See Appendix E

Food Labels and Daily Values ▪ Nutrition Facts panel on food labels is an easy-to-use tool when planning a healthful diet ▪ The term Daily Value is on the nutrition panel – Daily values are recommended nutrient intakes based on daily calorie needs. – The % Daily Values shown on Nutrition Facts panels are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. ▪ Can use the label to estimate your daily consumption of nutrients – Ask yourself, “What combination of foods can I eat throughout the day to get 100 percent of my Daily Values?” ▪ Can also be used to compare the nutrient content of different brands and products (fiber in two whole-grain breads or fiber in bread vs. bagel)

MyPlate ▪ Formerly known as MyPyramid ▪ Released in 2011 by USDA ▪ Food guidance system based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans ▪ Simple visual to help consumers build a healthy plate at mealtime ▪ Sections differ in size based on the recommended portions for a meal – i.e. Half your meal should be fruits and vegetables ▪ Emphasis on eating a variety of foods from each group

ChooseMyPlate.gov ▪ Website that offers a number of interactive tools to help individuals plan and assess their daily food and activity choices ▪ One tool helps you create a personalized food plan based on your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level – Supertracker – Daily Food Plan

Supertracker Interactive Tool

How to get started using ChooseMyPlate.gov~ Supertracker fxcH_TMAy3pxifhMpVt&index=8