Nutrition for Family Living

Transcription

1 Susan Nitzke, Nutrition Specialist; Sherry Tanumihardjo, Nutrition Specialist; Julia Salomon, Nutrition Specialist; Gayle Coleman, Nutrition Specialist; Teresa Curtis, Nutrition Specialist, October, 2010 Topics Fruit and Vegetable Promotions in Wisconsin May Be Paying Off Just a Little! Clearing Up Confusion Portion Size, Serving Size, and Measurement Aids Resources Added to the WNEP Resources Database Fruit and Vegetable Promotions in Wisconsin May Be Paying Off Just a Little! By Susan Nitzke According to data from the annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), Americans and Wisconsinites are far from meeting national objectives for fruit and vegetable consumption. But trend data suggest that Wisconsin efforts to increase fruit and vegetable consumption may---somewhat uniquely be paying off. In 2009, only 32.5% of adults met national recommendations for fruit consumption (two or more times per day which is a surrogate for daily servings) and only 26.3% of adults met the vegetable recommendations (three or more times per day). Similarly, in Wisconsin, more than one of three adults (34.9%) met the fruit recommendation and almost one of four (23.2%) met the vegetable recommendation. Of course, that means that 2/3 of adults need to eat more fruit and ¾ need to eat more vegetables! But the aspect that makes this good news is that while national consumption estimates from BRFSS have tended to decline for fruit and stayed nearly steady for vegetables, Wisconsin s numbers were steady for fruit (34.9% eating fruit two or more times daily in 2009 compared to 34.0 in 2000) and vegetable intakes showed a significant increase (23.2% eating vegetables two or more times daily in 2009 compared to 20.3% in 2000). The 2009 BRFSS report has additional data relevant to our educational programs: Fruit and vegetable estimates are higher for women than men (36.1% for fruit two or more times per day and 30.9% for vegetables three or more times per day for women). Older adults eat fruits and vegetables more than younger adults (41.3% and 29.0% for persons aged 65 or older) College graduates eat more fruits and vegetables (36.9% and 32.2%) than adults with less formal education Persons with higher household incomes eat more fruits and vegetables (32.9% and 29.4% for persons with annual household income $50,000 or more) People with lower body mass index eat more fruits and vegetables than heavier people (36.6% and 28.3% for BMI <25). Hispanics had the highest prevalence of fruit consumption (37.2%) but the lowest prevalence of vegetable consumption (19.7%). Implications for Extension Educators: Many Extension programs focus on improving individuals knowledge and skills for fruits and vegetables with a longer term outcome of improving diet quality, as recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. For example, outcome #2 of the Eating Well and Being Active Team s plan is Individuals who participate in WI Extension Programs incorporate skills and change behavior related to selection and preparation of healthy foods. In addition, many of our faculty and staff participate in programs and partnerships that help make fruits and vegetables more accessible and affordable in community settings such as

2 stores, restaurants, worksites, and schools. Based on ecological models of health, such efforts are necessary for successfully addressing this issue. There is certainly more work to be done, but the fact that vegetable consumption has increased and fruit consumption has not declined for adults in Wisconsin provide an encouraging sign that our efforts are making a positive contribution toward our long-term goals. Reference: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State-specific trends in fruit and vegetable consumption among adults -- - United States, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Available online at

3 Clearing Up Confusion Portion Size, Serving Size, and Measurement Aids By Gayle Coleman and Susan Nitzke The terms portion size and serving size are confusing to many people and are frequently used inappropriately even by some nutrition professionals. Portion size is often interpreted as the amount of food consumed in one eating occasion. For any specific food the appropriate portion size varies, depending on how that food fits with the rest of the individual eater s diet. Although we cannot say that a given amount of food is the right amount to eat at one time, portion size is an important concept for nutrition education. Portion sizes have been increasing over the years, many restaurants have increased the portions they provide to customers, and research shows that larger portions are often associated with overeating or weight gain. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans defines serving size as a standardized amount of a food, such as a cup or an ounce, used in providing information about the food, such as on the Nutrition Facts label or in dietary guidance, or in making comparisons among similar foods. The portion size consumed may differ from the standard service size. Similarly, for labeling purposes, FDA defines serving size as the amount of food used in nutrition labeling and they use the serving size as the key to the rest of the information on the Nutrition Facts Label. Food label serving sizes are based on Reference Amounts which are standardized for various food categories to make it easier to compare similar foods. Serving sizes on food labels are provided in familiar units, such as cups or pieces, followed by the metric amount, e.g., the number of grams. The Nutrition Facts panel also states how many of these standardized servings are in a particular food package. Consumers often use the terms "serving" and portion interchangeably. This confusion can be compounded when consumers interpret amounts that are used as a standard amount (e.g., a cup of milk) to mean the amount experts recommend they eat during any one meal or eating occasion. Another source of confusion was documented by USDA s consumer research in developing MyPyramid. They found that stating food group recommendations as a certain "number of servings" implied the food should be eaten that many times each day, even if someone s typical portion much larger than the standardized "serving." Therefore, USDA chose to eliminate the use of the term "servings" in describing how much to eat. Instead, MyPyramid describes recommended amounts in cups or ounces (or equivalents) per day. MyPyramid s recommended daily amounts can be eaten as several portions at different times. Depending on how they are used, portion size measurement aids (PSMAs) such as golf balls, tennis balls, computer mice, dice and CDs can help clear up consumer confusion -- or make it worse. If a learner is unfamiliar with measuring cups, telling him or her that a cup is about the amount that would fit inside a baseball might be helpful. On the other hand, if consumers believe they are being advised to eat a baseball s worth of fruit whenever they eat fruit, they misunderstand an important concept of the Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid. A recent article in the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research revealed inconsistencies in how PSMAs are used in nutrition education, even by professional organizations. For example, the American Dietetic Association suggests using a tennis ball to represent 1 cup of pasta, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute suggests using a baseball to represent 1 cup of pasta, and the American Cancer Society recommends using a tennis ball to represent ½ cup of pasta. In addition, the Canadian researchers found that none of the sports ball references were totally accurate. For example, the volume of a tennis ball (126 ml) is slightly more than ½ cup of pasta (approximately 120 ml) and a baseball (198 ml) is about 20% less than 1 cup of pasta (about 240 ml). Implications for Extension Educators: Since WNEP and most Extension nutrition program goals are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid, PSMAs can be used to help people make ball park estimates of how much a cup or ounce is and how much the daily recommendations are (e.g., 2 cups of fruit). However, educators are cautioned to help learners understand that these amounts are not necessarily the recommended amount to eat at one meal or eating occasion.

4 MyPyramid s Inside the Pyramid section has information on how much is recommended and what counts as a cup or an ounce for each food group. The FLP resource database also includes resources that can help you teach people about how much MyPyramid and the Dietary Guidelines recommend that people eat on a daily basis. Examples: Stepping Up to a Healthy Lifestyle has a lesson with handouts (How Much to Eat) A Portion Control flipchart: Don t Go Overboard was just added to the database The handout Three Simple Steps to Eating More Fruits and Vegetables shows cup equivalents of foods such as baby carrots and an orange Nibbles for Health has a newsletter on How Much Is Enough? The Power of Choice has the lesson How Much Do You Eat? Sources: Dietary Guidelines glossary: Appendix-E-2-Glossary.pdf (accessed September 21, 2010) Britten P, Haven J, Davis C. Consumer research for development of educational messages for the MyPyramid Food Guidance System. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2006;38(6 suppl):s Browne MB and National Food Processors Association in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Label Facts for Healthful Eating Educator s Resource Guide Ball GDC, Friedman A. Dice, golf balls, and CDs: Assumptions about portion size measurement aids. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research. 2010;71(3):

5 Resources Added to the WNEP Resources Database The article Disparities in Peaks, Plateaus, and Declines in Prevalence of High BMI Among Adolescents summarizes a comparison of California students BMIs in 2001 to their BMIs in Although BMI declined for some groups, it has not declined for American Indian and black girls. The full article and abstract are available online at Resources added to the WNEP resource database Tips for Packing a Healthy, Affordable Lunch handout, Fruit & Veggies Solutions display, Portion Control: Don t Go Overboard flipchart, Healthy and Homemade displays,