Textbk: Nutritin and Eating The Prblem Fd cnsumptin in America is largely a matter f chice. Hwever, ur fd chices are influenced by many factrs including taste, texture, mney, time, family, cultural heritage, scial pressures, r even stress levels. Ultimately, the type and vlume f fd we cnsume is determined by ur learned behavirs r habits. Tday, America is faced with several fundamental nutritinal prblems: 1. The daily calrie intake fr the average American is t high, and exceedingly hked n refined carbhydrates. 2. Our fd supply has becme heavily dependent upn mechanically prcessed fd items, increasing calries, reducing nutritinal value, and putting the health f American's at risk. 3. Hectic, stress-filled lives have lead t pr fd chices. 4. Nutritin and Health Illiteracy has becme widespread, reducing the decisin-making skills fr mst Americans. 5. Fd chices in America are largely influenced by majr crpratins which fcus n prfit and lss, nt cnsumer health. 6. Gvernment subsidies have resulted in lw cst, calrie-dense, nutritinally pr fds, which are widely available. 7. Meal planning and preparatin, fd shpping, and label reading take time, mney, and effrt. Knw the Terms: 1. Amin Acids: The building blcks f prteins; rganic cmpunds that cmbines t frm prteins. 2. Antixidant: Substance which can prevent r slw the xidative damage t bdy cells caused by free radicals; acting as free radical scavengers, they help prevent and repair damage. 3. Appetite: The desire t eat fd, felt as hunger. 4. Aspartame: Artificial sweetener sld under the brand names NutraSweet and Equal ; cmpsed mainly f 2 amin acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine. 5. Calrie: Unit f heat r energy. 6. Carbhydrates: Essential nutrient that supplies the bdy with glucse; referred t as simple r cmplex, depending n their chemical structure. 7. Cartenids: Clrful plant pigments cntaining high levels f antixidants. 8. Cmplete Prteins: Prteins that cntain all nine essential amin acids. 9. Cmplex Carbhydrates: Carbhydrates having three r mre linked sugars; prvides a mre sustainable surce f energy than simple carbhydrates. 10. Daily Values (DVs): Dietary reference n fd labels; develped by the U.S. Fd and Drug Administratin (FDA) t help cnsumers determine the level f varius nutrients in a standard serving f fd in relatin t their apprximate requirement fr it. 11. Fat: Referred t as a lipid, a basic nutrient cmpsed f carbn and hydrgen atms; classified as either saturated r unsaturated. 12. Fiber: Indigestible prtin f plants; helps mve fd thrugh the digestive system; naturally sftens stl by absrbing water. 13. Glycgen: A plysaccharide that is the principal strage frm f glucse. 14. Hunger: Sensatin experienced when ne feels the physilgical need t eat fd. 15. Macrnutrients: Nutrients that the bdy uses in large amunts, carbhydrates, fats, and prteins. 16. Micrnutrients: Nutrients that the bdy requires in smaller amunts, such as vitamins and minerals. 17. Minerals: Inrganic elements essential fr physilgical prcesses. 18. Mnunsaturated Fat: Fat having ne duble-bnded (unsaturated) carbn in the mlecule; mst cmmnly derived frm plant surce; liquid at rm temperature. Example: Olive il 1
19. Organic: Fds prduced withut the use f pesticides, chemicals, hrmnes, r genetically mdified rganisms. 20. Plyunsaturated Fat: Fat having mre than ne duble-bnded (unsaturated) carbn in the mlecule; mst cmmnly derived frm plants and fish; liquid at rm temperature. 21. Prteins: A primary cmpnent r building-blck in nearly all bdy cells; builds, maintains, repairs, and replaces tissues f the bdy. 22. Recmmended Dietary Allwances (RDAs): The average daily level f intake sufficient t meet the nutrient requirements f nearly all (97%-98%) healthy peple. 23. Saturated Fats: Derived mstly frm animal surces, has a chemical makeup in which the carbn atms are saturated with hydrgen atms; slid at rm temperature. 24. Simple Carbhydrates: Referred t as simple sugars, they have ne (single) r tw (duble) sugars and are quickly brken dwn and absrbed. 25. Trans Fats: Als referred t as trans fatty acids, created in fd prcessing when adding hydrgen t liquid ils (vegetable) t make then mre slid at rm temperature. 26. Triglycerides: Derived frm glycerl and three fatty acids it is the mst cmmn frm f lipid in the bdy; unused calries are cnverted t triglycerides and stred as bdy fat. Bld triglycerides are an imprtant measure f heart health. 27. Vitamins: Organic cmpunds that prmte grwth, develpment, and maintain health; must be taken in frm utside surces such as diet. Nutritin: Basic Training: 1. The Basics Defined: Nutrient: A substance that prvides nurishment fr grwth r metablism. Essential Nutrients: Nutrients required fr nrmal bdy functin that cannt be synthesized by human cells and must be btained frm diet. Essential nutrients include carbhydrates, fats, prteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. Nutritin: The science r study f fd elements and human physilgy. The prcess by which the bdy takes in and uses nutrients. Hunger (the need fr fd): The bdy's physilgical respnse t a lack (r shrtage) f basic fds needed t prvide the energy and nutrients that supprt health. An instinctive respnse Appetite (the desire fr fd): The psychlgical desire t eat that may r may nt have anything t d with hunger. A learned and/r cnditined respnse. Daily Value (DV): The Percent Daily Value n the Nutritin Facts label is a guide t the nutrients in ne serving f fd. The Daily Values are established by the U.S. Fd and Drug Administratin. DV is used in fd labeling as a reference pint t help peple get a perspective f what their verall daily dietary needs shuld be. Daily Values are based n a 2000 calrie intake fr adults and children 4 years and lder. Depending n yur persnal calrie needs, yur daily values may be higher r lwer. Calrie: A unit f energy supplied by fd. 1 calrie = the amunt f energy it takes t raise the temperature f 1 gram f water 1 degree Celsius. Fd types and the number f Calries per gram: Carbhydrate cntains 4 Calries per gram. Fat cntains 9 Calries per gram. Prtein cntains 4 Calries per gram. 2
Alchl cntains 7 Calries per gram (alchl, is nt a macrnutrient, as it has n nutritinal value and is nt needed fr survival) Empty Calries: Fds cntaining calries but n nutritinal value, such as vitamins, dietary minerals, antixidants, amin acids, r dietary fiber, are referred t as empty calries. Pssible examples may include, sft drinks, candy, ckies, dnuts, ice cream, margarine, deep-fried fatty fds., etc. Macrnutrient: Macr meaning large, dietary nutrients that prvide calries r energy, and are needed in large amunts Include Carbhydrates, Fats, and Prteins Micrnutrient: Micr meaning small; nutrients that are needed in smaller amunts such as vitamins and minerals. Phytnutrients: Phyt is a Greek wrd meaning plant; phytnutrients are rganic cmpnents in plants that are thught t prmte human health, including: Cartenids Flavnids (Plyphenls), including Isflavnes (Phytestrgens) Insitl Phsphates (Phytates) Lignans (Phytestrgens) Isthicyanates and Indles Phenls and Cyclic Cmpunds Sapnins Sulfides and Thils Terpenes 2. Essential Nutrients: Carbhydrates: The primary functin f carbhydrates is t prvide energy fr the bdy, especially the brain and the nervus system. An enzyme called amylase helps break dwn carbhydrates int glucse (bld sugar), which is used fr energy by the bdy. Yur bdy can use glucse immediately r stre it in yur liver and muscles fr when it is needed. Carbhydrates are classified as simple r cmplex. The classificatin depends n the chemical structure f the fd, and hw quickly the sugar is digested and absrbed. Simple carbhydrates have ne (single) r tw (duble) sugars. Cmplex carbhydrates have three r mre sugars. Simple Carbhydrates: Als called simple sugars, they are made f just ne (mnsaccharide) r tw (disaccharide) sugar mlecules. They are the quickest surce f energy, as they are very rapidly digested. Mst fds high in simple carbhydrates cntain few nutrients ther than calries, and cmmnly lack fiber, causing sugar t pass int the bldstream quickly. Examples f single (mnsaccharide) sugars frm fd include: Fructse (fund in fruits) Galactse (fund in milk prducts) Examples f duble (disaccharide) sugars frm fd include: Lactse (fund in dairy) Maltse (fund in certain vegetables and in beer) Sucrse (table sugar) Hney (unlike table sugar, it cntains a small amunt f vitamins and minerals) Nte: Hney shuld nt be given t children yunger than 1 year because f the risk f infant btulism. 3
Cmplex Carbhydrates: Als referred t as starches r gd carbs. A cmplex carbhydrates is a chemical structure cnsisting f three r mre sugars which are usually linked tgether t frm a chain. Tw types f cmplex carbhydrates include: Oligsaccharide, a carbhydrate that cntains a small number f cmpnent sugars, and Plysaccharide, a carbhydrate that cntains a large number f cmpnent sugars They digest slwly, keeping bld sugar mre stable than d simple carbhydrates. They are ften rich in fiber, are mre satisfying (filling), and mre health prmting. Cmplex carbhydrates are cmmnly fund in whle plant fds which cntain high levels f vitamins and minerals. Fiber: Als referred t as bulk r rughage, fiber is the indigestible prtin f plant fd that: Helps mve fd thrugh the digestive system, Delays absrptin f chlesterl and ther nutrients. Sftens stls by absrbing water. Fats: Dietary fats belng t a grup f substances called lipids. The fat in fds and the adipse tissue n ur bdies serve many imprtant functins. In fd, fat serves the fllwing rles: Nutrient: Fat supplies essential fatty acids, which are needed fr nrmal grwth f infants and children and fr prductin f hrmne-like cmpunds (called eicsanids) that regulate a wide range f bdy functins and keep yu healthy. Transprt: Fat carries fat-sluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) and assists in their absrptin. Sensry: Fat cntributes t the smell and taste f fd. Texture: Fat helps make fds tender (especially meats and baked gds). Satiety: Fat gives fd satiety, s yu feel full and satisfied lnger after a meal. Cncentrated surce f Calries: This is gd if yu are traveling lng distances, expending a lt f energy, and carrying yur wn fd (i.e. hiking, backpacking, hunting). It s als gd fr peple with high Calrie needs wh are trying t gain lean bdy mass. In the bdy, fat serves the fllwing rles: Fats are the bdy s main frm f stred energy (imprtant in times f illness and diminished fd intake). Fats prvide mst f the energy t fuel muscular wrk. Fat pads internal rgans and insulates ur bdies against temperature extremes. Fats frm the majr material f cell membranes (especially brain and nerve cells). Fats are cnverted t many imprtant hrmnes (including sex hrmnes) There are tw general categries f fats based n their chemical structure; each f the tw categries have very different effects n yur health: Saturated Fats: Saturated fats are generally assciated with pr health. They are assciated with the increase f bad chlesterl in yur bld and increase yur risk f heart disease. Chlesterl is fund nly in fds f animal rigin. 4
Saturated fats are generally slid at rm temperature, and are mst cncentrated in animal surces f fat (including butter, cream, beef fat, chicken skin, whle fat milk, cheese, and ice cream). Exceptins: Trpical ils (including ccnut, palm, and palm kernel il) are very high in saturated fats. Unsaturated Fats: Unsaturated fats are generally assciated with gd health. They tend t lwer bld chlesterl levels and decrease yur risk f heart disease. Unsaturated fats are generally liquid at rm temperature, and are mst cncentrated in plant surces f fat (including vegetable ils, lives, avcads, nuts, and peanut butter). Exceptin: See Trans Fatty Acids and Hydrgenated Fats belw There are tw general subdivisins f unsaturated fats: Mnunsaturated fats are generally regarded as the mst heart healthy. Gd fd surces include live and canla ils, mst nuts, peanut butter, avcads, and lives. Fr ptimal health, mst f the fat in yur diet shuld cme frm these surces. Plyunsaturated fats include the mega 6 and mega 3 families f fat. Much f the unsaturated fat in the typical American diet is frm the mega 6 family (since mst fd prducts use crn, sybean, safflwer, and sunflwer ils). Fr ptimal health, hwever, we shuld try t include mre mega 3 fats in ur diet. The best fd surce f mega 3 fat is fatty fish (like salmn and mackerel). Smaller amunts can als be fund in plant fds like walnuts, flaxseeds, sy, and canla ils. While unsaturated fats are generally gd fr yur heart health, they have the same number f calries as saturated fat. Thus, keep prtin sizes small, and use them in place f saturated and trans fats. Fats in Prcessed-Fds: Trans Fatty Acids: These fats frm when vegetable il hardens (a prcess called hydrgenatin) and can raise LDL levels. They can als lwer HDL levels ("gd chlesterl"). Trans fatty acids are fund in fried fds, cmmercial baked gds (dnuts, ckies, crackers), prcessed fds, and margarines. Hydrgenated, r Partially Hydrgenated Oils: Refers t ils that have been hardened thrugh a prcess f frcing hydrgen gas int the il at high pressure and temperature. allwing the liquid il t stay slid at rm temperature. Examples include butter and margarine. Hydrgenated ils shuld be avided because they cntain high levels f trans fatty acids, which are linked t heart disease. (Lk at the ingredients in the fd label). Partially hydrgenated means the ils are nly partly hardened, but include the same health hazards. Prtein: Basic cmpnents f all bdy cells. Essential fr building and repairing tissue, regulating bdy functins, and prviding energy and heat Prteins are made up f 22 building blcks called amin acids. Cmplete prteins: Cntain 9 f the amin acids that are essential t life. 5
An essential amin acid is an amin acid that cannt be synthesized by humans, and therefre must be supplied in the diet. Fund in meats, fish, milk, cheeses, eggs. Cmplete prteins can als be btained thrugh certain plants, such as sy, spirulina, hemp seed, amaranth, buckwheat, and quina. Incmplete prteins: Cntain any f the remaining thirteen amin acids and sme f the nine essential amin acids. Fund in vegetable fds such as cereals, sybeans, dry beans, peas, and peanuts. Vitamins: Organic (living) cmpunds that are essential t life Vitamins are imprtant fr metablism, tissue building, and regulating bdy prcesses Vitamins allw the bdy t use the energy prvided by carbhydrates, fats and prteins Only small amunts f vitamins are required. A well balanced diet usually supplies adequate amunts, hwever, mst students d nt cnsume a well-balanced diet. Vitamins are classified as ne f tw types: Water sluble: disslve in water, are easily destryed by cking, air and light (vitamin C and B cmplex) Fat sluble: disslve in fat, can be stred in the bdy, are nt easily destryed by cking, air and light, (Vitamins A,D,E,K) Txicity: Fat-sluble vitamins can be stred by the bdy in the liver and fatty tissues; excessive cncentratins (mega dses) can be txic and harmful t the bdy. Minerals: Minerals are inrganic (nn-living) elements fund in all bdy cells. Minerals regulate bdy fluids, assist in varius bdy functins, cntribute t grwth, and aid in building tissues. Withut minerals, vitamins culd nt be absrbed. Macrminerals are needed by the bdy in large amunts, such as calcium and sdium. Sdium is necessary fr the regulatin f bld and bdy fluids, transmissin f nerve impulses, heart activity, and certain metablic functins. Mst Americans cnsume an excess f sdium. Sme suggest a link between sdium intake and hypertensin. Calcium plays a vital rle in building strng bnes and teeth. Mst Americans d nt cnsume enugh calcium in their diets. Calcium is available in dairy prducts r calcium-frtified prducts such as range juice frtified with calcium; sme vegetables cntain calcium. Trace minerals are needed by the bdy in nly very small amunts, such as irn and zinc. Irn deficiency can lead t anemia, which is the mst cmmn nutrient deficiency in the wrld. Water: Humans can survive much lnger withut fd than withut water; dehydratin (abnrmal depletin f bdy fluids), can cause serius prblems in a matter f hurs. Water is fund in all bdy tissues; between 50 and 60 percent f ur ttal bdy weight is water. Water essential fr the digestin (breakdwn) f fd, makes up mst f the bld plasma, helps bdy tissues absrb nutrients, and helps mve waste material thrugh the bdy. The average persn needs 6 t 8 glasses f water each day. 3. Nutritinal Buzz Wrds: Antixidants: Antixidants came t public attentin in the 1990s, when scientists began t understand that free radical damage was invlved in the early stages f heart disease, and may cntribute t cancer, visin lss, and a hst f ther chrnic cnditins. Antixidants are substances r nutrients in fd which can prevent r slw the xidative damage t ur bdy. 6
4. Digesting Fd: When the bdy cells use xygen, they naturally prduce free radicals (by-prducts) which can cause damage. Antixidants act as "free radical scavengers" and hence prevent and repair damage dne by these free radicals. Health prblems such as heart disease, macular degeneratin, diabetes, cancer are all cntributed by xidative damage. Antixidants may als enhance immune defense and therefre lwer the risk f cancer and infectin. Fr mre infrmatin n antixidants click here. Organic: Defined: Fd that is grwn r prduced withut the use f pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically mdified rganisms, r inizing radiatin. Animals that prduce meat, pultry, eggs, and dairy prducts d nt take antibitics r grwth hrmnes. (USDA) Identifying a Prduct as Organic: The USDA has identified fr three categries f labeling rganic prducts: 1. 100% Organic: Made with 100% rganic ingredients. 2. Organic: Made with at least 95% rganic ingredients. 3. Made With Organic Ingredients: Made with a minimum f 70% rganic ingredients with strict restrictins n the remaining 30% including n GMOs (genetically mdified rganisms) Prducts with less than 70% rganic ingredients may list rganically prduced ingredients n the side panel f the package, but may nt make any rganic claims n the frnt f the package. Digestin is the prcess that breaks dwn fd we eat int frms that can be taken up the gastrintestinal tract and absrbed int the bldstream t be used by the bdy. Digestin begins in the muth. Saliva in the muth cntains enzymes, which help t break dwn the fd, and chewing breaks fd dwn int small pieces, expsing mre fd surface t digestive actin. The tngue helps t mve the fd frm the muth t the esphagus (the tube that cnnects the muth t the stmach). The fd then enters the stmach, where it is brken dwn further by digestive acids and enzymes. A meal usually leaves the stmach within tw t three hurs after it has been eaten. Once it leaves the stmach, the fd mves int the small intestine, where muscular cntractins mix the fd further. Fd remains in the small intestine frm three t ten hurs. Mst f the absrptin f nutrients int the bldstream ccurs during this time. The undigested material frm the small intestines mves int the large intestine, where it waits t be eliminated sme 24 t 72 hurs later thrugh the rectum. 5. Dietary Recmmendatins, Cmparing Plates: MyPlate the USDA: Part f the 2010 Dietary Guidelines fr Americans MyPlate was intrduced in 2011, replacing the traditinal Fd Pyramid. The USDA MyPlate illustrates the five recmmended fd grups, including Vegetables, Grains, Fruits, Prtein, and Dairy (making half f yur plate fruits and vegetables, and at least half f yur grains whle grains). Healthy Eating Plate: Presented by the the Harvard Schl f Public Health The Healthy Eating Plate is based exclusively n the best available science and was nt subjected t plitical and cmmercial pressures frm fd industry lbbyists. 6. Prcessed Fds: Accrding t industry estimates, nearly 90 percent f ur husehld fd budgets in America are spent n prcessed fds; the majrity f which are filled with additives and stripped f their riginal nutrients. 7
The U.S. Fd and Drug Administratin (FDA) defines prcessed fd as any raw agricultural cmmdity that has been subject t prcessing, such as canning, cking, freezing, dehydratin, r milling. And any time smething is added t a fd item, it's cnsidered a prcessed fd. Almst everything we buy in the grcery stre falls int this categry. As students, time and mney are scarce cmmdities. Hwever, take time t read labels clsely when yu buy premade, prepackaged, r canned fds. Wrds t lk fr n the ingredients list are utlined belw; this list includes several chemical r genetically mdified additives that yu shuld try t avid! A simple rule t fllw when reviewing prduct ingredients, "if yu cannt prnunce it, dn't eat it!" It is wrth yur while, and yur health, t pt fr fresh whle fds that lk like they did when they were harvested! Fd Additives t Avid: Trans Fats: Research nw reveals trans fats are twice as dangerus fr yur heart as saturated fat, and cause an estimated 30,000 t 100,000 premature heart disease deaths each year. Manufacturers are required t label trans fats amunts, but restaurant fd, especially fast fd chains, still serve fds laden with trans fats. Experts recmmend we cnsume n mre than tw grams f trans fat per day, an amunt easily accunted fr if yu eat prcessed meats and dairy. High Fructse Crn Syrup: HFCS and ther manipulated fructse sugars can undermine yur metablism, leading t Weight Gain, High Triglyceride Levels (bld fats), Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertensin and Obesity. Research cntinues t shw that vercnsumptin f these altered sugars is a grwing health hazard; at the same time fd manufacturers make it increasingly hard t avid them! Thus when yu have the chice, g fr whle, unsweetened beverages and fds and give yur sweet tth a break. Aspartame: This sugar substitute is als knwn cmmercially as Equal and NutraSweet. Many peple have reprted dizziness, headaches, epileptic-like seizures, and menstrual prblems after ingesting aspartame. One ut f 20,000 babies is brn withut the ability t metablize phenylalanine, ne f the tw amin acids in aspartame. Acesulfame K Knwn cmmercially as Sunette r Sweet One, Acesulfame is a sugar substitute sld in packet r tablet frm, in chewing gum, dry mixes fr beverages, instant cffee and tea, gelatin desserts, puddings, nn-dairy creamers and diet beverages. Tests shw that the additive causes cancer in animals, which means it may increase cancer in humans. Sdium Nitrite: Used t preserve, clr, and flavr meat prducts. Sdium nitrite is cmmnly added t bacn, ham, ht dgs, lunchen meats, smked fish, and crned beef t stabilize the red clr and add flavr. The preservative prevents grwth f bacteria, but studies have linked eating it t varius types f cancer. Under certain high-temperature cking cnditins such as grilling r frying, it transfrms int a reactive cmpund that has been shwn t prmte cancer. BHA AND BHT: 8
Butylated Hydrxyanisle (BHA) and Butylated Hydrzyttluene (BHT) are additinal additives t red flag. Bth keep fats and ils frm ging rancid and are fund in cereals, chewing gum, ptat chips, prcessed meats, and vegetable ils. The Internatinal Agency fr Research n Cancer says BHA and BHT are pssibly carcingenic t humans. BHA als interacts with nitrites t frm chemicals knwn t cause changes in the DNA f cells. Mnsdium Glutamate (MSG): MSG is an amin acid used as a flavr enhancer in sups, salad dressings, chips, frzen entrees, and restaurant fd. T much MSG can lead t headaches, tightness in the chest, and a burning sensatin in the frearms r neck. Als, avid hydrlyzed vegetable prtein, r HVP, which may cntain MSG. Artificial-Chemical Fd Clring: Blue 1 and 2: Used in beverages, candy, baked gds and sme pet fd, it has been linked t cancer in mice. Red 3: Used t dye cherries, fruit ccktail, candy and baked gds, causes thyrid tumrs in rats. Green 3: Used in candy and beverages, has been linked t bladder cancer. Yellw 6: Used in beverages, sausage, gelatin, baked gds, and candy, causes tumrs f the adrenal gland and kidneys. Prpyl Gallate: Prpyl Gallate is a chemical preservative fund in sme vegetable ils, meat prducts, ptat sticks, chicken sup base, and chewing gum. It is used t retard the spilage f fats and ils and is ften used with BHA and BHT, because f the synergistic effects these preservatives have. The best studies n rats and mice suggested that this preservative might cause cancer. Olestra: A synthetic fat marketed under the name "Olean", Olestra prevents fat frm being absrbed by yur digestive system. It als prevents valuable Fat-Sluble Vitamins (A,D,E & K) and Cartenids frm being absrbed by the bdy as well. In additin, it ften leads t severe diarrhea, abdminal cramps, and gas. Ptassium Brmate: Ptassium Brmate is used as bth a bleaching agent and as an additive t increase the vlume in white flur; it is fund in breads, rlls, and pizza dugh. Mst brmate rapidly breaks dwn t an inncuus frm, but it is knwn t cause cancer in animals, and even small amunts in bread can create a risk fr humans. Califrnia requires a cancer warning n the prduct label if ptassium brmate is an ingredient. Sdium Chlride: Sdium Chlride, mre cmmnly knwn as table salt is anther hidden fd additive fund in many prcessed fds that can lead t significant health issues. Refined, table salt is 99.9% sdium chlride. During the refining prcess, naturally ccurring minerals and trace elements are stripped away, then it's blasted with high heat, bleached and chemicals like aluminum and anti-caking agents are added t it. T much prcessed table salt intake burdens the kidneys and adrenal glands, depletes calcium and interferes with the absrptin f essential nutrients. It als has been linked with high bld pressure, heart attack, strke. 9
7. Fd Prtins: Lw-sdium salt is even mre txic than table salt. Mre chemicals are added t the mix, in rder t remve the sdium and stimulate the synthetic taste f salt. Fd prtins in America have significantly increased in size ver the past several decades. In additin, new research shws that ur perceptin f "nrmal prtin size" has als changed ver the past 20 years; meaning as cnsumers we perceive larger prtin sizes as apprpriate amunts t eat fr each meal. Cnsider the fllwing examples: The average dinner plate is 7 inches larger than it was frty years ag. The average calrie level fr a burger, fries, and sda was 590 calries in 1957, cmpared t 1550 calries tday. The average ckie twenty years ag was 1.5 inches in diameter cntaining 55 calries; tday it is 3.5 inches cntaining 375 calries. A turkey sandwich f twenty years ag had 320 calries, cmpared t the 820 calries f tday. A Caesar salad twenty years ag was 390 calries, cmpared t 790 calries fr tday's salad. 8. Vegetarianism: A vegetarian diet is a meal plan that cntains mstly plants, such as vegetables, fruits, whle grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts, with little r n animal prducts. Types f vegetarian diets include: Vegan: Diet cnsists f nly plant-based fds, aviding all animal fds r prducts. Lact-Vegetarian: Diet cnsists f plant fds plus sme r all dairy prducts, but n flesh fds such as meat r eggs. Lact-Ov-Vegetarian: Diet cnsists f plant fds, dairy prducts, and eggs. Semi r Partial Vegetarian: Diet cnsists f plant fds and may include chicken r fish, dairy prducts, and eggs. It des nt include red meat. Talk n Stats: The USDA says the average persn in the U.S. eats 4.7 punds f fd per day. Fast Fd Numbers frm the Pal Alt Medical Fundatin: Accrding t this Ggle map, there are clse t 50,000 fast fd chains acrss the United States, with McDnalds being the largest restaurant chain. In the wrld, there are mre than 500,000 fast fd restaurants. Kids between the ages f 6 and 14 eat fast fd 157,000,000 times every mnth. Ninety-six percent f children in schl culd recgnize an image f Rnald McDnald, the face f McDnalds. The nly recgnizable figure that ranked higher was Santa Claus. Americans spend nearly $100 billin n fast fd every year CARDIA (research frm the Crnary Artery Risk Develpment in Yung Adults) revealed that peple wh ate fast fd tw r mre times a week experienced an average weight gain f 10 punds mre than study participants wh ate fast fd less than nce a week. Preliminary results f the Tufts Lngitudinal Health Study f 1,800 cllege students shw: Mst students dn't gain the much publicized "freshman 15," but Cllege men gained an average f 5.5 punds their freshman year. Cllege wmen gained an average 4.5 punds. 66% f freshmen dn't cnsume the recmmended five servings f fruits and vegetables a day. 50% f all students dn't get enugh fiber (25 grams a day). 60% eat t much artery-clgging saturated fat. 30% f wmen dn't get enugh calcium. 59% say they knw their diet has gne dwnhill since they went t cllege. In a recent study carried ut by the Swedish Institute fr Fd and Bitechnlgy cncerning fd waste: Cnsumers in Nrth America and Eurpe waste abut 209 t 253 punds f fd per persn every year. 10
The amunt f fd each persn wastes in the U.S. per year wuld feed the average persn fr 44 t 54 days. In industrialized cuntries, mst waste is at the retail and cnsumer level; in develping cuntries mst waste is at the pstharvest and prcessing level. Fd security refers t a husehld's physical and ecnmic access t sufficient, safe, and nutritius fd: In 2010, 48.8 millin Americans lived in fd insecure husehlds, 32.6 millin adults and 16.2 millin children. In 2010, 14.5 percent f husehlds (17.2 millin husehlds) were fd insecure. In 2010, 5.4 percent f husehlds (6.4 millin husehlds) experienced very lw fd security. In 2010, husehlds with children reprted fd insecurity at a significantly higher rate than thse withut children, 20.2 percent cmpared t 11.7 percent. In 2010, husehlds that had higher rates f fd insecurity than the natinal average included husehlds with children (20.2 percent), especially husehlds with children headed by single wmen (35.1 percent) r single men (25.4 percent), Black nn-hispanic husehlds (25.1 percent) and Hispanic husehlds (26.2 percent). In 2009, 8.0 percent f senirs living alne (925,000 husehlds) were fd insecure. Accrding t the Natinal Center fr Educatin Statistics: Only half f all elementary schl teachers wh teach lessns in Nutritin have had frmal training t teach abut nutritin. Eighty-eight percent f elementary schl teachers reprted that they taught lessns abut nutritin t their students in the 1996-97 schl year Knw Yur Numbers: 1. Knw Yur Fd - Ingredients List: The ingredient list must be placed n the same label panel as the name and address f the manufacturer, packer r distributr. The ingredient list n a fd label is the listing f each ingredient in descending rder f predminance Listing ingredients in descending rder f predminance by weight means that the ingredient that weighs the mst is listed first, and the ingredient that weighs the least is listed last Example: Tmates, Water, High Fructse Crn Syrup The cmmn r usual name fr ingredients must be listed. Example: Use the term "sugar" instead f the scientific name "sucrse." When an FDA apprved chemical preservative is added t a fd, the ingredient list must include bth The cmmn r usual name f the preservative. The functin f the preservative by including terms, such as preservative, t retard spilage, a mld inhibitr, t help prtect flavr, r t prmte clr retentin. Example: Dried Bananas, Sugar, Salt, and Ascrbic Acid t Prmte Clr Retentin Spices and Flavring may be declared in ingredient lists by using either specific cmmn r usual names r by using the declaratins spices, flavr r natural flavr, r artificial flavr. Excample: Apple Slices, Water, Cane Syrup, Crn Syrup, Mdified Crn Starch, Spices, Salt, Natural Flavr and Artificial Flavr. Nutrient Cntent Claims are claims n fd prducts that directly (r by implicatin) characterizes the level f a nutrient in the fd Example: lw fat r high in at bran. Only fds that have been specially prcessed, altered, frmulated r refrmulated t lwer the amunt f nutrient in the fd, remve the nutrient frm the fd, r nt t include the nutrient in the fd may bear "Lw" r "Free" claim (fr example: "lw sdium ptat chips") "Fat-free brccli" is nt permitted. The Fd Allergen Labeling and Cnsumer Prtectin Act f 2004 (FALCPA) requires manufacturers t identify in plain English the presence f any ingredients that cntain prtein derived 11
frm the 8 majr fd allergens including egg, fish, peanuts, shellfish, wheat, dairy, sy and tree nuts. 2. Knw Yur Fd - Reading a Prduct Label: The Nutritin Facts label (belw) are divided int Tw Main Areas: Sectins 1-5 prvide prduct-specific infrmatin: Serving size, calries, and nutrient infrmatin). These vary with each fd prduct. Sectin 6 is a Ftnte with Daily Values (DVs). The ftnte prvides infrmatin abut the DVs fr imprtant nutrients, including fats, sdium and fiber. The DVs are listed fr peple wh eat 2,000 r 2,500 calries each day. The amunts fr ttal fat, saturated fat, chlesterl, and sdium are maximum amunts. That means yu shuld try t stay belw the amunts listed. The DVs fr ttal carbhydrate and dietary fiber daily represent the minimum amunts recmmended fr a 2,000-calrie diet. This means yu shuld cnsume at least this amunt per day fr each f these nutrients. The ftnte is nly fund n larger labels, and des nt change frm prduct t prduct. 12
Thughts fr Living: Yur path tward healthy eating and nutritin is a jurney. Use the steps belw as a rad map r plan f attack frm the "Yu Dctrs", Dr. Michael Rizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz. 1. Start by fcusing n fds that dn't need a label, like fresh fruits and vegetables. The cncept f whle fds refers t "nthing mechanically remved r altered" frm it's riginal frm. If they lk the same prir t eating them as they did when they cme ut f the grund, they're generally gd fr yu." says Dr. Rizen. 2. Make Yur Eating Plan Autmatic: Over a 14-day perid, train yurself t make gd- fd chices (Step 3 makes this easy). Yu'll reprgram yur appetite, s yu will be in charge f what yu're eating. Eat three main meals, plus snacks, s yu're never hungry. Eat the same things fr breakfast and lunch almst every day. Yes, every day. Peple wh minimize fd chices lse mre weight. 3. Dn't Skimp n Taste, Eat Deliciusly: Fill up n whle-grain carbhydrates (that includes vegetables); fiber; nuts; and lean, healthy prtein such as fish, pultry, quina, and lean meats(sparingly). In a hunger emergency, chew n yur favrites frm this list: apples, almnds, walnuts, edamame (sybeans), sugar-free gum, chpped veggies, nnfat ygurt r cttage cheese...and water, f curse. 4. Remember That Waist Is Mre Imprtant Than Weight: Because f its prximity t vital rgans, belly fat is the mst dangerus fat yu can carry. It is ne f the strngest predictrs f health risks (heart disease, diabetes, and mre bad stuff) assciated with besity. Ditch the scale in favr f the tape measure. Measure yur waist and aim small: Ideal is 32 1/2 inches r less fr wmen and 35 inches r less fr men. 5. Stay Satisfied: T lse weight, yu need t eat. Eat ften -- five r six times thrughut the day -- s yu're always satisfied. Slipping int starvatin mde makes yur bdy want t stre fat and lwers metablism. Eat plenty f fiber and sme prtein in the mrning: Fiber in the mrning helps cntrl afternn cravings; prtein decreases appetite. 6. Add Supprt: Enlist a friend, family member, r new nline buddy as yur partner. Everyne needs encuragement and an ccasinal prd. After finishing yur 30-minute walk every day, call a buddy fr a pat n the back. When yu start the 20-minute wrkut, d the same thing. 7. Shp fr Health: Make sure the fllwing items are in yur grcery cart and kitchen cabinets: Antixidants: Items such as tmates, brccli, kidney beans, blueberries, pmegranates, artichkes, and prunes are packed with antixidants. Whatever has that deep clr like a blueberry, yu knw it's rich in antixidants. Try t eat five t seven servings f these fds every day. Omega-3 Fats: Increase yur intake f mega-3 fats t 3 grams a day. "Remember, 80 percent f ur brain is fat," Dr. Oz says. "We need t have the right kinds f fats in ur bdy t make sure ur brain is the mst resilient t stress and can learn the fastest." Sme gd surces include grund flaxseeds, walnuts (raw, unrasted), salmn, scallps, sybeans and squash. Fiber: Dr. Oz says the average American gets abut 12 grams f fiber a day, but he recmmends duble that amunt. Oatmeal(steel-cut ats), 100 percent whle grain bread, lentils, pine nuts, peas and raspberries are all great surces f this nutrient. 13
Olive Oil: The last item t add t yur shpping list is virgin r extra-virgin live il. Ideally, Dr. Oz says yu shuld cnsume abut a tablespn every day. One nutritius and delicius way t eat live il is with tmates, made int a pasta sauce. "If yu get that int yur diet a cuple times a week, yu're getting these nutrients naturally." 8. It's Okay t Make Mistakes: As lng as yu quickly get back n the right rad, yu wn't travel t far dwn the wrng ne. 9. A Few Final Tips: Check fd labels. Dn't buy anything with mre than 4 grams f saturated fat r 4 grams f any sugar (especially high-fructse crn syrup) per serving. Saturated fat cause premature aging and is bad fr yur whle bdy, and simple sugars make yu crave high-calrie fds. Als Remember...If yu can't prnunce it, dn't eat it! Get 7 t 8 hurs f sleep each night. Fatigue als makes yu crave sugary fds. Why? They release the brain chemicals that a lack f sleep leaves yu shrt n. Eat a little healthy fat -- like a handful f walnuts -- abut 20 minutes befre a meal. It will take the edge ff, s yu wn't be tempted t vereat. Chse elegance ver frce. Weight-lss battles are wn when yu eat smart, nt pwer diet! 14