Healthy Diets, Dietary Guidelines, MyPyramid, and More

Judith E. Brown

Prof. Albia Dugger • Miami-Dade College

www.cengage.com/nutrition/brown

Healthy Diets, Dietary Guidelines, MyPyramid, and More

Unit 6

Healthy Eating

• Achieving balance between good taste and good for you

Characteristics of Healthful Diets

• Healthful diets share three characteristics: adequacy, variety, and balance

• Healthful diets can come in many forms

Healthful Diets

Key Terms

• Adequate diets• Consist of foods that together supply sufficient

protein, vitamins, and minerals• Have enough calories to meet a person’s need for

energy and maintain a healthy body weight

Key Terms

• Essential nutrients• Substances the body requires for normal growth

and health but cannot manufacture in sufficient amounts

• Must be obtained from the diet in amounts corresponding to RDAs and AIs

Variety

• The essential nutrient and phytochemical contents of foods differ

• Consuming a variety of foods from each basic group increases the probability of obtaining enough nutrients

Key Terms

• Balanced diet• Provides neither too much nor too little of calories,

nutrients, and other components of food such as fat, sugar, and fiber

Key Terms

• Macronutrients• The group name for the energy-yielding nutrients

of carbohydrate, protein, and fat• Needed in relatively large amounts in our daily

diet

AMDRs

• Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDRs)• Guidelines for balanced intake of macronutrients• % total caloric intake that should consist of

carbohydrate, protein, and fat • % total caloric intake for added sugars and

essential fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic acids)• Reduce saturated and trans fats as much as

possible

Key Terms

• Saturated fats• Fats that tend to raise blood cholesterol levels

and risk for heart disease• Solid at room temperature• Found primarily in animal products such as meat,

butter, and cheese

Key Terms

• Trans fat• A type of unsaturated fat present in hydrogenated

oils, shortening, margarine, pastries, and some cooking oils that increases the risk of heart disease

AMDRs and Average Adult Intake

How Balanced is the American Diet?

• Americans consume too much fat and added sugars; and too little of essential fatty acids

• American diet is too high in calories and too low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains

Guides to Healthy Diets

• Many nations have free, science-based, health guidelines with recommendations for dietary intake and physical activity• US guidelines: Dietary Guidelines for Americans• How-to guide for consumers: MyPyramid

National Guidelines

Dietary Guidelines for Americans

• Science-based guidelines to promote health and reduce risk for major chronic disease• 9 “Focus Areas”• 23 “Key Recommendations”

• Stresses consumption of nutrient-dense foods, balancing caloric intake and output, and increasing physical activity

Dietary Guidelines for Americans

• DGAs are updated every five years

Focus Areas and Key Recommendations

• Guidelines on:• Adequate nutrients within calorie needs• Weight management• Physical activity• Food groups to encourage• Fats and carbohydrates• Sodium and potassium• Alcoholic beverages• Food safety

Implementing Dietary Guidelines

• MyPyramid Food Guide• Food selection and physical activity

• DASH Eating Plan• Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension• Dietary intake only

MyPyramid Food Guide

What’s in MyPyramid?

• Recommendations for daily food choices and food amounts for healthy diets• 5 specific food groups• Lean meats and fish prepared without fats• Vegetables prepared without butter/margarine• No added sugar• Low-fat dairy products and nonfat milk

MyPyramid.gov

• MyPyramid Menu Planner• Based on your food preferences

• MyPyramid Plan• Based on age, sex, weight, height, activity level

• MyPyramid for Kids• Resources for elementary ages

MyPyramid Plan

MyPyramid Plan

MyPyramid For Professionals

MyPyramid.gov cont.

• Tips & Resources• Food groups, physical activity, eating out

• Inside the Pyramid• Explains food groups, measures, discretionary

calories, physical activity

MyPyramid.gov cont.

• MyPyramid for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Mothers• Track, evaluate, and plan dietary changes

• MyPyramid Tracker• Dietary and physical activity assessments

MyPyramid Food Measurements

• MyPyramid uses measurements in cups, teaspoons, and ounces

Limitations of MyPyramid

• Inaccessible to people who do not use the internet

• Does not address infant, therapeutic, or vegetarian diets

• May not correspond to food preferences

The DASH Diet

• Helps control mild/moderate hypertension• Good for cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease• Limits fats, red meats, sweets, sugary drinks

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)• Blood pressure inside blood vessel walls that

typically exceeds 140/90 mm Hg

The DASH Eating Plan

The Mediterranean Diet

• Based on diets in Greece and southern Italy• Restricts red meat, sweets, cholesterol• Includes wine with meals

• Associated with lower risks of heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and overall mortality

The Mediterranean Pyramid

Portion Distortion

• Food portion sizes are expanding

• Large portions served in homes, restaurants, bakeries, and in packaged foods contribute to the problem of estimating portion sizes

Portion Distortion

Supersized Americans

• Rising obesity rates are related to increasing portion sizes

• Supersizing fast food can triple calories• Supersized cheeseburger, fries and shake

provide more calories than most people need in a day (~2,200 calories)

Should We Label Fast Food Calories?

Eating Right When Eating Out

• Foods eaten away from home generally have lower nutrition, higher fat

Staying on Track

• When eating out:• Avoid impulse ordering• Decide what to eat

before going in

Fast Food: Fat and Calories

Fast Foods: Old and New

The Slow Food Movement

• “Slow Food USA”• Movement away from fast and processed foods,

and toward sustainable, eco-friendly agriculture and locally grown foods

• Connects healthy eating with a slower, more harmonious rhythm of life

The Slow Food Movement

• The urban garden

Don’t Know How to Cook?

• Learn by:• Using recipes on food

packages• Take a community

education course• Find recipes online or in

a basic cookbook

Bon Appétit!

• “Enjoy your meals”• The best diets are those that keep us healthy and

enhance our sense of enjoyment