Understanding
Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA)
The RDA is the average daily amount of a nutrient considered adequate to meet the known nutrient needs of
practically all healthy people; a goal for dietary intake by individuals.
Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) - the maximum daily amount of a nutrient that appears safe for most
healthy people and beyond which there is an increased risk of adverse health effects.
People don't eat energy directly; they derive energy from foods containing carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Each
of these three energy-yielding nutrients contributes to the total energy intake, and those contributions vary in
relation to each other. A government committee called the DRI (dietary reference intakes) has determined that
the composition of a diet that provides adequate energy and nutrients and reduces the risk of chronic diseases is:
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40-65 percent calories from carbohydrates
20-35 percent calories from fat
10-35 percent calories from protein
These values are known as Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR).
Malnutrition - any condition caused by excess or deficient food energy or nutrient intake or by
an imbalance of nutrients. ( mal means bad).
Undernutrition - deficient energy or nutrients.
Overnutrition - excess energy or nutrients.
A nutrition assessment is a comprehensive analysis of a person's nutrition status that uses health, socioeconomic, drug and diet histories; anthropometric measurements; physical examinations; and laboratory tests.
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historical information - medical record, family history of major diseases, prescribed and over-thecounter medications, marital status, ethnic background, or educational level.
anthropometric data - height, weight, measurements taken over time; can note conditions that may
reflect energy or nutrient deficiencies or excesses such as growth failure in children.
physical examinations - may find clues to poor nutrition status; every part of the body that can be
inspected offers clues, the hair, eyes, skin, posture, tongue, fingernails, and others. may reveal possible
Understanding Nutrition, Eleventh Edition; Ellie Whitney and Sharon Rady Rolfes, Chapter 1 - Part 2
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imbalances that must be confirmed by other assessment techniques, or can confirm results from other
assessment measures.
laboratory tests - samples of blood or urine with the results compared to a similar population sample;
confirm suspicions of other assessments
American eating habits have changed over the last fifty years. We eat out more often, drink more sweetened
beverages, eat more snacks, eat moe high energy, nutrient poor dense foods,
CHRONIC DISEASES
Statistical studies have shown that certain conditions and behaviors are linked to certain diseases. Most chronic
diseases arise from multiple factors over many years. A person who died of heart disease may have been
overweight, had high blood pressure, been a cigarette smoker, and spent years eating a diet high in saturated fat
and getting too little exercise. Not all people who die of heart disease fit this description, no do all people with
these characteristics die of heart disease.
People who are overweight might die from the complication s of diabetes instead, or those who smoke might
die of cancer.
They might even die from something totally unrelated to any of these factors, such as an automobile accident.
As knowledge about these next diseases and diets increased, the death rates of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and
accidents decreased. Death rates for diabetes -- a chronic disease closely associated with obesity -- increased.
Leading Causes of Death in the US
Heart disease
Cancers
Strokes
Chronic lung diseases
Accidents
Diabetes mellitus
Pneumonia and influenza
Alzheimer's disease
Kidney diseases
Blood infections
% of Total Deaths
28%
22.7%
6.4%
5.2%
4.5%
3%
2.7%
2.6%
1.7%
1.4%
Diseases that are highlighted have relationships with diet. The bolded disease has a relationship with alcohol.
Chronic disease - diseases characterized by a slow progression and long duration. Examples
include heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Risk Factor - a condition or behavior associated with an elevated frequency of a disease but
not proved to be causal. Leading risk factors for chronic diseases include obesity, cigarette
smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, physical inactivity, and a diet high in
saturated fats and low in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
The most prominent factor contributing to death in the United States is tobacco use, followed closely by diet
and activity patterns, and then alcohol use. Risk factors such as smoking, poor dietary habits, physical
inactivity, and alcohol consumption are personal behaviors that can be changed. Decisions to not smoke, to eat
Understanding Nutrition, Eleventh Edition; Ellie Whitney and Sharon Rady Rolfes, Chapter 1 - Part 2
a well-balanced diet, to engage in regular physical activity, and to drink alcohol in moderation (if at all)
improve the likelihood that a person will enjoy good health.
Other risk factors, such as genetics, gender, and age, also play important roles in the development of chronic
diseases, but they cannot be changed.
Cigarette smoking is responsible for almost one of every five deaths each year.
Risk Factors
Tobacco
Poor diet/inactivity
Alcohol
Microbial agents
Toxic agents
Motor vehicles
Firearms
Sexual behavior
Illicit drugs
% of Deaths Caused by
18%
15%
4%
3%
2%
2%
1%
1%
1%
Your food choices play a key role in keeping you healthy and reducing your risk of chronic diseases.
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Identify the factors that most influence your food choices for meals and
snacks.
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List the chronic disease risk factors and conditions that you or members
of your family have.
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Describe lifestyle changes you can make to improve your chances of
enjoying good health.
Understanding Nutrition, Eleventh Edition; Ellie Whitney and Sharon Rady Rolfes, Chapter 1 - Part 2