Designing a Diet
Diet Planning Principles:






Five diet planning principles: adequacy, balance, kcalorie control, moderation, and
variety
Adequacy – provide sufficient energy and nutrients
Balance – consume a number of different foods in appropriate proportion to each other
Kcalorie control – energy balance
 Nutrient and Energy density – large amount of nutrients with a small amount of
calories
 Nutrient density – ratio derived by dividing a food’s contribution to
nutrient needs by its contribution to energy need; when the contribution to
nutrient needs exceed its energy contribution, the food is considered to
have a favorable nutrient density
o example: soda versus nonfat milk
 Energy density – comparison of energy (kcal) content of a food with the
weight of the food; low energy-density foods in a meal contributes to
satiety without contributing many calories
 example: chocolate, bacon, potato chips, peanuts, fried foods
Moderation – only a moderate consumption of foods not nutrient dense
Variety – consume a variety of foods within and among the food groups; bonus of
variety is the inclusion of phytochemicals which may reduce risk for certain disease:
Food
Allium vegetables (garlic,
onions, chives, leeks)
Phytochemical(s)
Allyl sulfides
Cruciferous vegetables
(broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Indoles/glucosinolates,
Brussels sprouts, kale, turnips, Isothiocyanates/thiocyanates,
bok choy, kohlrabi)
Solanaceous vegetables
(tomatoes, peppers)
Lycopene
Umbelliferous vegetables
(carrots, celery,
cilantro,parsley, parsnips)
Carotenoids, Phthalides,
Compositae plants (artichoke) Silymarin
Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, Monoterpenes (limonene),
grapefruit)
Carotenoids,
Other fruits (grapes, berries,
cherries, apples, cantaloupe,
watermelon, pomegranate)
Ellagic acid , Phenols,
Flavonoids (quercetin)
Beans, grains, seeds (soybeans,
Flavonoids (isoflavones), Phytic
oats, barley, brown rice, whole
acid, Saponins, Protease inhibitors
wheat, flax seed)
Herbs, spices (ginger, mint,
rosemary, thyme, oregano,
sage, basil, tumeric, caraway,
Gingerols, Flavonoids,
Monoterpenes (limonene)
fennel)
Licorice root Green tea
Glycyrrhizin, Catechins
Phytochemicals and Function:
 Antioxidants - protect cells from oxidative damage
 Polyphenols: lutein (yellow), lycopene (red), carotene (orange), anthocyanin
(blue)
 Flavanoids
 Isothiocynates
 Antithrombotic properties, lowers plasma cholesterol levels, and may prevent cancer
 Allyl sulfides
 Hormonal action - imitate hormone function
 Isoflavones mimic estrogen
 Enzyme reactions - stimulate or inhibit enzyme reactions
 Protease inhibitors - stop viral replication
 Indoles - stimulate enzymes that regulate estrogen levels and affects (thus
preventing estrogen related cancers)
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)




The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are a comprehensive set of nutrient reference
values for healthy populations that can be used for assessing and planning diets
Background:
 They are established by American scientists through a review process overseen by
the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences
 1941 until 1989, RDAs were established and used to evaluate and plan menus that
would meet the nutrient requirements of groups
 The primary goal was to prevent diseases caused by nutrient deficiencies
 RDAs were not intended to evaluate the diets of individuals
 Early 1990s Food and Nutrition Board revised RDAs
 Lead to the development of Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)
Current Tables from National Academy of Sciences. Institute of Medicine. Food and
Nutrition Board: DRI TABLES
Five types of DRI reference values:
o Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) - the average daily nutrient intake level
estimated to meet the requirement of half the healthy individuals in a particular
life stage and gender group.
 EARs set by
 a functional marker such as an enzyme
 adjusting for the amount of each nutrient passes through the
digestive tract unabsorbed
 EARs can only be used to evaluate the adequacy of diets of a group of
people
o Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) - the average daily nutrient intake
level sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of nearly all (97 to 98 percent)
healthy individuals in a particular life stage and gender group




Based on a multiple of EARs (RDA = EAR X 1.2)
RDAs can only be set for nutrients if the Food and Nutritional Board has
enough information to determine an EAR
 Additional consideration in setting an RDA also can be give to a nutrient’s
ability to prevent chronic disease, rather just prevent deficiency
o Adequate Intake (AI) - a recommended average daily nutrient intake level based
on observed or experimentally determined approximations or estimates of nutrient
intake by a group (or groups) of apparently healthy people that are assumed to be
adequate – used when an RDA cannot be determined
 AIs based on observed or experimentally determined estimates of the
average nutrient intake that appears to maintain a defined nutritional state
in a certain population
 AIs have been set for two B vitamins, choline, vitamin D, and minerals
such as calcium and fluoride
o Estimated Energy Requirements (EER) - the average need for various age
groups and genders
 used to promote weight maintenance
o Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) - the highest average daily nutrient intake
level likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects to almost all individuals in the
general population. As intake increases above the UL, the potential risk of adverse
effects increases.
 Upper level for most nutrients is based on the combined intake of food,
water, supplements, and fortified foods
 Exceptions: magnesium and zinc – Uls for these refer only to nonfood
sources
New dietary reference values are used to not only prevent nutrient deficiencies, but also
reduce the risk of chronic diseases
DRIs for various nutrients under study and reports have been and will be submitted over
years
Daily Values






DRIs not use in food labeling because they are age and gender specific
New dietary reference value - Daily Values
Developed by FDA in response to Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990
DVs are not recommended intakes yet gives a person perspective of the overall daily
dietary needs
2,000 calories has been established as the reference for calculating percent Daily Values
DVs are based on two sets of dietary standards:
 Reference Daily Intakes (RDIs) – for minerals and vitamins
o Uses highest RDA values set in 1968
 Daily Reference Values (DRVs) – for protein and dietary components that have
no RDA or other nutrient standard (fat, saturated fat, cholesterol,
carbohydrate, dietary fiber, sodium, and potassium)
o Whatever the calorie level, DRVs for the energy-producing nutrients are
always calculated as follows:
 fat based on 30 percent of calories
 saturated fat based on 10 percent of calories
 carbohydrate based on 60 percent of calories
 protein based on 10 percent of calories. (The DRV for protein
applies only to adults and children over 4 - RDIs for protein for
special groups have been established.)
 fiber based on 11.5 g of fiber per 1,000 calories.
o The DRVs for cholesterol, sodium and potassium, which do not
contribute calories, remain the same whatever the calorie level
Food Labels




Information take from the FDA webpage: FOOD LABEL
Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA) - requires nutrition labeling for
most foods (except meat and poultry) and authorizes the use of nutrient content claims
and appropriate FDA-approved health claims
Components found on a food label (Note: Bold items are mandatory!)
 total calories, calories from fat, calories from saturated fat, total fat,
saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, cholesterol, sodium,
potassium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, soluble fiber, insoluble fiber,
sugars, sugar alcohol (for example, the sugar substitutes xylitol, mannitol and
sorbitol), other carbohydrate (the difference between total carbohydrate and the
sum of dietary fiber, sugars, and sugar alcohol if declared), protein, vitamin A,
percent of vitamin A present as beta-carotene, vitamin C, calcium, iron, other
essential vitamins and minerals
Panel format
 Serving size
 Servings per container
 Amounts per serving
 Calories/Calories from fat
 Total fat/Saturated fat










Cholesterol
Sodium
Total Carbohydrate/Dietary fibers/Sugars
Protein
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Calcium
Iron
Daily Values
Nutrient content claims (Directly from
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/foodlabel/newlabel.html)
Free
:
This term means that a product contains no amount of, or only
trivial or "physiologically inconsequential" amounts of, one or
more of these components: fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium,
sugars, and calories. For example, "calorie-free" means fewer
than 5 calories per serving, and "sugar-free" and "fat-free" both
mean less than 0.5 g per serving. Synonyms for "free" include
"without," "no" and "zero." A synonym for fat-free milk is
"skim".
This term can be used on foods that can be eaten frequently
without exceeding dietary guidelines for one or more of these
components: fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calories.
Thus, descriptors are defined as follows:
Low






low-fat: 3 g or less per serving
low-saturated fat: 1 g or less per serving
low-sodium: 140 mg or less per serving
very low sodium: 35 mg or less per serving
low-cholesterol: 20 mg or less and 2 g or less of
saturated fat per serving
low-calorie: 40 calories or less per serving.
Synonyms for low include "little," "few," "low source of," and
"contains a small amount of."
These terms can be used to describe the fat content of meat,
poultry, seafood, and game meats.

Lean

High
lean: less than 10 g fat, 4.5 g or less saturated fat, and
less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving and per 100 g.
extra lean: less than 5 g fat, less than 2 g saturated fat,
and less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving and per 100
g.
This term can be used if the food contains 20 percent or more of
the Daily Value for a particular nutrient in a serving.
Good
source
This term means that one serving of a food contains 10 to 19
percent of the Daily Value for a particular nutrient.
This term means that a nutritionally altered product contains at
least 25 percent less of a nutrient or of calories than the regular,
Reduced or reference, product. However, a reduced claim can't be made
on a product if its reference food already meets the requirement
for a "low" claim.
Less
This term means that a food, whether altered or not, contains 25
percent less of a nutrient or of calories than the reference food.
For example, pretzels that have 25 percent less fat than potato
chips could carry a "less" claim. "Fewer" is an acceptable
synonym.
This descriptor can mean two things:

Light

First, that a nutritionally altered product contains onethird fewer calories or half the fat of the reference food.
If the food derives 50 percent or more of its calories from
fat, the reduction must be 50 percent of the fat.
Second, that the sodium content of a low-calorie, low-fat
food has been reduced by 50 percent. In addition, "light
in sodium" may be used on food in which the sodium
content has been reduced by at least 50 percent.
A "healthy" food must be low in fat and saturated fat and contain
limited amounts of cholesterol and sodium. In addition, if it' s a
single-item food, it must provide at least 10 percent of one or
more of vitamins A or C, iron, calcium, protein, or fiber. Exempt
from this "10-percent" rule are certain raw, canned and frozen
fruits and vegetables and certain cereal-grain products. These
foods can be labeled "healthy," if they do not contain ingredients
Healthy that change the nutritional profile, and, in the case of enriched
grain products, conform to standards of identity, which call for
certain required ingredients. If it's a meal-type product, such as
frozen entrees and multi-course frozen dinners, it must provide
10 percent of two or three of these vitamins or minerals or of
protein or fiber, in addition to meeting the other criteria. The
sodium content cannot exceed 360 mg per serving for individual
foods and 480 mg per serving for meal-type products
Foods in which do not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides,
Organic genetic engineering, sewage sludge, antibiotics, or irradiation in
their production
Chapter Objectives
After reading chapter two - A student should be able to…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
List and discuss the diet planning principles
Compare nutrient density to energy density of a food substance
Define what a phytochemical is and its biological importance
List types of phytochemicals and discuss the types of foods they are found in
List and discuss the four types of DRI reference values
Define what Daily Values are and discuss its relationship to RDIs and DRVs
Discuss the food guide pyramid and identify the groups within the pyramid
Discuss the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 and how it impacts decisions
on diet planning
9. List those components that must be on a food label as well as those components that
MAY be found a food label
10. Define terms used for comparative and absolute nutrient claims on food labels