Nutrition Guidelines:
Tools for Planning a
Healthful Diet
Nutrition and Wellness
Chapter 4
Diet Tools
▪5 main tools
–Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)
–Dietary Guidelines for Americans
–Exchange lists
–MyPlate
–Food Labels and Daily Values
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)
▪ Released in 2005, for the most part are used by
scientists and nutritionists
▪ Are reference values for nutrients and food
components that can be used to plan and assess
diets for healthy people
–Purpose is to promote health and prevent
chronic disease and the effects of excessive or
deficient nutrient intakes.
DRI Includes 4 types of
nutrient reference standards
1.
▪
2.
▪
3.
▪
▪
4.
▪
Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)
Recommendation estimated to meet the needs of 50% of the people in a defined
group (half would be deficient in the nutrient)
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)
Average daily intake of a nutrient required to meet the needs of most healthy
individuals
Adequate Intake (AI)
A reference value that is used when there is insufficient evidence to determine an EAR
Based on estimates and observations of people who appear to be healthy and well
nourished
Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)
Maximum level of ongoing daily intake for a nutrient that is unlikely to cause harm to
most people in the defined group (could be harmful if daily intake goes above UL)
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
▪ Revised every 5 years (2010 is most recent, look for 2015 coming
soon! ~Fall ‘15)
▪ Aid for policymakers and the basis of Federal nutrition assistance
programs such as school meals and Meals on Wheel - for ages 2
years and over.
▪ Two basic themes summarize the message of the guidelines:
– Maintain calorie balance over time (healthy weight)
▪ Balance calories in (eating) with calories used by the body
(physical activity
– Focus on consuming nutrient-dense foods and beverages
▪ Provide vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that have
positive health effects with low calories
▪ Limit or avoid SoFAS – foods high in calories from solid fats
and/or added sugars
Exchange Lists for Meal Planning
▪ Used to plan a healthy meal or follow a special diet
– Classifies foods into groups of similar nutrient and caloric content
See Appendix E
▪ Developed by the American Dietetic Association and the
American Diabetes Association
– Originally used to help individuals with diabetes manage their blood
sugar
▪ Six basic lists used to organize foods
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Starch
Fruits
Milk
Vegetables (nonstarchy)
Meat/meat substitutes
Fats
▪ Must know common exchange sizes for foods
– Small apple exchanged for a small orange (~60 calories w/ 15 g. of
carbs)
Food Labels and Daily Values
▪ Nutrition Facts panel on food labels is an easy-to-use tool
when planning a healthful diet
▪ The term Daily Value is on the nutrition panel – Daily values
are recommended nutrient intakes based on daily calorie
needs.
– The % Daily Values shown on Nutrition Facts panels are
based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
▪ Can use the label to estimate your daily consumption of
nutrients
– Ask yourself, “What combination of foods can I eat
throughout the day to get 100 percent of my Daily Values?”
▪ Can also be used to compare the nutrient content of different
brands and products (fiber in two whole-grain breads or fiber
in bread vs. bagel)
MyPlate
▪ Formerly known as MyPyramid
▪ Released in 2011 by USDA
▪ Food guidance system based on the 2010
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
▪ Simple visual to help consumers build a healthy
plate at mealtime
▪ Sections differ in size based on the recommended
portions for a meal
– i.e. Half your meal should be fruits and vegetables
▪ Emphasis on eating a variety of foods from each
ChooseMyPlate.gov
▪ Website that offers a number of interactive tools to help
individuals plan and assess their daily food and activity
choices
▪ One tool helps you create a personalized food plan based
on your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level
– Supertracker – Daily Food Plan
Supertracker Interactive Tool
How to get started using
ChooseMyPlate.gov~ Supertracker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MukLDO5kGh8&list=PLSQphPhtgjfjGJ
fxcH_TMAy3pxifhMpVt&index=8