Nutrition Guidelines
Applying the Science of Nutrition
Goals for a Healthy Diet

Adequacy
 Sufficient energy and building blocks
 Adequate nutrients

Balance
 Enough but not too much
 Nourishment and satisfaction

kCalorie (energy) control
 Energy in = energy out
 Nutrient density vs. energy density
Goals for a Healthy Diet

Nutrient density
 The most nutrients for the fewest
calories

Moderation
 Food selections – low in added sugars
& unhealthy fats

Variety
 Among and within food groups
 Benefits of a varied diet
Nutritional Guidelines: The DRIs
Dietary Reference Intakes
 Set of guidelines to promote

– Dietary adequacy
– Optimal health
– Chronic disease prevention
Differ based on life-stage and gender
 Not necessarily amount to be consumed
every day but should be consumed on
most days, as an average intake
 2 sets: 1 for nutrients, 1 for energy

Dietary Reference Intakes
(DRIs): Nutrient Intake
EAR: meets needs of 50% of people in
same gender and life stage group
 RDA: meets needs of 97-98% of people
in same gender and life stage group
 AI: estimate of needs (not enough
evidence for an RDA)
 UL: maximum intake that poses little
risk to health

EAR, RDA, & UL
How to think about the DRIs
DRIs for Energy Intake

EER: Estimated Energy Requirement
– Number of daily kilocalories (kcal)
recommended to individuals for stable
weight

AMDRs: Acceptable Macronutrient
Distribution Ranges
– Percentages of protein, fat, and
carbohydrates recommended daily
Acceptable Macronutrient
Distribution Ranges (AMDRs)
Proportions in the diet believed to reduce risk of chronic
diseases
Diet Planning Guides

Why might someone
use one of these?
USDA’s MyPlate
 Harvard’s Healthy
Eating Plate
 Exchange lists

USDA Basic 4
Food Groups:
1956-1979
• Recommends a
minimum of
servings from
each food group
• Focus on getting
enough nutrients
USDA
Food
Guide
Pyramid:
1992
2005: MyPyramid kept pyramid concept, but changed
shape and arrangement of groups. What else changed?
USDA
MyPlate:
2011
Goodbye Pyramid: USDA’s latest food guide
Harvard’s response to USDA’s MyPlate.
What changes did Harvard make?
Food
Labels
Food Values
Food labels list amounts of certain macroand micronutrients.
 These nutrients are expressed as Daily
Value.
 Daily Value is the amount of a nutrient in
a food shown as a percentage of the
recommendation for a person consuming
a 2000 kcalorie diet.

List of Ingredients
Mystery Food: Water, hydrogenated vegetable oil (including coconut and
palm oils), high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, skim milk, light cream, and
less than 2% sodium caseinate (a milk derivative), natural and artificial flavor,
xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monostearate, and beta
carotene
Nutrition Assessment



Deficiency or excess over time leads to
malnutrition
Symptoms of malnutrition
 Diarrhea
 Skin rashes
 Fatigue
 Many more
Caution: not all of these symptoms are
nutritionally related!
Assessment Tools

Creating a “total picture” of the
individual
 Historical information
 Health status, SES, substance use
 Diet history – intake over one or more
days; portion sizes; includes beverages
 Anthropometric measurements
 Height and weight – track to identify
trends
 Physical examinations
 Laboratory tests
Taking a Diet History
•
•
•
•
24-hour recall
Typical day
Multi-day food log
FFQ