week 3 itinerary:
My Plate and the Pyramid
Getting Started:
-
- What types of food should I choose?
- What is a serving size?
- How much should I eat?
These are questions we all ask and it takes a lot of Nergy to understand
nutrition information. Every day we see new commercials and food
labels that make different promises; ‘all natural’, ‘sugar free’, ‘lose
weight’, ‘9 servings of fruit in one cup’ – how can we make sense of it
all? Well, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has
come up with some simple guidelines we can all learn and follow when
it comes to our diet. You probably already know – there is no magic
diet! But if you eat a well rounded and balanced diet of nutritious
foods, you will be well on your way to a healthier you.
STATISTIC: Only 6% of UNR students eat
the recommended amounts of fruits and
veggies each day.
GOAL: To improve your diet and your
health by eating a balanced diet of
whole grains, vegetables, fruit, milk, and
meat/beans.
OBJECTIVE: Record the number of
servings of fruits, veggies and whole
grains you consume.
This week’s raffle prize:
General Guidelines
(based on a 2,000 calorie/day diet)
Foods contain combinations of nutrients and other healthful
substances. No single food can supply all nutrients in the amounts you
need. For example, oranges provide vitamin C but no vitamin B12;
cheese provides vitamin B12 but no vitamin C. To make sure you get
all of the nutrients and other substances needed for good health,
choose the recommended number of daily servings from each of the
five major food groups displayed in the Food Pyramid, now called My
Plate. You can get your own personal eating plan by visiting
www.choosemyplate.gov and clicking on “daily food plan.”
RAFFLE TICKET OPPORTUNITIES:
do these and receive one ticket for each
[1] Record the number of fruits and
veggies you consume.
[2] Meet your goals for eating fruits and
veggies.
[3] Attend scheduled N-ergy events
EatiN’ Healthy is all N a Day’s Work!
What does your daily food intake look like currently?
Imagine what a typical day of eating looks like for you. For each meal or snack you eat, put an ‘x’ in the food group
category that you consume. If most of your ‘x’s are in one color category, you need more variety! To achieve the
most benefit, aim to have the majority of ‘x’s in the grains, veggies, and fruit group. Are you already accomplishing
variety from all of the categories? Then concentrate on quality and aim to eat fruits and veggies rich in many
colors, whole grains, and unprocessed foods.
So what exactly should I eat in a day to have
a balanced diet?
What Your
Meals
SHOULD
Look Like:
Food Category
Grains
Vegetables
Fruit
Milk
Protein
Breakfast
Snacks
Lunch
Snacks
Dinner
Outlined below is a sample of how many servings you
should have in each food group in ONE day. This outline is
based on a 2,000 calorie diet. We all know that one calorie
level diet does not fit all, so check out
www.choosemyplate.gov to get a menu plan and calorie
recommendations that meet your individual needs!
Food Group
Daily Servings
Grains
6 ounces
Vegetables
2.5 cups
Fruit
2 cups
Milk
2 cups
Protein
5-6 ounces
So what does a serving from each group look
like anyway?
TAKEAWAY MESSAGE:
GRAINS
Whenever possible, choose whole grains (“100% whole grain”) over refined grains
Grains: 5-6 ounces each day
In general, one slice of bread, 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or ½ cup cooked rice or cooked pasta, or cooked cereal
can be considered 1 ounce serving from the grains group.
EXAMPLES:
5 whole
wheat
crackers
½ cup
oatmeal
1 slice whole
wheat bread
½ 8 inch
flour
tortilla
½ cup
rice
½ cup
cooked
pasta
When choosing grains, it is most beneficial to choose whole grains over refined grains. Why? Because whole
grains have fiber, a multitude of vitamins and minerals and disease preventing compounds such as
phytochemicals, which may protect your health. In addition, many nutrients are lost when whole grains are
refined. Unlike whole grains, refined grains have most of the bran and germ removed, diminishing the overall
nutrition. For example, refined flour has just 7% of the vitamin E, 13% of the vitamin B-6, and 16% of the
magnesium of whole wheat flour.
In the Nurses Health Study of
75,000 women, those who
reported eating roughly 3 servings
of whole grains per day had a 25%
lower risk of heart disease and a
36% lower risk of stroke than
those who said they ate no whole
grains.
- Journal of the American Medical
Association. 284:1534, 2000.
The Whole Truth:
Look for “100% whole grain,” or whole
wheat first on the ingredient list. Also
check the ingredient list to see if the
food contains any refined grains or
flour such as: enriched or unbleached
wheat flour, semolina flour, durum
flour and rice flour. (It’s okay to
ignore refined flours if they appear far
down the list near salt.)
TAKEAWAY MESSAGE:
VEGETABLES
Choose whatever types you like and eat a wide variety!
Vegetables: 2.5 cups each day
In general, one cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice or 2 cups raw leafy greens can be counted as 1
cup from the vegetable group.
Examples:
1 cup corn
1 cup
tomato
juice
1 cup
carrots
2 cups salad
greens
TAKEAWAY MESSAGE:
FRUIT
Choose whatever types you like and eat a wide variety!
Fruit: 2 cups each day
In general, one cup of fruit or 100% fruit juice, or ½ cup dried fruit can be considered 1 cup from the fruit group.
Examples:
1 banana
1 cup 100%
juice
1/2 cup
dried
cranberries
1 cup
applesauce
MILK
TAKEAWAY MESSAGE:
Milk: 2 cups each day
Choose non-fat or low-fat types most often
Examples:
1 milk or
soymilk
1 cup (8oz.)
yogurt
2 cups
cottage
cheese
1-2 oz.
cheese
TAKEAWAY MESSAGE:
PROTEIN
Choose whatever types you like and eat a wide variety!
Protein: 5-6 oz each day
In general, one ounce of meat, poultry or fish, ¼ cup cooked dry beans, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, or ½
ounce of nuts/seeds
Examples:
1 oz. meat,
poultry or fish
Reading the
Food Label
for Food
Quality!
Fat: Try to limit the amount of
saturated and trans fat you eat
Cholesterol: Try to eat less than
300mg each day
1 egg
¼ cup
cooked dry
beans
1 tbs peanut
butter
In our calorie module we learned how to read a food label for calories, but
how do you read it for quality? The diagram below gives some general
recommendations. The food label information is based on a 2000 calorie diet.
% Daily Value: This shows how
much of the recommended
amounts of these nutrients are in
one serving. The goal is to eat no
more than 100% of each nutrient
Sodium: Try to eat less than 2400
mg of sodium (salt) each day
Carbohydrates: Try to eat 2035 grams of fiber a day. Good
sources – fruits, veggies, whole
grains, peas and beans
Protiens: Try to eat lean sources
of protein – lean cuts of meat,
nuts, eggs, fish and dry beans.
Vitamins and Minerals: This
shows how much of the
recommended amount of certain
vitamins and minerals are in the
food. Your goal is to reach 100%
for each one.
Recommended amounts: These
are the recommended amounts
for each nutrient at a 2000 and
2500 calorie level