The document discusses U.S. dietary recommendations versus actual intake and provides tools and guidelines for healthy diet planning and reading food labels. It finds that actual U.S. diets contain twice as many grains, 20% more protein, but 40% fewer vegetables and 60% fewer fruits compared to recommendations. It also outlines principles for balancing nutrition, calories, and food groups using resources like MyPlate and food labels to help consumers plan diets and make informed choices.

1. DIET PLANNING &
READING FOOD LABELS

2. U.S. Diet - Recommended vs. Actual
Intake Based on Five Food Groups
U.S. Diets Actual vs.
recommended:
• Twice as many
grains (mostly
refined)
• 20% more protein
• 40% fewer veggies
(french fries count)
• 60% fewer fruits
• 50% less dairy

3. Diet Planning Principles
• Adequacy: Sufficient energy (kcals) + adequate nutrients
• Balance: Enough but not too much
• kCalorie (energy) control
• Energy in = energy out
• Choose High nutrient density foods
• Nutrient density: nutrients vs. kcals
• Healthy diets contain foods that have HIGH nutrient density and
LOW energy density
• Moderation: Choose Foods low in fat & added sugars
• Variety: highly beneficial – if diet is not varied, nutrients
are not varied which could = poorer health

4. Dietary Planning Tools
There are several tools to help plan a healthy diet:
• Dietary Guidelines for Americans
• Evidence-based advice
• Attain and maintain a healthy weight
• Reduce risk of chronic disease
• Promote overall health
• Reviewed and revised every five years
• ChooseMyPlate- recommendations for individual
food groups (specific)
• http://www.choosemyplate.gov

5. USDA Food Patterns
Help consumers plan their own diets based on kcals and 5
food groups:
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Grains
• Protein
• Dairy

6. Estimate your kcal needs….

7. Discretionary kcals
Discretionary kcals are
usually from added
sugars and fats in foods
• Should be < 15% total
kcals consumed so for a
2000 kcal diet there are
258 discretionary kcals
• (20 oz. Coke = 250 kcals)

8. Portion Control Important!
Utilize Plate Tools to Keep
Portions in Check

9. Portion Sizes
Estimating Portions 3 oz. portion of meat/poultry/fish

10. When Choosing Groceries…
• Vegetables – Choose fresh/frozen > canned
• Legumes - cheap, low fat, nutrient dense
• Fruit - fresh whole > juice
• Meat (loin/round - watch prime and choice), fish, and
poultry (remove skin)
• Milk/Dairy - choose low fat or non fat
• Shop the perimeter of the store
• Avoid processed foods: as processing increases,
nutrients tend to decrease

11. READING FOOD
LABELS

12. Food Labeling
• 1973 – U.S. Food & Drug Administration implemented
rules for food labeling
• Rules modified several times – and may be modified
again
• Required for most packaged foods that contain more than
one ingredient
• Restaurants with 20+ locations must provide menu
nutrition information (watch portion sizes – they are not
uniform)

13. Required on food package labels
• Product Common Name; address of manufacturer, packer
or distributor
• Net contents in weight, measure or count
• Ingredient list – must list ALL including additives for
preserving or enhancing foods in descending order by
weight
• Country of origin
• UPC Code/product code
• Product dating (if applicable)

14. Required on Food Package Labels
• Religious symbols (if applicable)
• Ex: kosher
• Safe-handling instructions (if applicable)
• Special warning instructions (aspartame, peanuts, etc)

15. FDA Guidelines
• http://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ConsumerInfor
mation/ucm078889.htm

17. Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP)
• Serving sizes -
established by FDA - all
labels for similar
products must use same
serving size
• Everything in NFP is “per
serving” so serving size
is IMPORTANT!
• Nutrient amount, % Daily
Value (DV), or both for
several nutrients

18. More Label Information
Use the web sites below to review how to read labels.
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nutrition-facts/NU00293
• Fortified foods - addition of nutrients that either
weren’t present originally, or were present in low
amounts
• Enriched foods - nutrients added back in that were
lost during processing

19. Claims on Food Labels –
regulated by FDA
3 Types of Claims are allowed on Food labels if the food
meets specific criteria:

20. Label Claims
• Nutrient: characterize the quantity of a nutrient in a food
• Examples: “good source of fiber”; “fat-free”; “low sodium”
• MUST meet specific definitions to be used
• Health: characterize the relationship between a nutrient
or other substance in a food to a disease or health-related
condition
• Examples: “diets low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood
pressure”
• MUST meet specific definitions to be used; MUST use “may”, not
“will”
• Need scientific evidence to support

21. Label Claims
Structure-Function: characterize the relationship between
a nutrient or other substance in a food and its role in the
body
• Example: “slows aging”; “builds strong bones”; “promotes a healthy
heart”; “supports immunity”
• Do not require FDA approval
• Very common – especially on “health” foods
**Be careful of structure-function claims. Many sound like health
claims, but there is no scientific evidence to support the claim!

22. Nutrition Facts Panel Quiz
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjFVOZ_ALuM