Understanding Nutrition

"Over 78 million U.S. Adults and about 12.5 million children and adolescents are obese."

"Studies show men and women today are eating more calories daily than ever before, averaging 150-300 more per day than in 1971."

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What is a healthy diet?

• Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products
• Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts
• Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars
• Stays within your daily caloric needs

• Calories are a measurement tool that measures the amount of energy a food provides.
• Different people have different daily caloric needs. Your age, sex, weight, height and activity level all affect your daily calorie limit and can range from 1200-2000 calories a day for a healthy adult.
• Empty calories are calories from solid fats or added sugars that provide little to no nutritional value. Many of the foods Americans eat are filled with empty calories.

Why is diet important?

• calories from solid fats and added sugars;
• refined grains;
• sodium;
• and saturated fat.

• over 78 million U.S. adults and about 12.5 million children and adolescents are obese. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. Click here to find your BMI.
• By 2030, half of all adults in the U.S. will be obese.
• Obesity-related illnesses, such as chronic disease, disability and death, is estimated to carry an annual cost of approximately $190 billion (from The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies).

• The National Alliance for Nutrition & Activity states that over 50% of newly diagnosed cases of diabetes are associated with unhealthy eating and weight.
• Diets full of added sugars contribute directly to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, liver cirrhosis and dementia (from Journal of American Medical Association).
• Unhealthy eating and inactivity contribute to 310,000 to 580,000 deaths each year according to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

How do I change my diet?

• Improve the quality of what you eat, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains and low fat dairy products.
• Reduce the quantity of empty calories and stay within your daily calorie limit.
• Try to mainly shop the perimeter of the grocery store to stock up on healthier fruits, vegetables, proteins and dairy. If you do buy processed foods, choose ones with 5 ingredients or less.
• Choose to wrap up half of your meal when you eat out. Most restaurant meals far exceed our daily caloric needs.
• Cook at home more often using fresh, local ingredients.
• Fill half your plate with colorful vegetables and fruits.
• Choose whole grain carbohydrates over refined carbohydrates (e.g. whole grain spaghetti vs. regular pasta).
• Stick to lean proteins like chicken, turkey or fish.
• Use herbs and spices to add flavor to dishes and to reduce sodium intake.
• Flavor water or seltzer with fresh fruit, rather than drink sugar laden juices or soft drinks.
• Track the caloric value of the meals you prepare

Reading Labels

• Start by looking at the serving size. Remember the nutritional information on the label is for a single serving.
• Check the total calories per serving to see if it fits in your daily calorie limit.
• Read the nutrient information. It is divided into two parts; nutrients to limit (fats, carbohydrates, sodium) and nutrients to get enough of (vitamins, calcium, iron). For more information on nutrient labels, go to the FDA.
• Finally, look at the % Daily Value (DV). This tells you the percentage of each nutrient in a single serving, in terms of the daily recommended amount.
• Don't forget to read the ingredients list. Try to avoid foods with more than five ingredients, or a long list of ingredients that end in -ose, the chemical name for added sugars.

Diet resources