Making Healthful Choices 3 Making Healthful Choices

Objectives Name benefits of making healthful choices. Explain how to use Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the MyPlate food guidance system as diet planning resources to meet daily needs. Identify your recommended daily intake from each food group in MyPlate. continued

Objectives List tips to use when shopping for fresh and processed foods. Describe suggestions for preparing healthful foods. Apply the Dietary Guidelines for Americans when eating out.

Benefits of Healthful Choices Making healthful food and daily activity choices can help people maintain good health healthful appearance top job performance positive personal relationships

Risks of Unhealthful Choices Unhealthful food choices can lead to deficiency diseases and weight gain Choosing too much sedentary activity can cause loss of muscle strength and energy Unhealthful lifestyle choices involving tobacco and alcohol can lead to a wide variety of health risks, including heart and lung diseases

In Your Opinion How would you rate the importance of your health and appearance? © swissmacky/Shutterstock

Resources for Making Healthful Choices Resources exist to help people identify nutrient needs choose healthful diets plan nutritious meals

Dietary Reference Intakes Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) can be used as guides to daily nutrient needs © JohnKwan/Shutterstock

Dietary Guidelines for Americans Three key consumer messages of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are Balance calories—make food and activity choices that will create calorie balance Enjoy your food, but eat less Avoid oversized portions continued

Dietary Guidelines for Americans Eat more of some foods—focus on choices that are nutrient dense Make half your plate fruits and vegetables Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk Eat less of some foods Limit high-sodium foods Drink water instead of sugary drinks

MyPlate MyPlate includes five major food groups: Grains Group Vegetable Group Fruit Group Dairy Group Protein Foods Group Oils, solid fats, and sugars are not food groups and should be used rarely

Meeting Your Daily Needs The ChooseMyPlate.gov website includes interactive tools to help people plan and evaluate a healthful diet © andersphoto/Shutterstock; USDA

Choosing Wisely When Shopping for Food Keep the Dietary Guidelines in mind when shopping for fresh and processed foods Choose a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits, lean cuts of meat, light meat poultry, and fresh fish as healthful meal options Read labels to be aware of fat, sodium, and sugar content of processed foods

Think Further How often do you read and compare nutrition labels when shopping for food? © Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

Choosing Wisely When Preparing Food When preparing the main course, focus meals on plant-based foods choose seafood often use low-fat cooking methods When preparing side dishes, choose sensible portion sizes reduce, replace, or omit ingredients that add fat, sugars, or sodium

Think Further How do the portions you typically eat compare with standard portion sizes listed on nutrition labels? © vgstudio/Shutterstock © Lisa A/Shutterstock

Choosing Wisely When Eating Out Use menu terms as clues to the fat, sugar, and sodium content of foods Request that items be prepared and served according to your healthful preferences Order small portions or ask for a take-home bag to avoid overeating

In Your Opinion What do you find most challenging about eating healthfully when eating out? © Diego Cervo/Shutterstock

Review What are three benefits of making healthful choices? (List three:) good health, healthful appearance, top job performance, positive personal relationships

Review What are the three key consumer messages of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans? balance calories, eat more of some foods, eat less of some foods

Review What are the five major food groups of MyPlate? grains group, vegetable group, fruit group, dairy group, protein foods group

Review What can help consumers limit fat, sodium, and sugar content when shopping for processed foods? reading labels

Review When preparing a main course, what types of foods should most often be emphasized? plant-based foods

Review How can consumers avoid overeating when eating out? order small portions or ask for a take-home bag

Glossary calorie. The unit used to measure the energy value of foods. calorie balance. When calories consumed equal calories burned.

Glossary Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The federal government’s nutritional advice. They are intended to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic (long-term) diseases. They are also aimed at reducing the rate of overweight and obesity in the United States. They urge people to use improved nutrition and physical activity to reach these goals.

Glossary Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). Estimated nutrient intake levels used for planning and evaluating the diets of healthy people.

Glossary MyPlate. A food guidance system with a set of interactive tools to help people make healthful eating choices consistent with the Dietary Guidelines. The MyPlate icon helps people visualize how the food groups fit together to build a healthy plate at mealtime.

Glossary nutrient dense. Foods and beverages that provide vitamins, minerals, and other healthful substances with relatively few calories. processed food. A food that has undergone some preparation procedure, such as canning, freezing, drying, cooking, or fortification.