Youth Health Education

Eating healthy means choosing lots of different types of food throughout the day to get all the nutrients one needs, such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fiber, and fat. I will show a sample food package later and we will examine the food label and the nutrition facts data shown on it. It will help us to make healthy food choices.

The various nutrients needed by the body are: Vitamins, Minerals, Carbohydrates, Fiber, Proteins & Fat.  Vitamins - A and C content shown on label  Minerals – Calcium, Iron & other contents shown  Carbohydrates – from sugar, fruits, vegetables, cereal, bread, pasta (is source of most calories)  Fiber – keeps digestive system healthy  Proteins – muscles, skin, etc. made of proteins  Fat – good fat from nuts, fish and vegetable oil

Labels on food items give information that can help a person decide what to choose as part of an overall healthy eating plan. The label contains information on the ingredients in a packaged food and also a detailed Nutrition Fact Table. “Percent Daily Value” show the amounts of nutrients an average person will get from eating one serving of that food. The government chose an "average" person as someone who needs 2,000 calories a day. So if the label on a particular food shows it provides 25% of vitamin D, that 25% is for a person who eats 2,000 calories a day.

Generally, if daily nutrient value is 5%, it is low and if it is greater than 10%, it is high. Fat is measured in grams and body needs some, as it is a source of energy.

We all require a certain amount of fat and calories in our diets to fuel our growth and activities.  Fats, or lipids, are nutrients in food that the body uses to build cell membranes, nerve tissue (like the brain), and hormones. The body also uses fat as fuel. If fats aren't burned as energy or used as building blocks, they are stored by the body in fat cells.  A calorie is a unit of energy, and it measures how much energy that food provides to the body. The body needs calories to function properly.

Food labels list calories by the amount in each serving size. Serving sizes differ from one food to the next, so to figure out how many calories one is eating, three things needs to be done:  Look at the serving size.  See how many calories there are in one serving.  Multiply the number of calories by the number of servings you're going to eat.

 The calories in food come from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. A gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories. A gram of protein also contains 4 calories. A gram of fat, though, contains 9 calories — more than twice the amount of the other two.  That's why one food with the same serving size as another may have far more calories. A high-fat food has many more calories than a food that's low in fat and higher in protein or carbohydrates.

 A ½-cup serving of vanilla ice cream contains: 2 grams of protein (2 grams x 4 calories = 8 calories ) 12 grams of fat (12 grams x 9 calories = 108 calories) 15.5 grams of carbohydrate (15.5 grams x 4 calories = 62 calories). Total = = 178 calories  A ½ cup serving of cooked carrots contain: 1 gram of protein (1 gram x 4 calories = 4 calories) 0 grams of fat (0 grams x 0 calories = 0 calories) 8 grams of carbohydrate (8 grams x 4 calories = 32 calories). Total = = 32 calories  So ice cream adds 146 calories more per serving

To get a rough idea of how many calories one needs to eat each day, the US government has a personalized plan calculator on its website: tools/daily-food-plans.html These plans take into account age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity level to determine calorie level. Then, based on the calories, it shows a target group of foods to eat: what and how much food to stay within the calorie count.

Food labels list Fat as: Fat free, Low fat, light (or lite) fat and reduced fat. By law:  fat-free foods can contain no more than 0.5 grams of fat per serving  Low-fat foods may contain 3 grams of fat or less per serving  Light and reduced-fat foods may still be high in fat. Because light must contain 50% less fat or one third fewer calories per serving than the regular version of that food. And reduced fat must contain 25% less fat per serving than the regular version of it. Because the regular version could be very high in fat, it renders Light to be high in fat.

The 2010 U.S. dietary guidelines recommend that children and teens ages 4-18 get between 25% to 35% of their daily calories from fat. But food labels don't always show the percentage of fat in a food. So, it can be calculated as:

Although all types of fat have the same amount of calories, some are more harmful than others. Two of the most harmful fats are saturated fat and trans fat. Both increase the risk of heart disease. They are solid at room temperature like butter and shortening. Saturated fat comes from animal products, palm oil and coconut oil. Trans fat are found in baked goods such as cookies, crackers and fried foods. It is also found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Hydrogenation is a process that changes liquid oils into a solid form of fat by adding hydrogen. This process allows the food to keep flavor and from going bad.

Unsaturated fats are not harmful to the body and is the preferred kind to meet our daily requirements. These fats are liquid at room temperature and can be either polyunsaturated or monounsaturated.  Polyunsaturated fat is found in soybean, corn, sesame and sunflower oils, or fish and fish oil.  Monounsaturated fat is found in olives, olive oil or canola oil, most nuts and their oils, and avocados.

 The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (part of the National Institutes of Health) suggests we think about foods in terms of Go, Slow or Whoa.  We will call these 3 foods as Good, OK, or Not Good due to their effects on our health.  All 3 types of food can be eaten, the question is how often should we eat them.

 We will call the healthiest ones as “Good” food. These are foods like steamed or raw veggies and skim or low-fat milk that are good to eat almost anytime.  The ones that are “OK” are eaten sometimes, like hamburgers or pancakes.  The ones that are “Not Good” are least healthy and can cause weight problems. They are once-in-a-while items, like French fries or ice cream

FOODGOODOKNOT GOOD VegetablesAlmost all fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables without added fat All vegetables in added fat and sauces. Oven-baked fries. Avocados Any vegetable fried in oil, such as french fries or hash browns

FOODGOODOKNOT GOOD FruitsAll fresh and frozen fruits Canned fruits packed in juice 100% fruit juice. Fruits canned in light syrup. Dried fruits Fruits canned in heavy syrup

FOODGOODOKNOT GOOD Breads and Cereals Whole-grain breads, pitas, and tortillas. Whole-grain pasta, brown rice. White bread and pasta that's not whole grain. Taco shells. Doughnuts, muffins, croissants, and sweet rolls. Sweetened breakfast cereals.

FOODGOODOKNOT GOOD Breads and Cereals (cont’d) Hot and cold unsweetened whole-grain breakfast cereals. French toast, waffles, and pancakes. Biscuits. Granola Crackers that have hydrogenated oils (trans fats)

FOODGOODOKNOT GOOD Milk and Milk Products Skim and 1% milk. Fat-free and low-fat yogurt / cottage cheese. Part- skim, reduced- fat, and fat-free cheese. 2% milk. Processed cheese spreads. Whole milk. Full-fat cheese. Cream cheese. Yogurt made from whole milk

FOODGOODOKNOT GOOD Meats and other sources of Protein Beef and pork that has been trimmed of its fat. Extra-lean ground beef. Chicken and turkey without skin Lean ground beef. Broiled hamburgers. Chicken and turkey with the skin Beef and pork that hasn't been trimmed of its fat. Fried chicken. Bacon.

FOODGOODOKNOT GOOD Meats and other sources of Protein (cont’d) Tuna canned in water. Fish and shellfish that's been baked, broiled, steamed, or grilled. Tuna canned in oil. Ham. Low-fat hot dogs. Canadian bacon. Peanut butter. Nuts. Fried fish and shellfish. Chicken nuggets. Hot dogs. Lunch meats. Pepperoni Sausage Ribs

FOODGOODOKNOT GOOD Meats and other sources of Protein (cont’d) Beans, split peas, and lentils. Tofu. Egg whites and substitutes Whole eggs cooked without added fat Whole eggs cooked with added fat

FOODGOODOKNOT GOOD Sweets and Snacks Sugar free Chocolate Ice milk bars Frozen fruit- juice bars. Low-fat frozen yogurt. Low- fat ice cream Cookies, cakes, and pies. Cheesecake. Ice cream. Chocolate candy

FOODGOODOKNOT GOOD Sweets and Snacks (cont’d) Almonds Walnuts Pecans Flaxseeds Oats Fig bars. Ginger snaps. Baked chips. Low-fat microwave popcorn. Pretzels Chips. Buttered microwave popcorn.

FOODGOODOKNOT GOOD Butter, Ketchup, and Other Sauces and Condiments Ketchup Mustard Fat-free creamy salad dressing Fat-free mayonnaise Vegetable oil Olive oil. Oil- based salad dressing. Low-fat creamy salad dressing. Low-fat mayonnaise. Butter. Stick margarine. Lard. Salt pork. Gravy. Regular creamy salad dressing. Mayonnaise. Sour cream. Cream cheese. Cr. Sauce. Dips.

FOODGOODOKNOT GOOD DrinksWater. Fat- free and 1% milk. Diet soda. Diet and unsweetened iced teas and lemonade 2% milk. 100% fruit juice. Sports drinks. Whole milk. Regular soda. Sweetened iced teas and lemonade. Fruit drinks with less than 100% fruit juice

 Look on their website for nutrition data  Choose items low in calories, fat, sugar and sodium.  Choose items high in fiber, vitamins, calcium and iron  Choose smaller grilled items over fried food  Order side salad instead of fries, little dressing  Choose water or low fat milk instead of soda

 Eat & Drink “Good’ items as much as possible  Eat & Drink “OK” items sometimes or when “Good” items are not available  Eat & Drink “Bad” items as little as possible or when there is no choice  Being aware of the amount of fat and calories one eats makes sense, as long as it is a balanced diet. Establishing sensible eating habits, choosing foods wisely, and exercising regularly are the keys to long- term good health. THANK YOU!

Following references were used:  