2. Making Healthful Choices3
Making Healthful Choices

3. 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.
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4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

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

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

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

10. 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
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11. 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

12. 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

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

14. 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

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

16. 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

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

18. 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

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

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

21. 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

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

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

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

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

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

27. 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.

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

29. 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.

30. 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.