1. Guidelines for Eating
Aim: How can we use the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for healthy eating and balancing calorie intake?

2. Do Now
Make a list of the foods you tend to eat every day or several times a week.
Make a list of 3 rules for eating that people could follow to stay healthy based on what we have learned so far about nutrients and health.

3. Dietary Guidelines
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans were developed by health and nutrition experts based on the latest scientific evidence about diet and health. These guidelines are updated and published every 5 years.
Purpose: to offer info and advice on how to eat in healthy ways and make food choices that will promote health and lower the risk of disease.
Following the guidelines can help you get the nutrition you need to stay healthy.

4. Dietary Guidelines - Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
- Make at least half your grains whole grains
- Reduce amount of fat intake
- Reduce added sugar intake
- Eat less salt
- Balance calories to stay at a healthy weight

5. Veggies, Fruits, and Grains
Why is it important to eat a variety of vegetables and fruits? What are some examples of fruits and vegetables that you like to eat?
Vegetables and fruits provide vitamins, minerals, complex carbs, and fiber.
They’re naturally low in fat, and fill you up. Eating more fruits and veggies can help reduce the risk of certain diseases.
Why is it important to eat whole grains? What are some you like to eat?
Grains provide complex carbs, vitamins, and minerals. Grain give your body lasting energy in a form it can use easily. They contain all of the grain kernel, including the bran (outside husk), and germ (similar to a seed). This is why whole grains are good sources of FIBER, which helps the body digest food and get rid of waste. Refined grains have had these parts removed, so the flour made from the grain has finer texture, and don’t give you as much fiber/nutrient

6. Examples

7. Fats, Sugar
Why is it important to reduce or limit the amount of saturated and trans fat you eat? What are some healthy sources of fat?
Yes, we need certain amounts of fat to stay healthy, but too much saturated and trans fat can cause health problems such as heart disease or cancer. Eating too many foods that are high in fat can cause a person to gain weight as well. (Remember that 1 gram of fat = 9 calories) Fatty foods also tend to fill you up, so you may eat less of the other foods you need to stay healthy. Teens should get no more than 25-35% of the calories they eat each day from fat.
Sugar is added to a lot of foods and drinks like soda and fruit drinks. Too much sugar can make you gain weight, and cause tooth decay. Many sweet foods contain simple carbs and don’t provide nutrients the body needs. If people eat too many foods w/ added sugar, they may not eat the healthier foods such as vegetables and whole grains that provide good nutrition.

9. Salt What are some ways you can add flavor without using salt?
Salt contains the mineral SODIUM. Your body needs some sodium (around 2,400 mg per day) to be healthy. Sodium is needed for blood regulation, bodily fluid balance, and transmits electrical impulses in the body. It is also an important part of nerves, and helps regulate muscle contractions.
However, too much can lead to high blood pressure. Blood pressure is a measure of how hard your blood pushes as it moves through your body. When this pressure gets too high, it can damage parts of your body and lead to health problems.
Most people eat too much salt, and many packaged or processed food contain a lot of sodium or salt.
What are some ways you can add flavor without using salt?

10. Purpose
What’s the purpose of knowing and using the dietary guidelines?
The illuminati is trying to control what we eat in order to control the world population. We are adding chemicals and microchips in our foods in order to mind control us to do their bidding, and eventually turn humans that don’t serve a purpose into rations or food. I’m kidding of course...or am I? (conspiracy!)
Following these guidelines will help you make choices that will keep your body strong and healthy and reduce your risk of disease.
Take this time to go back to the foods you listed during the Do Now, and put a star by any of the foods that meet or fit the criteria of the dietary guidelines.

11. Balancing Calories
What do you think it means to “balance” calories to stay at a healthy weight?
Your body uses energy it makes from the food you eat as fuel. Extra energy is stored for later use. Therefore, over time, if you continually eat more calories than your body needs, you’ll gain weight because your body is storing the extra calories as fat.
When the number of calories you take in through eating is balanced with the number of calories your body uses to function and move throughout the day, your body stays at a healthy weight.
How does your activity level affect the number of calories your body needs?

12. Calories and Activity Levels
People can balance calories by eating less or by burning off calories through physical activity. The more you move your body, the easier it is to keep a healthy calorie balance since you’re using more calories. This is one reason why it’s so important to be active every day. Being physically active every day provides many health benefits, burns calories to help keep you at a healthy weight, and is fun.

13. NEED
MORE
CALORIES
NOT AS
MUCH
NEEDED

14. Nutrient-dense Foods
The guidelines help people learn about and eat more nutrient-dense foods. What do you think this means?
A food is nutrient-dense when it provides a lot of nutrition in relation to its calories. Nutrient-dense foods give you lots of vitamins, minerals, complex carbs, protein, or healthy fats for relatively few calories. Foods & beverages that are low in solid fats and don’t contain added sugars or salt are more nutrient dense. Eating foods in their natural, rather than processed, forms can also help ensure you get the most nutrition from them.
What are some examples of nutrient-dense foods?
Veggies, fruits, whole grains, seafood, eggs, beans and peas, unsalted nuts and seeds, low-fat milk, lean meats, poultry.

15. Empty Calories What does it mean when a food contains empty calories?
Empty calories refers to foods that have a lot of calories, but do not provide much nutrition. It most often refers to foods that are high in solid fats and added sugars. High calories, few or no nutrients.

17. Exit Ticket
Complete the DIETARY GUIDELINES: HOW AM I DOING? worksheet.
Think about your own eating habits, and rate yourself on each of the dietary guidelines.
Then answer the questions. Be honest in your responses and ratings.
If you rate yourself fair or poor for any of the guidelines, be sure to explain what you could do to improve, based on what we went over today. Then answer the questions.

18. Homework What is your most favorite food/meal?
List the amount of calories, total fat (include saturated, saturated, and trans), total carbohydrates (sugar, dietary fiber), protein, vitamins & minerals (if any).
Based on daily allowance, how much % of each nutrient does it account for?
*Tip: Use a food label or nutrition facts on the internet!