1. How to Eat Healthy in America

2. What to Expect Today… Get Back to Basics with Portion Sizes.
How Much SHOULD I Be Consuming?
How Much AM I Currently Consuming?
Determining My Calorie Range.
How Many Servings Should I Be Consuming Based On My Calorie Range?
In order to succeed at eating healthy in America, we must get back to the basics! We must talk down and dirty about portion sizes. We must understand exactly how much we ARE eating (Hey, that is why you keep a food record!!!) and how much we SHOULD be eating.

3. Food Portions Have Grown
The data revealed over the past 20 years:
Hamburgers have expanded by 23%
A plate of Mexican food is 27% bigger
Soft drinks have increased in size by 52%
Snacks (potato chips, pretzels or crackers) are 60% larger
Researchers from the University of North Carolina found these results from the past 20 years. The problem is not that you want or NEED more food, but the more food you are served, the more you will eat.
Studies show that if served more pasta and more French fries, individuals will unknowingly consume more than they expect. For example, at one meal a young woman was served 2.5 cups of pasta. When she was finished, she had consumed about 1.5 cups.
Following the same activity and meal pattern, the same woman was then served 3.5 cups of pasta, where she consumed 2.75 cups of the pasta, or an additional 200 calories!

4. This is the NEW Food Pyramid
This is the NEW Food Pyramid. Looking very different from our old Food Guide Pyramid, MyPyramid still emphasizes the same points.
Moderation – Moderation is represented by the narrowing of each food group from bottom to top. The wider base stands for foods with little or no solid fats or added sugars. These should be selected more often. The narrower top area stands for foods containing more added sugars and solid fats. The more active you are, the more of these foods you can fit into your diet.
Proportionality – Proportionality is shown by the different widths of the food group bands. The widths suggest how much food a person should choose from each group. The widths are just a general guide, not exact proportions.
Variety – Variety is symbolized by the 6 color bands representing the 5 food groups of the Pyramid and oils. This illustrates that foods from all groups are needed each day for health.
Additions:
Physical Activity – Physical activity is represented by the figure climbing the stairs on the side of the pyramid.
Specific recommendations with some food groups
More quantifiable serving size recommendations: cups or ounces vs. “servings”

5. Pyramid Color Code
ORANGE: Grains – Choose whole-grain products at least half of the time.
GREEN: Vegetables – Eat more dark-green and orange colors. Consume starchy vegetables a couple of times each week.
BLUE: Milk – Choose low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt and other milk products
Each Color represents a food group.
Refer to Handouts for More specific guidelines on servings sizes for each group.
Discuss serving sizes in detail using food models OR CD
Tennis Ball
8 oz Styrofoam

6. Pyramid Color Code
RED: Fruit – Choose fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruit more often than juice.
PURPLE: Meat and Beans – Choose lean protein. Bake, broil, or grill low fat or lean meats and poultry.
YELLOW: Oils – Limit fats, sugars and salt.

7. Determining Your Needs
Determine Calorie Needs
Determine Number of Servings per Group
Discretionary Calories
Alcohol Consumption
USE Handouts – May want to have additional calorie level plans copied for participants.
Serving Sizes – May want to use cups, CD, balls, bowls, food models, etc to demonstrate visually
Discretionary Calories – In a calorie budget, the “essentials” are the minimum calories required to meet your nutrient needs.  By selecting the lowest fat and no-sugar-added forms of foods in each food group you would make the best nutrient “buys.”  Depending on the foods you choose, you may be able to spend more calories than the amount required to meet your nutrient needs.  These calories are the “extras” that can be used on luxuries like solid fats, added sugars, and alcohol, or on more food from any food group.  They are your “discretionary calories.” The discretionary calorie allowance can be used to:
Eat more foods from any food group than the food guide recommends.
Select forms of foods that contain solid fats or added sugars. Examples are whole milk, cheese, sausage, biscuits, sweetened cereal, and sweetened yogurt.
Add fats or sweeteners to food. Examples are sauces, salad dressings, sugar, syrup, and butter.
Eat or drink items that contain only fats, caloric sweeteners, and/or alcohol, such as candy, soda, wine, and beer.
Alcohol – Moderate drinking means no more than 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men. Twelve oz of regular beer, 5 oz of wine, and 1 ½ oz of 80-proof distilled spirits count as a drink.

8. Size of Cups and Plates 8 ounces 2 fruit servings 1.5 slices of bread
Food for thought…
Think about the size of your cups and plates when trying to control calories. Larger cups and plates can lead to an increased consumption of calories.
When eating out at a restaurant, it is inevitable that you will have a HUGE plate placed in front of you. If you ask for a box when your meal is first received, you can scoop half of the meal into the take-home box. What’s left is a well portioned meal and lunch for tomorrow. This alleviates any temptations to continue snacking while you wait for service.
8 ounces
2 fruit servings
1.5 slices of bread
16 ounces
4 fruit servings
3 slices of bread
32 ounces
8 fruit servings
6 slices of bread

9. 100 Calories Extra A Day 10.43 pounds in ONE YEAR
Think of all the days you ate a measly 100 calories above your recommendations.
If you did this for 365 days:
100 calories X 365 days = 36,500 calories
36,500 calories / 3,500 calories/pound fat
10.43 pounds in ONE YEAR
100 calories is:
1 cup milk
2 slices bread
6 cups popcorn
½ cup ice cream
1 apple
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 handful nuts
½ candy bar
½ can regular soda
However, if you decreased your caloric intake by 100 calories each day…you give up one of all those things listed above. You can lose 10 pound in one year.
Imagine what happens when you add exercise!

10. Get Moving Tip
Add Weight Bearing exercises to your routines, here are some examples:
Resistance training 2-3 times a week, 8-12 reps, 8-10 different exercises, walking, jogging, hiking, snowshoeing.

11. Sing It One More Time! Yes, portion sizes have gotten bigger.
This does not mean we need to eat more food.
Use MyPyramid as your food foundation.
What we eat and see in our society is not realistic.
Focus on portion sizes of the food groups.
Watch the size of your cups and plates.

12. Words of Wisdom
“My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four unless there are three other people.”
-Orson Wells