1. A Quick Guide to Proper Nutrition

2. What is proper nutrition?  The typical nutrition guide has been the food pyramid  It tells us how much of each type of food to eat  Has types of food in a hierarchy  Is this a good diagram?

3. The New Food Pyramid  The U.S. government thought that the old pyramid was not a good model of proper nutrition  In 2000, they introduced MyPyramid

4. Understanding MyPyramid  MyPyramid has bands that run from top to bottom showing that all food groups are equally important  The width of each band shows how much you should eat from each food group

5. Understanding MyPyramid  The most drastic change to the symbol was the addition of a person walking up stairs  This emphasizes the importance of physical activity in nutrition and overall health

6. Choosing your pyramid  Unlike the last food pyramid, that was based on a general 2,000 calorie diet, MyPyramid is customizable  12 different pyramids have been made to fit people depending on their age, height, and amount of physical activity  To find out more about your pyramid go to: mypyramid.gov

7. Cracking the code  The bands on MyPyramid are color coded.  Each group is assigned a color

8. Cracking the code  The ORANGE band represents GRAINS  The GREEN band represents VEGETABLES

9. Cracking the code  The RED band represents FRUITS  The slim YELLOW band represents OILS

10. Cracking the code  The BLUE band represents MILK  The PURPLE band represents MEAT AND BEANS

11. Grain Group  The grain group still takes up the biggest part of the pyramid  What’s in the grain group? Bread Cereal Crackers Rice Pasta  Try and make the grains you eat whole grains

12. Vegetable Group  The vegetable group also takes up a significant portion of the pyramid  What should you eat in the vegetable group? Dark green veggies (broccoli, spinach) Orange veggies (carrots, squash) Dry beans and peas (black beans, pinto beans, etc.)

13. Fruit Group  Fruits take up a smaller portion of the pyramid but are still very important  You should: Eat a variety of fruits Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruits Go easy on fruit juices, as they are often full of added sugars

14. Oils Group  Oils is the smallest group in the pyramid  Where should you get your oils? Good sources: fish, nuts, vegetable oils Not so good sources: solids like butter, shortening, or lard  Look for things low in saturated fats and trans-fats

15. Milk Group  The milk group is another larger group  What’s in the milk group? Milk Cheese Yogurt  Make sure to choose low fat or fat free milk products  If you are lactose intolerant, find other sources of calcium

16. Meat and Bean Group  You should: Choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry Bake, broil, or grill your meats. Frying adds unnecessary extra fat and oil Vary your choices – with more fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds  If you do not eat meat, find other sources of protein such as tofu

17. Why do we need to eat different foods?  Would it be fun to eat pizza, cookies, and soft drinks for every meal?  We need to eat different foods because they have different nutrients in them (i.e. carbohydrates, proteins, calcium, iron, vitamins)  What foods have different nutrients?

18. Food Group’s Nutrients  Grains Group A good source of carbohydrates Carbohydrates are a source of energy for the body  Vegetable Group A good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals A deficiency in vitamin A, found in carrots and spinach, can lead to blindness

19. Food Group’s Nutrients  Fruit Group A good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals Vitamin C, abundant in citrus fruits, is not made in the body and must be consumed  Oils Group Source of necessary dietary fats Fat is stored energy for the body. However, excess amounts of fat can be detrimental to health.

20. Food Group’s Nutrients  Milk Group A good source of calcium Calcium is necessary for proper bone growth. It also is involved in muscle contraction and nervous signal transmission  Meat and Beans Group A good source of protein Proteins are necessary for the formation of skeletal muscle, hormones, antibodies, and enzymes

21. Finding nutrients  You can see that it is important to eat foods from all groups as they provide different nutrients  However, how do we necessarily know what nutrients or how much of each nutrient is in a food?  A good way to find out is to read the Nutrition Facts labels

22. How to read Nutrition Facts Labels  Nutrition Facts labels provide a lot of information  1. Serving Size – the amount you should eat of the food. 1 2 3 4 5

23. How to read Nutrition Facts Labels  2. Calories – this is how many calories you are consuming in each serving. This helps you see if you are meeting or exceeding your caloric goals based on MyPyramid. 1 2 3 4 5

24. How to read Nutrition Facts Labels  3. Core Nutrients – these are the many nutrients that your body needs. It provides information about the amount of each nutrient and the different types (i.e. saturated fat, dietary fiber, sugars) 1 2 3 4 5

25. How to read Nutrition Facts Labels  4. Micronutrients – these are all important but are just required in small amounts. These include vitamins and minerals 1 2 3 4 5

26. How to read Nutrition Facts Labels  5. Percent Daily Values – this shows that the percentages shown are based on a general 2,000 calorie diet. These percentages are to help you see if you are meeting your daily requirements of each nutrient 1 2 3 4 5

27. Why exercise?  There are plenty of reasons that exercise helps your health physically and mentally, both now and in the future.  See how many different reasons you can think of to show why exercise is important.

28. A list of reasons  Improves self-esteem and feelings of well-being  Increases fitness level  Helps build and maintain bones, muscles, and joints  Builds endurance and muscle strength  Enhances flexibility and posture  Helps manage weight  Lowers risk of heart disease, colon cancer, osteoperosis and type 2 diabetes  Helps control blood pressure  Relieves stress  Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety  Promotes better sleep

29. What types of exercises should we do?  There are three main categories of exercise: Aerobic Resistance, strength building, and weight bearing Balance and stretching  It is important to do some activities from all three of the categories

30. Aerobic exercises  Speeds heart rate and breathing and improves heart and lung fitness.  Can be maintained continuously  Usually has a type of rhythm to it  Some aerobic activities: Brisk walking Jogging Swimming  What other aerobic activities can you think of?

31. Resistance, Strength Building, and Weight Bearing Exercises  Helps build and maintain bones and muscles by working them against gravity or some other force  Some examples: Carrying a child Lifting weights Calisthenics, or body exercises without equipment  Can you think of other examples?

32. Balance and Stretching Exercises  Enhances physical stability and flexibility, which reduces risk of injuries  Some balance and stretching exercises: Gentle stretching Dancing Yoga Martial arts T’ai chi  Can you think of other balance and stretching activities?

33. How much physical activity do we need?  How often do you think we should exercise? (e.g. every day, on the weekend, once a month…)  Different Institutions offer different recommendations about exercise  The USDA suggests 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least 5 days a week, but daily is best

34.  The Institute of Medicine recommends an hour daily of vigorous activity to promote cardiovascular health  If you don’t have an hour a day, don’t be discouraged. Even just 20 minutes of daily exercise still has significant health benefits.  Exercising harder and longer increases benefits How much physical activity do we need?

35. Different levels of exercise  Light Gardening Walking slowly Dusting or vacuuming  Moderate Mowing lawn Bicycling (5-9mph) Dancing  Heavy Swimming laps Bicycling (>10mph) Jogging or running Playing basketball Playing soccer

36. Getting enough exercise  Did you consider things like chores and dancing exercise?  You do not necessarily have to go running for an hour straight. Break it up! Run for 20 minutes three times.  The key is to increase physical activity by doing things you like. Maybe it could be playing sports, riding a bike, or swimming.