Food for Thought:
Your
child's treatment plan is like a recipe -- if you do not follow the recipe that has been suggested for your child(ren)
the results will not be the same.
USDA
Replaces The Outdated Food Pyramid
A year ago the U.S. Department of Agriclulture (USDA) unveiled a new version
of the outdated food pyramid with MyPyramid. The goal was to represent the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a document
that gets updated every five years.
Dr. Carlos Camargo, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at
Harvard, feels that the new pyramid is disappointing. Suggesting that red meat and more poultry, fish, beans
are being equally healthful protein sources sidesteps the evidence that eating less red meat and more poultry, fish, beans,
and nuts offers numerous health benefits. The recommendation of three servings of dairy products daily ignores the fact
that there are many adults and children who cannot tolerate milk sugar (lactose), and that there are better ways to get calcium
for bone health.
The new My Pyramid uses common measurments such as cups, ounces, and tablespoons rather than servings.
That is a major improvement. If you go online at www.mypyramid.gov you can create a personalized pyramid based on sex, age and your level of physical activity. The downside is that it
does not consider height and weight and can seriously over or underestimate your daily caloric needs. So keep
that in mind when using the pyramid. Serving Size
Always start with the serving size
amount. That's because all the information on the rest of the label — from calories to vitamins — is based on
that amount.
Take note of how much a serving is (e.g., 1 cup, 8 oz). Sometimes
a serving size will be way less than you're used to eating — like only half a cup of cereal. So make sure you check
what it is!
The label will also list how many servings are in the package.
Even things that seem like they'd be a single serving, such as a bottle of juice or packet of chips, may contain more than
one serving. If you eat or drink the whole thing, you're getting more vitamins and minerals but you're also getting way more
calories, sugar, fat, and other stuff that you might not want.
Calories
A calorie is a way to measure how much energy a food provides to your body. The number on the food label shows
how many calories are in one serving of that food. To get a rough idea of how many calories you need to eat each day, check
out the “My Pyramid Plan” calculator on the U.S. government's MyPyramid website (see our Resources section for
more information).
The calories from fat number tells you how many calories in that
serving come from fat. For most people, no more than 30% of all the calories they eat in a day should come from fat. So if
you eat 2,000 calories a day, no more than 600 of these calories should come from fat.
Percent Daily Value
These percentages
show the amounts of nutrients an average person will get from eating one serving of that food. For the purposes of food labels,
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.
But obviously some teens — like those who are growing rapidly or very athletic — will need more
calories than 2,000 a day. And many will need less. If you need more than 2,000 calories, you may need to eat more than one
serving to get the same percentage of that nutrient. If your calorie needs are less, you may not need to eat as much to get
that same percent.
The percent daily value amounts are based on these nutrition guidelines:
- 60% of calories should come from carbohydrates
- 30% of calories should
come from fat, with most fats coming for sources of unsaturated fats
- 10% of calories
should come from protein
The percent daily value information can
be complicated. But one thing it makes easy is showing at a glance if a food is high or low in a particular nutrient. Here's
how: If a food has a daily value of 5% or less of a nutrient, it is considered to be low in that nutrient. A food is a good
source of a nutrient if the percent daily value is between 10% and 19%. If the food has 20% or more of the daily value, it
is considered an excellent source of that nutrient.
Fat
Total
fat shows how much fat is in a single serving of food. Although eating too much
fat can lead to obesity and health problems, our bodies do need some fat every day. Fats are an important source of energy
and provide insulation and cushioning for the skin, bones, and internal organs. Fat also distributes and helps the body store
certain vitamins.
Fat is usually measured in grams. A good rule of thumb for keeping
to the 30% calories from fat rule is to check the label and choose foods that have less than 3 grams of fat for every 100
calories in a serving.
Some fats are better than others.
Unsaturated fats, which are found in vegetable
oils, nuts, and fish, are often called “good fats.” That's because they don't raise cholesterol levels like saturated
fats and trans fats do. Both saturated and trans fats are considered “bad”
because they can increase a person's risk for developing heart disease. These types of fat are solid at room temperature (picture
them clogging your arteries).
Saturated fats usually come from animal products like cheese,
meats, and ice cream. Trans fats are naturally found in these foods too, but they are also in vegetable oils that have been
specially treated (hydrogenated) so they are solid at room temperature — like shortening. The amount of saturated
and trans fats that are in a food are shown below total fat on the nutrition facts label. Less than 10% of calories should
come from saturated fats and keep trans fats low as possible.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol
isn't entirely bad for you. Keep in mind that it is important to the production of vitamin D and some hormones,
and to building many other substances in the body. The liver manufactures most of the cholesterol a person needs. Cholesterol
is also found in the foods we eat. Blood cholesterol comes in two major types: HDL (the “good” kind) and LDL (the
"bad" kind). Too much LDL cholesterol in a person's blood increases the risk of heart disease. So it's a good idea
for even teens to watch how much cholesterol they eat, along with saturated and trans fats, which tend to raise levels of
LDL cholesterol in the blood.
Sodium
Sodium
is a component of salt. Almost all foods contain sodium because it adds flavor and helps preserve food. Processed, packaged,
and canned foods usually have more sodium than freshly made foods.
Small amounts
of sodium keep proper body fluid balance. Sodium also helps the body transmit electrical signals through nerves. But too much
sodium can increase water retention and blood pressure in people who are sensitive to it.
Total Carbohydrate
This includes several types of carbohydrates, including fiber and sugar. The best sources of carbohydrates
are fruits and vegetables, along with whole-grain foods like cereals, breads, and whole-wheat pasta. Most of your daily calorie
intake should come from carbohydrates.
Sugars are found in most foods. When a food
contains lots of sugar, the calories can add up quickly. Soda, snack foods and other foods that are high in added sugar are
considered “empty calories” because they usually don't offer a lot of other nutrients.
Checking
sugar quantities on labels can be really eye opening. Often there's way more than you'd expect. For example, sometimes manufacturers
cut back on fat but add sugar to food tasting good.a little label study, you may notice that some low-fat foods have
nearly as many calories as their regular version!
Fiber, another
kind of carbohydrate, helps keep your digestive system healthy. Fiber can also help reduce cholesterol levels. Best of all,
fiber has no calories and it can help you feel full. So check the label and pick foods that have at least 3 grams of fiber
per serving.
Protein
Most of the
body — including muscles, skin, and the immune system — is made up of protein. If the body doesn't get enough
fat and carbohydrates, it can use protein for energy. So be sure the foods you eat give you some protein.
Vitamins and Minerals
It goes
without saying that you want to choose foods that are high in a variety of vitamins and minerals.
Some of the most important for teens are vitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins, vitamin D, calcium, and iron. Some vitamins —
like vitamin C — are water soluble, which means that the body can't store them so they need to be consumed every day.
Food
labels can't tell you what foods to eat — you get to make that decision!
But they can
help you find foods that taste good and treat your body right.
Food Additives
Food additives play a key roll in food preparation. Today many are from chemical reactions that occur
from substances added to food during preparation or storage to increase shelf life of the food. These additives are
required to be listed under ingredients on food labels.
Some substances are
not considered additives which may be added to foods:
- salt, sugar and starch
- vitamins, minerals and amino acids
- veterinary
drugs
- food packaging materials
Some food
additives have been linked to hyperactivity in children such as:
- Sodium nezolate (a preservative
used in pickles and sauces)
- Tartrazine ( a yellow food dye used in ice cream, soft
drinks, and fish sticks) It's a sodium salt and contains more salt than the human body can handle. Besides hyperactivity
research has linked it to asthma, rashes and migraines.
- Quinoline yellow, a yellow
dye used in soft drinks, cosmetics and medications. This is banned in the U.S. as well as other countries.
- Sunset yellow, a dye used in yogurts and sweets.
- Carmoisine, a coal
tar derivative used in sweets and yogurts. This is banned in the U.S.
- Allura
red, a dye used in soft drinks and bubble gum, banned in the U.S.
