Question

2. Describe how to use food labels to help make healthy eating decisions. 3. Draw and label a personal MyPyramid indicating the appropriate number of servings from each food group. 4. Review the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and describe how they promote health. 5. Identify dietary choices that help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hypoglycemia, osteoporosis, and food allergies. 6. Explain the difference between hunger and appetite, and describe healthful meal planning. 7. Describe how sports participation does and does not affect nutritional needs. 8. Explain how to apply the Dietary Guidelines when dining out. 9. Describe the common food-borne illnesses and how to avoid them. 10. Describe healthful ways to maintain desirable weight, gain weight, and lose weight. 11. Describe the major eating disorders, identify risk factors for their development, and explain approaches to treating them.

Answer 1

2. Food labels tell exactly what the food contains. It tells the nutritional content of the food item. Food labels can be used to make healthy eating decisions by

• Serving size present in nutrition fact table enables us to eat correct portion of the food. This ensures intake of limited amounts of total calories and nutrients.
• Total calories and number of calories indicated in the food label is useful for opting low calorie or moderate calorie food.
• Helps to limit fat intake. Since baked and processed food contain fat that is not visible but does contribute to the total fat intake. Thus, picking food containing low amount of total fat helps to limit fat intake.
• Helps to avoid transfat that increase heart ailments.
• Making healthy food choices consisting of limited saturated fat and cholesterol.
• Nutrition facts gives the amount of salt present in the food sample as well. Hence, it can be used to decrease excess salt intake.
• Food labels usually lists percentage of calcium, iron, vitamins A and C. Daily values of vitamins and minerals with 20 percent or more is ideal.   

3. My pyramid is a food guide pyramid to make healthy food decisions.

4. Dietary Guidelines for Americans help to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. They promote health by recommending

• To follow healthy eating pattern across the lifespan
• To focus on correct amount of nutrient-rich food
• To limit sodium, saturated and transfats, and added sugars.
• To follow healthy food and beverage choices.

5. Dietary choices that help to reduce

(i) Cancer

• Maintaining healthy weight
• Limit alcohol intake
• Eat less of high-calorie and high fat containing food
• Take nutrient rich food – plenty of fruits and vegetables

(ii) Heart diseases

• Choose food low in saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium.
• Take nutrient rich food - plenty of fruits and vegetables.
• Take fiber-rich whole grains, fish, nuts, legumes etc.
• Reduce the usage of meat (use lean meats) and products.
• Use low-fat dairy products.

(iv) Diabetes

• Take raw or cooked vegetables and plenty of greens.
• Take low-calorie drinks
• Consume whole-grain high-fiber food.
• Opt for low-fat products.
• Healthy intake of proteins which include eggs, lean meat, cheese, yogurt etc.

(v) Hypoglycemia

• Include carbohydrate-rich food with low glycemic index which include oatmeal, bran cereals, whole wheat products, milk, soy etc.
• Add soluble fiber to meals and snacks which ensure glucose to be absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream.
• Limit intake of caffeine and alcohol.

(vi) Osteoporosis

• Limit the intake of salt.
• Proper amount of calcium and vitamin D on a daily basis. This includes natural sunlight, milk, egg yolks, fish, etc.

(vii) Food allergies

• Including probiotics in your diet.
• Avoid food that causes allergies.