Understanding nutrition is very important. But why does it have to be so complicated?
High carb, low carb, no carb. Good carbs, bad carbs. Simple carbs, complex carbs. High fat, low fat; saturated fat, trans fat; polys and monos. Antioxidants, vitamins, minerals. Soluble fiber, insoluble fiber. Serum cholesterol, dietary cholesterol.Who can keep all that stuff straight?
"Nutrition is confusing for two main reasons," said Bonnie Liebman, director of nutrition for the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C., which publishes the Nutrition Action Newsletter. "One reason is that much nutrition advice gets contradicted by food industries. The other reason is that, when it comes to food, everyone is an expert. Everybody eats, so everybody has an opinion on eating." Diet books, advertising and media reports overwhelm people with nutrition information and advice.
Turns out, you probably don't have to keep all that information straight to eat right. But our refresher course in basic nutrition might make decision-making easier when you want to eat healthfully.
First, a little history. Until 1992, most of us learned about basic nutrition in the third or fourth grade, and most of us learned about the Basic 4 food groups: meat (which included legumes); dairy; fruits and vegetables; and starches. (Some people learned about the Basic 5 instead, in which fruits and vegetables got their own categories.)
In 1992, the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) adopted the "food pyramid," a way to look at food that some experts believed was easier to understand and conveyed more information than the Basic 4 or 5. The USDA said that the pyramid emphasized the ideas of variation, moderation and proportion of foods to each other in an ideal diet. (Other experts said that the pyramid just confused things.)
Before long, many groups generated variations on the pyramid. There is a pyramid for people who want a Mediterranean style diet; there is a pyramid for an Asian style diet. There is a pyramid for vegetarians, and one for people who want to eat in the Latin way. Older adults have their own food pyramid; so do diabetics. The Harvard School of Public Health even created a Healthy Eating pyramid.
But the USDA scrapped the existing food pyramid when it announced new dietary guidelines in January (* 2005). A new graphic, which may not even be pyramid shaped, will be released this spring. Until then, you'll have to try to follow the dietary guidelines without the benefit of a visual aid.
It has been a long time since grade school, so let's do a quick primer on basic nutrition. To get started, you need to remember just four basic nutrition truths.
BASIC NUTRITION TRUTH NO. 1
Eat a variety of foods.
"I still think the Basic 4 is a better way to think about food than the pyramid is," said Jill Melton of Birmingham, Ala., a dietitian and editor-in-chief of "Cooking Smart" magazine. "The Basic 4 gets across the message of variety better than the pyramid. If people continue to come back to variety, [they'll find] it's a great way to balance their diet. And that's still how I look at a recipe when I'm planning meals for my family. I don't think of the pyramid."
The American Dietetic Association also recommends increasing variety. The organization, which in 1973 started observing National Nutrition Month each March, said that occasionally adding a single new food to your routine can end monotony and increase nutrition.
This year's ADA "Get a Taste for Nutrition" campaign suggests adding a new fruit, vegetable or grain to your shopping list each week. Among its suggestions: kumquat, passion fruit and pomegranate for fruits; kohlrabi, bok choy, jicama and parsnip from the vegetable aisle; and quinoa, flaxseed, amaranth and bulgur for new grains.
What Melton and the ADA mean is that if you make sure to include foods from all four basic foods groups -- meats and legumes, dairy, fruits and vegetables, and starches -- you'll probably get the nutrition your body needs.
BASIC NUTRITION TRUTH NO. 2
Eat everything
Don't cut out entire food groups --carbohydrates, for example. Instead, choose sensibly from each group. Choose lean meats and poultry rather than heavily marbled beef and chicken with the skin on. Find a reduced-fat Cheddar that you like for cooking, and stick with it. Try to get most of your carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables rather than from sugars or white flour.
Go for color , because deep colored fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins and antioxidants. Dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, collards and spinach have more vitamins than iceberg lettuce. Bright orange fruits and vegetables including oranges, winter squash and sweet potatoes have more vitamins than white potatoes.
BASIC NUTRITION TRUTH NO. 3
(* Practice ) moderation.
The American Dietetic Association suggests thinking of a day's worth of calories just like you think of a day's worth of spending money. If you over spend today, under spend tomorrow. The calories you expend in exercise are the interest on a day's calorie bank account: More exercise equals more interest equals more calories to spend.
"Buy as many nutrients with your calories as you can," Melton said. "Orange juice is a better buy for your calories than soft drinks because you get some vitamins with the orange juice that aren't in the pop."
Portion sizes may be the largest contributor to America's struggle with obesity. Most people no longer recognize what the government calls an average portion, because their eyes have been trained by super sized restaurant portions. A bakery muffin may equal three of the 2-ounce muffins the government defines as one serving of carbohydrates.
"Calories rule," Melton said. "If you eat too many, you'll gain weight, even if they're all from good things like collards and nuts and barley and spelt. A calorie is a calorie."
BASIC NUTRITION TRUTH NO. 4
Fat is expensive.
The energy generating ability of food is measured in calories per gram. Proteins and carbohydrates "cost" just 4 calories per gram, but fat costs more than twice that: nine (9) calories per gram. You spend more calories to get less food when you eat a lot of fat. Eat too much fat, and the calories add up fast.
Fat also can get expensive for your health. If you eat a lot of saturated fats (found in animals) and trans fats (found in hydrogenated vegetable oils), your heart and arteries will suffer.
Therefore, it's best to spend your fat calories wisely, on olive and liquid vegetable oils. Most people should eat only 4 to 7 grams of saturated fat a day if they are heeding the government's advice. A tablespoon of butter has 7.2 grams of saturated fat.
Why water? And how much?
The most important nutrient of all is water. Many of us don't drink enough. Water helps maintain your body's temperature, and transports needed nutrients. It also carries oxygen, washes away wastes and toxins and keeps joints and organs functioning well. Most experts agree that our bodies are 60 to 70 percent water.
An easy formula for water: Your weight 2 = oz. of water per day.
The 3 basic BUILDING BLOCKS
Carbohydrates
You'll find carbohydrates in fruits and vegetables; whole grains and grain products, like oatmeal and flour; starches like pasta and bread; and sugars of all kinds. Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram.
FOOD CARBOHYDRATES FIBER CALORIES
1 cup cooked spaghetti 40 g 2.4g 197
12-oz. cola soft drink 38 0 151
1 med. baked potato 21 1.5 91
medium apple 21 3.7 81
slice white bread 13 0.6 69
slice whole-wheat bread 13 1.9 69
1 cup green beans 10 4 44
Simple carbohydrates are sugars. Sucrose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, fructose and glucose, for example. They digest quickly, providing your body with a burst of fuel, but cause blood sugar levels to dip later. Americans eat far too many sugars. The USDA suggests about 10 teaspoons of added sugars a day. But most Americans take in 20 teaspoons or more of added sweeteners, according to the USDA. A 12-ounce soft drink contains 10 teaspoons of sugar.
Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest, preventing swings in blood-sugar levels. Most nutrition experts advise us to eat mostly complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates also often provide fiber, which helps move foods through your digestive system.
An average slice of bread is about the size of a compact disc case. A cup of cooked rice or pasta is about the size of a tennis ball. A cup of raw vegetables or fruit is about the size of a baseball. One-half cup of cooked vegetables is about the size of a fist.
Adults should aim for 50 to 60 percent of their daily calories in carbohydrates. For a 120-pound woman who needs 1,800 calories a day, that's 900 to 1,100 calories from carbohydrates. For a 165-pound man who needs 2,200 calories a day, that's 1,100 to 1,300 calories a day from carbohydrates.
Fats
You'll find fat in oils and butters, salad dressings, sweets, nuts, egg yolks, dairy foods and meats. Animal-based foods are frequently high in saturated fat; choose low-fat or non-fat versions whenever possible. Palm, palm kernel and coconut oils are all high in saturated fat. Most other vegetable-based foods like nuts and avocado tend to be high in good fats.
FOOD FAT SATURATED FAT CALORIES
1/4 lb. burger with cheese 38 g 12g 510
1 oz. walnuts (about 14 halves) 17.5 1.6 182
1 T. olive oil 13.5 1.8 119
1/2 avocado 13-2 1 139.5
1 T. butter 11.5 7.2 102
1 T. peanut butter 8.2 1.7 95
Fats provide concentrated energy and insulation for your body and organs. They also carry some vitamins--A, D, E and K that are soluble only in fat. Fat has 9 calories per gram.
There are three kinds of fat: Saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Experts recommend that we eat as little saturated fat as possible and eat mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats for good health. Saturated fat is a "bad fat;" monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are "good fats."
A particularly dangerous form of fat is trans fat. If hydrogenated oil" or "partially hydrogenated" appear on the ingredient list, steer clear. The government has determined that there is no safe level for consumption of trans fats.
A teaspoon of oil or salad dressing is about the size of a poker chip.
Adults need 20 to 30 percent of calories from fat for good health, the USDA advises. For a 120-pound woman, that's 350 to 500 calories, or 38 to 55 grams, from fat in an 1,800-calorie diet. She should eat only 4 to 5.5 grams of saturated fat a day. For a 165-pound man, that's about 450 to 650 calories, or 50 to 73 grams, from fat in a 2,200-calorie diet. He should eat only 5 to 7 grams of saturated fat a day.
Proteins
You'll find protein in fish; meat; eggs; milk and cheese; soy foods such as tofu and soy milk; seeds and nuts; and legumes and grains. High-protein foods are often high in fat. Animal-based foods may be high in saturated fats and cholesterol. Choose lean meats and low-fat protein foods when possible.
Typical servings of high-protein foods
FOOD PROTEIN FAT CALORIES
3 oz. water-packed tuna 35-40 1g 135
1/4 lb. burger with cheese 29 25 510
3 oz. skinless chicken breast 27 3 140
3 oz. oil-packed tuna 24 7 165
3 oz. sirloin steak 22 6 150
4.3 oz. Tofu 10 5.9 94
1 oz. Cheddar cheese 7 10 123
Nutrition experts suggest protein should comprise 10 percent of the day's calorie allowance. For a 120-pound woman who's aiming at 1,800 calories a day, that's about 180 calories of protein. For a 165-pound man who's shooting for 2,200 calories a day, that's about 220 calories of protein.
A three-ounce portion of meat is about the size of a deck of cards or a cassette tape. A One (1)-ounce serving of cheese is about the size of a pair of dice.
Adults need 1 gram of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight. For a 120-pound woman, that's 54 grams. For a 165-pound man, that's 75 grams. It's very easy to get more protein in a day than you need. For most adults, the necessary 50 to 70 grams can come from as little as six ounces of chicken or tuna.
Thinking in 100s: Food
One way to keep tabs on the calories you eat each day is to think of foods in 100-calorie portions. Doing so also will help keep portions in line.
Here are 100-calorie portions of a variety of foods to get you started. Calories may have been rounded up or down slightly to make natural portions. Some servings may logically be composed of two 100 calorie portions, as with boneless skinless chicken breast or hamburger. Calorie calculators are available in books and online. We especially like:
nutritiondata.com
foodcount.com.
100 calories is equal to:
CARBOHYDRATES
3 1/2 oz. canned black beans
1 1/2 slices whole-wheat bread
1 1/2 whole large oranges
3 1/2 oz. baked potato
1/2 cup cooked spaghetti
1 head romaine lettuce
1 cup Cheerios
Source: health.gov, webMD.com
100 calories is equal to:
FAT
1 T. olive oil
1 T. mayonnaise
1 T. butter
1 T. margarine
1 oz. Cheddar cheese
Source: health.gov, webMD.com
100 calories is equal to:
PROTEIN
2 1/4 oz.skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 oz. cooked hamburger
3 oz. tuna canned in water
6 oz. Tofu
1 1/2 hard cooked "large " eggs
Source: Nutritiondata.com
What is a calorie?
Dieters fret and exercisers sweat. They both worry about calories. What is a calorie?
It's a measure of energy. A calorie is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of a gram of water by one degree Celsius. Not many people worry about this measure of energy.
To confuse matters, a dietary calorie is technically a kilocalorie (kCalorie), because it measures how much heat is needed to raise a kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. In most writing about nutrition, however, the word "calorie" is understood to mean "kCalorie."
Calories express the energy potential available in a food you eat: Calories in. Calories also express the energy you spend when you exercise: Calories out.
Thinking in 100s: Exercise
The number of calories you'll burn during exercise will depend on both your size and your sex. Men, who are larger and have more muscle, burn more calories than smaller, less muscular women.
Trying to lose weight? Get plenty of aerobic exercise, but do a little weight-lifting, too: Weight training builds muscle, which raises metabolic rates.
We've provided a handful of kinds of exercise. The first number following the exercise is how many minutes a 130 pound woman must exercise to burn 100 calories. The second number is how many minutes a 155-pound man must exercise to burn 100 calories. Times are rounded off.
Ways to burn 100 calories
Exercise type 130 LB WOMAN 155 LB MAN In minutes
Jogging 15 9
Stationary bicycling 20 15
Leisurely swimming 18 15
Walking, 4 mph 25 22
Golf 26 22
Low impact aerobics 17 17
Source: health.gov, webMD.com
What are vitamins and minerals?
Vitamins are organic compounds needed in small amounts for good health, but which the body can't manufacture itself.
Minerals are inorganic compounds found in food needed in small amounts for good health.
Together, vitamins and minerals are called micronutrients. Protein, carbohydrates and fat are macronutrients.
The body needs 13 vitamins. When any of these vitamins are absent, deficiency diseases occur.
Four vitamins are fat soluble (carried only in fat): vitamins A, D, E and K. Nine are water soluble: vitamin C and the eight B vitamins (thiamine/B1; riboflavin/B2; niacin; pantothenic acid/B5; pyridoxine/B6;(*)Cyanocobalamin/B12; biotin and folate/folic acid).
The body needs 15 minerals: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, zinc, chloride, potassium and sodium
Most vitamin and mineral requirements can be met through a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Supplements are not needed, although a daily multi-vitamin can provide a little insurance. In general, foods that are bright or vividly colored are high in vitamins.
Source: Your-doctor.com 
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