Tools for
Planning
Quality Meals
This chapter has five parts:
What is Good Nutrition? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 43
Nutrients Needed for Growth
and Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 44
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans . . . page 49
The USDA Food Guide Pyramid . . . . . . . . page 70
Understanding Food Labels . . . . . . . . . . . page 73
PlanningTools3
What is Good
Nutrition?
We all know generally what nutrition is. It is the process by which
our bodies take in and use food. But why is it so important?
What is good nutrition?
Good nutrition is having the calories we need for
energy and the nutrients essential for:
■ proper growth, repair, and maintenance of body tissues.
■ resistance to disease and infection.
■ prevention of deficiencies that lead to problems such as anemia, goiter, scurvy,
and rickets.
In recent decades, medical researchers have found that good nutrition can also
help reduce the risks of coronary heart diseases and certain types of cancer.
While we can sometimes get by with less than an
optimum diet, to thrive we need a healthy diet.
A healthy diet provides:
■ essential nutrients and energy to prevent nutritional deficiencies and excesses.
■
the right balance of carbohydrate, fat, and protein to reduce risks for chronic
disease.
■ a variety of foods, including plenty of grains, vegetables, and fruits.
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Tools for Planning Q u alit y Meals
44
C H A P T E R 3
Nutrients Needed
for Growth and
Development
Many different nutrients are needed for good health. These
include carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals, and water.
Most foods contain more than one nutrient. And some foods
provide more nutrients than others.
The best strategy? Choose a variety of foods.
To include the greatest amount of nutrients and meet the recommendations of
the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, choose a variety of foods for each meal
throughout the week.
A perfect food with all essential nutrients does not exist. A food may be a good
source of some vitamins and minerals, but