Nutrition Food in Your Life

Ch Nutrition Food in Your Life Why you eat? • Nutrients-substances in food that your body needs to function properly to grow, to repair itself, and to supply you with energy • Eating habits stem from both a physical need (hunger) for food and a psychological desire for food (appetite) • Recognize the difference between the two helps you make more healthful food choices Your Body’s Physical Need for Food •Hunger is a natural drive that protects you from starvation • The most basic reason for eating is physical • Stimulated nerve ending in the stomach signal hunger Your Mind’s Desire for Food • Appetite is a desire, rather than a need, to eat • Appetite is a learned response to food • Appetite is shaped by factors in your environment (culture, family, friends, advertising, time and money) and by your emotions Your eating habits • Food choices can reduce major risk factors for chronic diseases, including obesity, high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, and cancer Nutrition Throughout Your Life • Nutrition-the process by which the body takes in and uses food • As you grow and develop you may need nutrients in different amounts • Keep in mind that all calories add up in the same way, no matter what their source Choose… • Plenty of grain Products, vegetables, and fruits • An eating style low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol • An eating style moderate in sugars • An eating style moderate in sodium/salt Being a Smart Food Consumer Nutrition Label Basics –Each label contains: • Serving size • Servings per container • Calories per serving and calories per serving from fat • Grams of total fat, saturated fat, total carbo., fiber, sugars, protein, and milligrams of cholesterol and sodium per serving • Percent of the Daily Value the product supplies of the above nutrients plus some important vitamins and minerals in one serving Ingredients List • Almost all food labels have an ingredient list • Labels list ingredients by weight in descending order • The ingredient in greatest amount is listed first Food Additives • Are substances added to food intentionally to produce a desired effect –Add nutrients, give flavor or color, lengthen storage life and keep it safe to eat, maintain texture, control food’s acidity, help age foods, such as cheese Enriched Food • A food in which nutrients that were lost in processing have been added back • Breads, pastas, and rice made of refined grains are enriched with B vitamins and iron Fortification • The addition of nutrients that are not naturally present • Milk is fortified with Vitamin D Food Product Label Claims • Food labeling regulations permit labels of certain foods to claim possible benefits in combating a disease or condition – Calcium, possible help in fighting osteoporosis – Fiber, can claim they “may help” to lessen the risk of certain cancers Other Terms • Healthy- The food is low in fat and saturated fat and contains limited amount of cholesterol and sodium If it is a single item food and provides at least 10% of one or more of the following: Vitamin A or C, iron, calcium, protein, or fiver • Light- The calories have been reduced by at least a third, or the fat or sodium by at least half • Free- the product contains no amount, or only a slight amount of fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars, or calories • Less- The food contains 25% less of a nutrient or of calories than a comparable food • Fresh- The food is raw, unprocessed, contains no preservatives, and has never been frozen or heated • Natural- This tem is reserved for meat and poultry only It means the food is minimally processed with no artificial or synthetic ingredients Opening Date • Expiration Date- The last date you should use the product • Freshness Date- The last date a food is thought to be fresh • Pack Date- The date on which the product was packaged • Sell Date- This date denotes the last date the product should be sold