Enjoy the taste of eating right

Have you been “Enjoying the Taste of Eating Right?” March is National Nutrition Month. Starting as a single week celebration in 1973, and then as a full month since 1980, the Registered Dietitian Nutritionists of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics have helped teach healthy nutrition habits in the United States each March.

The Academy encourages Americans to return to the basics of healthful eating by focusing on combining taste and nutrition to create healthy meals that follow the recommendations of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Most of us think we know how to eat well, but many of us do not follow the basics of healthy nutrition or know these Dietary Guidelines for Americans. As evidence, 23 percent of local adults were obese in 2010, 13 percent of local high school students were obese in 2011, and only 19.9 percent of the local population consumed five or more fruits and vegetables daily. So how can we help improve these Kauai statistics? One way is with nutrition education.

First of all, there are six major nutrients we should consume on a daily basis: water, the most important, with no calories but providing needed hydration; carbohydrates (CHO), with 4 kilocalories (kcals) per gram; fats, with 9 kcals per gram; protein, with 4 kcals per gram; vitamins, without kcals; and minerals, also without kcals. Alcohol also provides 7 kcals per gram, close to fat, but is not a recommended nutrient.

Along with these six main nutrients, we have six major food groups: Breads/grains, with an average of 80 kcals, 15 grams CHO, and 3 grams pro per serving; Vegetables, with 25 kcals, 5 grams pro, and 2 grams CHO per serving; Milk, with 90 to 150 kcals, 12 grams CHO, 8 grams pro, and 0 to 9 grams fat per serving; Fruits, with 60 kcals, and 15 grams CHO per serving; Meats, with 35 to 100 kcals, 7 grams pro, 0 to 8 grams fat per serving, and fats, with 45 kcals, 5 grams fat per serving.

Per the prior pyramid and, now, MyPlate, recommendations, 6 to 11 bread/grain,three to five vegetable, three to four milk or yogurt, two to four fruit, and two meat servings per day are recommended for most people. Fats are recommended to meet the remaining kcals to maintain a healthy weight. Variable amounts and types of the first five groups may be recommended based on age, gender, activity level, and / or chronic disease prevention; an average serving of these is about the size of your palm, or a deck of cards.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, were released on Jan. 31, 2011, and combine the above information to emphasize three major goals for Americans over age two: Balance kcals with physical activity to manage weight; Consume more of certain foods like whole grains, vegetables, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, fruits, and seafood; Consume fewer foods with sodium (salt), saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, and refined grains.       

Many genetic, environmental, behavioral, and cultural factors can affect health. Understanding family history of disease or risk factors — body weight and fat distribution, blood pressure, and diabetes, for example — can help people make more informed decisions about actions to improve health. Food choices are among the most pleasurable and effective of these actions.

Finally, “healthy” diets contain the amounts of essential nutrients and energy needed to prevent nutritional deficiencies and excesses. Healthy diets provide the right balance of carbohydrate, fat, and protein to reduce risks for chronic diseases, and they are obtained from a variety of foods that are available, affordable, and enjoyable. So, here’s to “Enjoying the Taste of Eating Right!”

• Su Smith, MBA, RDN is a registered dietitian Nutritionist for Hawaii Health Systems Corporation at Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital and has been in private practice consultation for 26 years. To find her or a RDN near you, click on the “Find a Registered Dietitian” at www.eatright.org.