Nutrition Lesson 4 – Notes
Nutrition Labeling
· Required by law on all packaged foods
· Following items are required to appear on all Nutrition Labels
o Serving Size and Servings per Container
§ Nutrient and calorie content is calculated according to serving size
o Calories and Calories from Fat
§ Number of calories in one serving and how many of these calories come from fat
o Nutrients (Top Section)
§ Amount of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium per serving in grams (g) or milligrams (mg)
§ Amount of total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, sugars, and protein per serving
o Nutrients (Bottom Section)
§ Vitamins and minerals are listed with their Percent Daily Values
o Percent Daily Value
§ Tells you how much the nutrients in one serving contribute to your total daily eating plan. General guideline is that 20% or more of a nutrient is a lot and 5% or less isn’t very much.
§ Choose foods with high fiber, vitamin and mineral values and low in fat, cholesterol and sodium
o The Footnote (Lower Part of Nutrition Facts Panel)
§ Information is the same from product to product
§ Contains advice about the amounts of certain nutrients that should be eaten each day
· Ingredients List
o Food’s ingredients are listed by weight, in descending order, with the ingredients in the greatest amount listed first
o Food Additives
§ Substances intentionally added to food to produce a desired effect
§ Enhance food’s flavor or color or lengthen its storage life
o Sugar and Fat Substitutes
§ Developed by the food industry as a result of concerns about excess calories in foods
§ Examples include:
· Aspartame
o Found in diet drinks
· Fructose
o Natural sugar in fruit
· Olestra
o Fat replacer found in some potato chips
o Not absorbed by the body
o Can lead to some digestive problems
Product Labeling
· Nutrient Content Claims
o Light or lite
§ Calories have been reduced by at least 1/3, or the fat or sodium has been reduced by at least 50%
o Less
§ Food contains 25% less of a nutrient or of calories than a comparable food
o Free
§ Food contains no amount, or an insignificant amount, of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars, or calories
o More
§ Food contains 10% more of the Daily Value for a vitamin, a mineral, protein or fiber
o High, Rich In, or Excellent Source of
§ Food contains 20% or more of the Daily Value for a vitamin, a mineral, protein, or fiber
o Lean
§ Food is meat, poultry, fish or shellfish product that has less than 10 grams of total fat, less than 4 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per 3-ounce serving
· Open Dating
o Expiration date
§ Last date you should use the product
o Freshness date
§ Last date a food is considered to be fresh
o Pack date
§ Date on which the food was packaged
o Sell-by date (or pull date)
§ Last date the product should be sold
§ You can store and use a product after its sell-by date
Food Sensitivities
· Food Allergies
o A condition in which the body’s immune system reacts to substances in some foods
o Peanut, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish are most common
· Food Intolerance
o A negative reaction to a food or part of food caused by a metabolic problem, such as the inability to digest parts of certain foods or food components
o May be hereditary
o Common food intolerances include
§ Reduced ability to digest lactose (milk sugar)
§ Reduced ability to digest gluten (protein in some grain products)
Foodborne Illness
· Also known as Food Poisoning
· Result from eating food contaminated with pathogens, the poisons they produce, or poisonous chemicals
· Causes and Symptoms
o Most common foodborne illnesses are Campylobacter, Salmonella, and E. Coli
o Foods contaminated with pathogens in 2 main way:
§ Contaminated with pathogen spread by an infected person
§ Animals raised or caught for food may harbor disease-causing organisms in their tissues
· Pasteurization
o The process of treating a substance with heat to destroy or slow the growth of pathogens
o Common symptoms of foodborne illness include:
§ Nausea
§ Vomiting
§ Diarrhea
§ Fever
· Can be very dangerous for older adults, very young children, people who are malnourished or those with weakened immune systems
· Minimizing Risks of Foodborne Illness
o Most cases of foodborne illness occur in the home
o Ways to reduce the risk of foodborne illness include:
§ Clean
· Wash your hands thoroughly with hot, soapy water after using the restroom, handling pets, changing diapers, or touching any other obvious source of pathogens
· Prevent cross-contamination
o The spreading of bacteria or other pathogens from one food to another
o Wash cutting boards, utensils, plates, and countertops with hot soapy water after preparing each food item
§ Separate
· Keep raw meat, seafood and poultry from other items in your shopping cart
· Bottom shelf of the refrigerator is a good place to keep these foods
o Juices won’t run onto other foods
· Use separate cutting boards for raw meats and raw vegetables
§ Cook
· Safe temperature if 160° for ground beef, 170° for roasts and poultry, and 145° for fish
· Don’t eat raw meat or eggs
· Sauces, soups and gravies should be brought to a boil before serving
§ Chill
· Cold foods should be stored at 40°F or less
· Frozen foods should be stored at 0°F
· Refrigerate or freeze prepared foods and leftovers within 2 hours after a meal
o Even sooner on a hot day