Nutrition

1. Nutrition

2. What is Nutrition? • The process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth

3. Why is Nutrition Important? • Nutrition focuses on how diseases, conditions and problems can be prevented or lessened with a healthy diet.  • Nutrition also involves identifying how certain diseases, conditions or problems may be caused by dietary factors, such as poor diet (malnutrition), food allergies, metabolic diseases, etc.

4. MyPlate is the perfect guide to healthy eating

5. Vegetables (2.5 Cups every day) • Eat more red, orange and dark green vegetables. • Add beans or peas to side dishes or serve as a main dish. • Fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables all count! Choose reduced-sodium or no-salt added canned vegetables. • What counts as a cup? • 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice • 2 cups of leafy salad greens • ½ baseball= 1 veggie serving

6. FrUiTs (2 Cups every day) • Use fruits as snacks, salads, and desserts. • At breakfast, top your cereal with bananas or strawberries, add blueberry to pancakes. • Buy dry, frozen, or canned (in water or100% juice), or fresh fruits • Buy 100% fruit juice! • What counts as a cup? • 1 cup of raw or cooked fruit • 100% fruit juice • ½ cup dried fruit

7. Grains (6 ounces every day) • Substitute whole grain choices for refined grain breads, bagels, rolls, breakfast cereals, crackers, rice and pasta. • Look for the words “whole” or “whole grain” on the ingredients label. • Select products that list whole grain first on the list of ingredients. • What counts as an ounce? • 1 slice of bread • ½ cup of cooked rice, cereal, or pasta • 1 ounce of cereal

8. Dairy (3 Cups every day) • Choose skim (fat-free) or 1% (low-fat) milk. They have the same amount of nutrients but less fat and calories. • Top fruits, salads, and baked potatoes with low-fat yogurt. • Try lactose-free or soy milk if you are lactose intolerant • What counts as a cup? • One cup of milk, yogurt, or fortified soy milk • 1.5 ounces natural or 2 ounces processed cheese

9. Protein (5.5 Ounces every day) • Eat a variety of foods from the protein group like seafood, beans, peas, nuts, lean meat, poultry, and eggs • Make seafood your protein twice a week • Trim or drain fat from meat and remove skin from poultry to cut fat and calories • What counts as an ounce? • One ounce of lean meat, poultry, or fish • One egg • 1 tablespoon of peanut butter • ½ ounce nuts/seeds • ¼ cup beans or peas

10. Reading Your Food Label

12. Don’t forget to exercise! • Regular exercise can prevent or lower the risks of developing cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, colon cancer and stroke. • Physical activity also promotes psychological well-being. It reduces the risk of depression and lowers stress levels. • The American Heart Association recommends at least a half-hour of moderate or vigorous physical activity on most days for healthy people.

13. Do you need help understanding your nutritional needs? • UNC Charlotte has a Registered Dietitian (RD) available to students at no cost for help with healthy eating, managing body weight, overcoming an eating disorder, or simply eating healthy on campus • Katie Powers M.S. RD CSSD LDNmkpowers@uncc.edu704‑687‑7382