Download Nutrition

What is Nutrition?
• The process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for
health and growth
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.
MyPlate is the perfect
guide to healthy eating
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
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
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
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
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
Reading Your Food Label
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 wellbeing. 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.
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 LDN
[email protected]
704-687-7382