Eat whole grain breads and cereals that contain fiber. Fats Fats give you energy, and they help the body absorb certain vitamins. Certain kinds of fat can be bad for your health—saturated fats and trans fats: Saturated fats are found in the greatest amounts in butter, beef fat, and coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils.
Higher-fat meats and dairy and cakes, cookies, and some snack foods are higher in saturated fats. Dishes with many ingredients are common sources of saturated fat, including pizza, casseroles, burgers, tacos, and sandwiches. Trans fats, which is short for trans fatty acids, occur naturally in some foods but are also artificially produced. Because trans fats are not healthy, food manufacturers are phasing them out. But trans fats can still be found in some processed foods, such as some desserts, microwave popcorn, frozen pizza, margarine, and coffee creamer.
Replace saturated and trans fats with these two types of healthier fats while keeping total fat intake within the recommended range: Monounsaturated fats. These are found in the greatest amounts in canola, olive, peanut, sunflower, and safflower oils and in avocados, peanut butter, and most nuts. Polyunsaturated fats. These are found in the greatest amounts in sunflower, corn, soybean, and cottonseed oils and in fatty fish, walnuts, and some seeds. To lower the saturated fat in your diet: Choose cuts of meat with less fat and remove the skin from chicken Use low-fat or fat-free dairy products Choose oils, such as olive or canola, for cooking Replace ingredients higher in saturated fats with vegetables, whole grains, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, or lean cuts of meats and poultry Read the Nutrition Facts label and choose products lower in saturated fats Read about this topic in Spanish.
Related Articles. Macronutrients include water, protein, carbohydrates , and fats. Keep reading for more information about where to find these nutrients, and why a person needs them. The six essential nutrients are vitamins , minerals, protein, fats, water, and carbohydrates.
There are 13 essential vitamins that nutritionists divide into two groups: fat soluble and water soluble. Typically, a person who eats a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins can get all the vitamins they need in their food.
However, those who eat less fruit and vegetables, and those with digestive conditions may need to take a vitamin supplement to reduce or avoid a deficiency. Find out what vitamins are and what they do here. Minerals are the second type of micronutrients. There are two groups of minerals: major and trace minerals. The body needs a balance of minerals from both groups for optimal health. Proteins carry out a variety of functions , including:. A person can take in proteins through their diet.
The following foods are good sources of protein:. Although meats and fish tend to contain the highest levels of protein, vegans and vegetarians can get enough protein from various plant products. Learn how much protein a person needs each day. People often associate high fat foods with bad health. However, a person needs certain fats to help maintain optimal health. Fats provide the body with energy and help it carry out a range of functions.
However, it is essential to consume healthful fats, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and limit or avoid saturated and trans fats. Find out the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats. Carbohydrates are essential to the body. We all need calcium everyday for these reasons. Children and teenagers need more calcium than adults do because your bodies are still growing.
Like we said earlier, your body has more calcium in it than any other mineral. Sources of calcium are milk, cheese, yogurt, green leafy vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and turnips, and some seafood sardines. Iron is an important mineral for energy. Iron works with protein to help the red blood cells make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is needed to help carry oxygen to all parts of your body. That oxygen gives you energy to play, run, and do work. Iron is very necessary in our diets.
If you do not have enough you may feel tired and weak because your blood probably isn't carrying enough oxygen to other parts of your body. Sources of Iron include liver, poultry, lean meats, eggs, green leafy vegetables, bread, cereals, prunes, raisins, and dried apricots. Sodium is an element that we all get plenty of! Actually in the United States we take in much more than we need. We should not take in more than milligrams per day of sodium. Sodium is in a lot of foods and beverages we consume as well as in salt.
Lots of processed foods have sodium in them for flavor and to preserve the food. Be aware of sauces, mustard, ketchup, pickles, salty snacks, and sandwich meat because these all have lots of sodium. The food label, titled nutrition facts, can help you to choose foods within the pyramid groups. It is important to know that some foods are not required to have labels on them. These foods are fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and generic foods.
The label will always have certain information that you can compare with other foods. What things would you expect to find on a nutrition label? Well, let's look at our labels so you can get a better feel for where to find all of this information.
The nutrition facts have a lot of information listed in a small amount of space. Who normally looks at the labels on the foods they eat???
First we have the serving sizes which are based on standard servings so that most foods have the same amounts listed. This makes it easier to compare calories and it is more realistic. The next item listed are the calories per serving and the calories from fat. Then the label lists the nutrients most important to your health. You will recognize these from our study earlier. They are: total fat which some of it is saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate,which is broken down into dietary fiber and sugars, and finally, protein.
These numbers are the percentage per serving of this food as compared to the amount recommended in a 2, calorie diet. An example of these nutrient needs is usually listed at the bottom of the label. It gives you the exact amount of the nutrients that would be needed for a 2, calorie diet.
You will see that only two vitamins and two minerals are listed. Can you name what they are??? Vitamin A,C; Calcium and Iron. The list of ingredients will list the ingredients from most to least by weight. If any coloring or additives are included they will also be listed. This list is where you would find any hidden ingredients like sugar, sodium, or preservatives.
Who can find some other words for sugar or simple carbohydrates??? Sugars could be listed as any of the following: sucrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, honey, syrup, corn syrup, molasses, or fruit juice concentrate.
If a lot of these are listed the food is going to be high in sugars. Let's look at those food labels and try to find any hidden sugars or fats. Research has shown that children watch more than 20, commercials each year. These items being advertised are mostly non-nutritious foods and food products. Because children watch so much television it is important that you think about what you are hearing and seeing.
Remember that you are watching an advertisement. Food corporations spend a lot of money on their commercials so that the food looks very appetizing.
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