[1B] Assessing the Nutritional Content of Foods & Diets

serving size

represents the amount of food typically

eaten by consumers in a single sitting based on a

reference amount by Health Canada

provided in household

measurements (e.g., cups, teaspoons, number of

pieces, or a fraction of the whole) followed by the

metric equivalent of that measurement (g or mL)

Calories AKA

kilocalories (kcal)

Recommended daily value of average person Calories (kilocalories)

~2000

how to convert between kilocalories/Calories, joules, kilojoules, and calories

calories > kcal/Cal (/1000)

kcal/Cal > KJ (x4.1)

KJ > J (x1000)

main macronutrients in food (3)

Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins

kcal/g and kJ/g of carbs, lipids, protein, alcohol energy densities

How to calculate servings total

Divide total amount made or consumed by serving size (make sure same metrics)

Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR)

proportion of energy from each macronutrient where nutritional needs are likely to be met for health and function

AMDRs for Carbohydrates, Lipids, and Proteins

Carbohydrates = 45% to 65%

Lipids = 20% to 35%

Protein = 10% to 35%

DV values

<5% of DV is a little, >15% of DV is a lot 

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)

are reference values that are quantitative estimates of nutrient intakes used for planning and assessing diets for healthy people.

estimated based upon the needs of a healthy population of a specific demographic.

DRIs help determine…

At what intake level…

Ø Does the risk of a chronic disease significantly increase or decrease?

ØDo we see an uptick in confirmed cases of toxicity or deficiency?

ØDoes a typical person have sufficient metabolite levels?

Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)

amount of a nutrient that meets needs of 50% of the population (of a given gender, life stage, etc.). (i.e. median)

useful at population level NOT individuals

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

amount of nutrient intake that meets the needs of most healthy individuals in the population

BEST number especially for inviduals

Someone consuming their RDA means what

they are highly unlikely to have a deficiency

Daily Value (DV) calculated how

with RDA

100% DV = RDA

Adequate Intake (AI)

When RDA not known or can’t be determined because deficiency is rare

Substitute for RDA for individual recommendations (can be same or diff as RDA)

Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)

threshold amount (maximum) of a nutrient that can be consumed without significant risk of adverse health effects (toxicity).

Many nutrients do not have a UL (“ND”) because it is too high or too rare to accurately determine at the population level. 

Where is a good spot to be for an individual for intake

Above RDA under UL

Protein DRIs are based on, protein/day calculation

body weight

protein/day = kg x (_g/kg)

=_g/day

How to calculate BMI

wt / (ht²)

BMI categories

underweight <18.5

healthy weight 18.5-24.9

overweight 25.0-29.9

obese >30

How to calculate total kcal

sum of all kcal sources

CHO intake x 4 + protein intake x 4 + lipid intake x 9 + _kcal + alcohol intake x7

How to calculate AMDRs

1. find total caloric intake

2. find calorie from macronutrient (consumed(g) x 4(or 9,7)) (kcalCHO)

3. (kcalCHO / kcal total) x 100

4. % compare to each range for the macronutrients

How to go from kcals of a macronutrient to grams, rule to remember

kcals / 4(or 9 or 7) = grams

Grams > kcal = multiply

kcal > grams = divide

How to find grams when given AMDR %

1. find calories from CHO and convert % to decimal

2. kcal x %

3. divide that by 4 (or 9 or 7)(aka kcal/gram) = grams

4. (total kcal x decimal percent / kcal/g)