Nutrition 101
Quiz Results
See
how you scored! Then read the informative article below.
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Question |
Correct
Answer |
Your
Answer |
| 1. |
Larger portions make us eat more. |
True |
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True. We’ve grown used to eating portions way bigger than we need. Larger portions, known affectionately as portion distortion is one of the many explanations given for our increasing incidence of obesity. |
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| 2. |
The body’s fuel comes from protein, fat, and carbohydrates. |
True
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True. All three nutrients provide calories, which are what the body uses for energy. |
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| 3.
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An average bakery bagel is 2 servings of grain foods. |
False
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False.
Bagels have “exploded." The average bagel is now about 5 ounces and equals about 5 servings of grain foods. |
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| 4. |
When you are young, you can pretty much eat whatever you want . |
False |
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False. Good nutrition and good health habits should start early. What you eat now can have some impact on your long-term health. |
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| 5.
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Eating breakfast can help control late night cravings. |
True |
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True. Research suggests that breakfast eaters tend to weigh less and have better balance to their day. College students should plan to eat a snack if they are up late at night, but it should be real food as opposed to unlimited amounts of “junk." |
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Nutrition 101: The Basics
Eating well today means living well tomorrow—literally. What you choose to eat ultimately impacts your long-term health, but what you ate this morning or what you have for dinner tonight has immediate repercussions. Take a look at your mood, your stamina, yourself in the mirror: food is an important factor in each of these.
Food supplies us with the basics. It fills us when we are hungry, it satisfies our senses and it provides us with the nutrients we need to stay healthy. Just what are those nutrients?
Take a look at your mood, your stamina, yourself in the mirror: food is an important factor in each of these. |
Vitamins and minerals are nutrients needed to keep your body healthy. They help the body use food properly. While vitamins and minerals are available in pills, the real deal is what is found in food.
Protein, fat and carbohydrates are the “big nutrients,” or macronutrients. They are found in food in varying amounts. When we eat they are digested and used by the body for fuel or energy. The amount of energy produced when a food is digested is measured in calories. Calories are your body’s fuel.
In addition to supplying calories, protein, fat, and carbohydrates have specific jobs in the body: building new cells, transporting vitamins in the blood and causing certain chemical reactions to occur in your body, to name a few.
We need all three nutrients in different amounts to be healthy. How do you go about getting the right balance? Eating the right mix most of the time is the goal. Rest assured your diet can be far from perfect and still be healthy.
Rest assured your diet can be far from perfect and still be healthy. |
The food guide pyramid is a pictorial tool used to help you plan a healthy diet. The pyramid is presently being renovated, but the basic concepts of balance, variety and moderation should remain intact. Using the pyramid to plan your diet will allow you to include food that taste good, food that is satisfying, food that is nutritious and food that is available.
The pyramid gives a range of servings to be included from each food group. How many servings you eat depends on your age and how active you are. Remember that servings (used by the pyramid) and portions are not the same. To keep your diet balanced, read Portion Distortion.
As you start the school year remember the best start to your day is with breakfast. Breakfast is what you eat within an hour of waking. It doesn’t need to be traditional breakfast food and it doesn’t need to be eaten in the morning. Breakfast gets your body going, revs your engine, helps you to control late-day cravings and is an easy way to get a meal rich in nutrients. Once you get breakfast organized, the rest of the day falls into place that much easier.
Welcome back to school. Start the day strong and start the year off right! (For a little help with meal planning, read Balanced Choices.)
Can healthy eating and college life go together? Absolutely! Get the nutrition facts you need in the book Eating Well on Campus by Ann Litt, M.S., R.D., L.D.
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