The definition of diet is anything that is consumed by a particular person or people on a regular basis. That means if someone routinely drinks coffee in the morning, that is part of his/her diet. If a person consistently eats a Big Mac from McDonald’s, that is part of his/her diet.
However, it is clear that food choices influence short-term and long-term health. That is why it is so important to make wise choices in what one eats on a regular basis. If a person chooses to have a diet high in calories without balancing energy use, that person can expect to put on unhealthy weight. A diet that is high in fiber, with the appropriate amount of calories and proper amounts of the macronutrients, will contribute to a healthy body.
When people discuss “going on a diet,” they are actually talking about changing their existing dietary habits in order to change their body shape. All people are “on a diet” because everyone eats! Many times, the term diet is thought of as a method to lose weight or to change body shape. However, it is important to focus on the nutritional concepts listed below, so long-term health can be achieved.
Decisions about nutrition can be difficult. Knowing and using scientific research can lead to better health. Over time public health organizations have developed tools based on nutritional science to help people design healthy diets. These tools should be used as guidelines for each individual with the awareness that everyone is different and therefore has different needs. Everyone, regardless of age, size, shape, physique, can benefit from learning and utilizing the following tools:
Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR)
The AMDR describes the proportions of daily caloric intake that should be carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. Basically the AMDR provides guidelines on how many macronutrient calories one should consume a day.
According to the AMDR, the range of caloric intake in a daily diet should be:
- Carbohydrates: 45-65%
- Lipids: 20-35%
- Proteins: 10-35%
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI)
The DRI’s are reference values of nutrient intake that help with nutrition planning and assessment of healthy individuals. There are four measures that together comprise the DRI:
- Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA): the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of nearly all (about 97%) healthy individuals in a group. This is the basic quantity of a nutrient recommended.
- Adequate Intake (AI): a value based on observed or experimentally determined approximations of nutrient intake by a group (or groups) of healthy people—used when an RDA cannot be determined. This is the minimum amount of a nutrient needed for maintaining health.
- Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL): the highest level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects to almost all individuals in the general population. As intake increases above the UL, the risk of adverse effects increases. This is the maximum that would be consumed prior to developing negative effects of eating too much. This is not a level that is met, but rather one that is avoided to prevent a decrease in health.
- Estimated Average Requirement (EAR): a nutrient intake value that is estimated to meet the requirement of half the healthy individuals in a group. These nutrient values should be used as goals for dietary intake for health.
Click here to view a copy of a DRI table from the USDA.
4 Key Concepts for Personalizing a Healthy Diet
Personalizing meal plans can be extremely beneficial psychologically as well as physically. Knowing that one is eating healthy reduces some of the subconscious doubts about doing what needs to be done to be well. However, as with every healthy practice, there can be pitfalls. To help avoid these, there are 4 approaches that can be taken:
- Assessing and changing your diet
- Staying committed to a healthy diet
- Try additions and substitutions to bring your current diet closer to your goals
- Plan ahead for challenging situations
Planning Meals
Individual requirements for nutrients vary considerably depending on factors such as age and gender. Other relevant factors are size, metabolic rate, and occupation. A farmer would have a different dietary need than someone in a sedentary occupation. The body also has stores of certain nutrients (fat-soluble vitamins, for example) so that variations in daily intake of such nutrients can be accommodated. Thus it could be misleading to recommend a particular daily intake level.
When considering dietary needs, various techniques have been established by health officials to assist people in choosing foods and food amounts wisely. Choose My Plate is a graphic representation of what a healthy plate of food might look like.
Other tools, such as meal planning guides have also been established.
Nutrition Labels
Perhaps one of the most effective tools provided to consumers is the nutrition label that is by law on food packaging.