JLBC Cadet Corps: Nutrition of the Student

JLBC Cadet Corps: Nutrition of the Student

JLBC Healthy eating patterns for a student

JLBC Cadets Your body needs macronutrients to complete daily tasks. JLBC Cadets Not all macronutrients are equal to their weight per unit, so to eat healthily, JLBC Cadets, there has to be a ratio of intake of the food energy of those three types of macronutrients. JLBC Cadets It is suggested that a typical diet should consist of 45-65% carbohydrates, 20-35% fat, and 10-35% protein. JLBC Cadets There has to be a balance to be the best combination for an individual’s body. JLBC Cadets Carbohydrates are the body’s primary energy source; there are two types - simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are sugars, including essential table sugar, fructose sugar from fruit, and sucrose, primarily found in soft drinks. They are the quick fuel. JLBC Cadets Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest because their chemical structure is harder to break down, such as bread, beans, and vegetables. JLBC Cadets Micronutrients are items that the body needs smaller amounts of, such as vitamins and minerals. JLBC Cadets Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) is the system the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine publishes to designate recommended amounts of micronutrients needed to be consumed. JLBC Cadets Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) tells us the minimum amount of nutrients to maintain and meet the health needs of most people. JLBC Cadets Adequate Intake (AI) is commonly used when the RDA of a micronutrient is not sufficient. JLBC Cadets A tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) is the maximum number of vitamins or minerals consumed without causing a health risk (Corbin, 2014).

JLBC Cadets Eating healthy is all about choices. The choice must be to make it a habit or pattern. Following MyPlate.gov, there are five primary areas for creating the design. JLBC Cadets It suggests that to have a healthy diet, an individual needs to focus on fruits, add variance in their vegetable selections, make about half of the grains a whole grain, eat

lean proteins and ingest calcium-rich foods. (Corbin, 2014).

JLBC Cadets Examples of how to develop the patterns of healthy eating are to use the principles in the figure. JLBC Cadets The first thing is to ditch excess empty calories, which are foods that are full of simple carbohydrates like candy, pastries, and sugary soft drinks. The model shows that the most consumed food should be vegetables such as dark green and orange produce. JLBC Cadets The next most significant section is grains, ensuring they are the whole grain variety in bread or cereals. JLBC Cadets Fruits are the third-largest portion; any form - fresh, canned, frozen, or dried - is encouraged. The minor amount on the plate is the protein section. This section includes beef, poultry, pork, seafood (fresh or canned), beans, peas, nuts, or seeds. JLBC Cadets It suggests making sure they are lean cuts such as skinless and fish with high omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, tuna, mackerel, trout, halibut, sardines, and herring are the best sources). JLBC Cadets The portion outside the plate contains dairies such as milk, cheese, yogurts, or milk-based desserts. Choosing low-fat or fat-free options is optimal, but the tastes may vary (Corbin, 2014).

“Meal prepping” is a newer term or buzzword enthusiasts use in exchange for using the FIT formula for nutrition. Nutrition uses the FIT formula from the perspective of

• JLBC Frequency: eating three meals a day with planned snacks