How Healthy Is Your Diet?

　　你的饮食有多健康？

　　by Kathiann M. Kowalski

　　Do you only read the Nutrition Facts label to figure out how many calories your cookies have? If so, you’re missing out on the real benefits of an important nutrition tool.

　　Use the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Nutrition Facts label with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Guide Pyramid. These easy-to-use tools can help you choose a healthy diet.

　　Read the Label

　　Start with the size and number of servings per package. If you actually eat two servings of chips, for example, double all the calories and nutrients.

　　Don’t just look at the total calories and calories from fat. “People can use the label not just to limit nutrients that are linked to increased risks for diseases,” says Naomi Kulakow at the FDA, “but also to get enough of others that reduce health risks.” To stay under 100 percent of your daily values for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, choose foods with a low percentage Daily Value (DV).

　　On the other hand, says Kulakow, “You want to get at least 100 percent of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.” As a rough guide, 5 percent or less represents a small amount of a nutrient. Twenty percent or more is high.

　　The label’s percentages are based on an adult eating 2,000 calories daily. Each person’s calorie requirements vary according to age, weight, and activity level. Nonetheless, percent DVs are an easy-to-use reference for comparing foods.

　　Choose Your Foods

　　Does the Nutrition Facts label tell which foods are “good” or “bad”? No, says Kulakow, but there are good and bad diets.

　　“It’s the diet for the day, not necessarily an individual food, that matters,” she stresses. “It’s how you balance your choices that counts. The label’s important because it empowers you to make informed choices and dietary trade-offs to achieve balance and moderation.”

　　In other words, if your other choices are sensible, enjoy some ice cream. Just don’t devour a triple cheeseburger, supersize fries, and sugary soda, too.

　　Where can you find healthy choices? “The Food Guide Pyramid can be very helpful,” says Kulakow. Eat plenty of grains, especially whole grains. Include five to nine servings of vegetables and fruits, plus two to three servings each from the milk and meat groups. Pay attention to serving size.

　　Then read labels and compare. FDA requires almost all packaged foods to carry nutrition labels. Supermarkets often display charts or similar information for produce, seafood, and certain meats. Even fast food restaurants often give nutrition information if you ask.

　　Now, please join the activity to discover whether your diet measures up.

　　你在计算你的饼干中含多少热量时，是不是仅仅读包装上的营养构成说明呢？如果是这样的，你就错过了使用一个重要的营养监测工具的机会。

　　看一下FDA所公布的营养数据签和美国农业部的食品营养指南宝塔图。这些容易使用的工具能够帮助你选择健康的饮食。

　　读标签

　　先要看一看一包食品的数量和大小。如果你实际上吃两份炸薯片，那你就要把所有的营养素和热量的数值乘以二。

　　不要只看食物的总热量数和脂肪一栏下所含的热量数。FDA的纳尔米·库拉克说：“通过观看这些信息，人们不仅仅会让自己尽量少食用那些会增加疾病危险的营养素，他们还能知道应当获得哪些营养素来降低健康风险。”如果你要保持每天摄入的脂肪量、脂肪酸量、胆固醇量和钠含量在人体所需量的100%以下，你就要选择一些每日脂肪量值低的食物。

　　库拉克又说：“你希望得到至少100%的纤维素、维生素和矿物质。”作为一个粗略的估算，低于5%意味着获得的营养素低。如果含量超过20%，就说明所得到的营养素较高。

　　标签上的百分比是根据成人每日需要2000卡热量的标准计算出来的。根据年龄、体重和活动量的不同，每人每日对热量的需求也不同。尽管如此，每日需求量的百分比值便于对食物进行比较。

　　选择你的食物

　　食物的营养构成是不是能够说明食物是“好”还是“坏”呢？库拉克说情况并非如此。但饮食的确有好坏之分。

　　她强调说：“这主要指的是每天的饮食而不是某一单一的食物。重要的是你如何平衡自己的饮食。标签的重要性在于它使你有能力作出明智的选择，使你为了获得平衡和节制的饮食而放弃某些食品。”

　　换句话说，如果你的其他选择是合理的话，吃一些冰激凌也无妨。只是不要一下子吃掉一个三层吉士汉堡、超大份的薯条和含糖的苏打饮料。

　　你如何才能作出健康的选择呢？库拉克说食品营养指南宝塔图对你会很有帮助的。要吃足够的谷物，特别是全麦。每天要吃5～9份蔬菜和水果，另外还要吃1～3份奶制品和肉制品。要注意每份菜的多少。

　　然后阅读标签进行比较。FDA要求所有的包装食品上都应附有营养素标签。超市也经常为一些农产品、海鲜和肉制品提供类似的营养信息。如果你去问的话，就连快餐店也为你提供营养信息。

　　接下来亲自动手测试一下你的饮食是否符合标准。

　　Does Your Diet Measure Up?

　　你的饮食符合标准吗？

　　Use a notebook, ruler, and pen to check your food choices. Start by focusing on saturated fat and calcium.

　　Saturated fat can increase risks for heart disease and some cancers. Try to stay under 100 percent of the DV.

　　On the other hand, most teens don’t get enough calcium. Teens need even more calcium than adults because bones grow significantly between ages 11 and 18. Aim for 130 percent of the DV.

　　1. Draw a vertical line down the center of your notebook paper. Draw another line halfway between that line and the right margin. Label the columns Food, Calcium, and Saturated Fat.

　　2. Beginning with breakfast, list every food, drink, and snack you consume in the left column. (Hint: Don’t skip breakfast. Not only do you need the energy, but most people get significant amounts of calcium at breakfast.)

　　3. In the other columns, list each food’s percent DV for calcium and saturated fat from the Nutrition Facts label. Include all servings you eat of each food.

　　4. At the end of the day, add up the percent DVs. Did your calcium add up to 130 percent, or would more skim milk or calcium-fortified juice have helped? Did you limit saturated fat to less than 100 percent, or did those four pieces of pizza push you over the top?

　　5. Chart your choices for a second day. Try to come closer to your goals. If some of your calcium-rich choices from Day 1 were high in saturated fat, for example, try substituting lower-fat alternatives.

　　As you get in the habit of reading labels, focus on other nutrients, too. Choose wisely, and you can enjoy lots of healthy, delicious foods.

　　用笔记本、标尺和钢笔来检查你作出的食物选择。一开始要关注饱和脂肪和钙。

　　饱和脂肪可以增加患心脏病和某些癌症的危险。尽力使自己的摄入量保持在每日需求量的100%的水平以下。

　　另一方面，大多数青少年没有获得足够的钙。青少年比成年人需要更多的钙，因为人的骨头在11～18岁生长得最快。青少年应摄入每日需求量130%的钙。

　　1. 在笔记本的一页的中间划一条竖线。在这条线和右边距的中间再划一条线。把这三栏标为“食品”、“钙”和“饱和脂肪”。

　　2. 从早饭开始，在左面一栏列出你吃的每一样食物、饮料和零食。（注意：不要不吃早餐。不仅仅是因为你需要能量，还因为大多数人从早餐获得大量的钙。）

　　3. 在其他两栏中，按照食品标签的内容，列出食物中所含每日所需营养素的百分比。要包含你所吃每一种食物的份数。

　　4. 在一天结束后，把所有营养素的百分比加起来。你摄入的钙加起来达到了130%吗？或者吃更多的脱脂牛奶或高钙果汁有帮助吗？你把饱和脂肪的摄入量限制在100%以下了吗？那四块比萨饼是不是让你的营养素摄入量达到了最高点？

　　5. 为你第二天的选择画一张图。尽量要接近你的目标。如果第一天所选择的高钙食品中含很多饱和脂肪，那你就要用饱和脂肪含量低的食物来替换它。

　　当你养成了读标签的习惯，你就要关注其他的营养素了。要作出明智的选择。这样，你就会享受大量的健康和美味的食品了。