Chapter 8 Making Healthy Choices 141 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. can help people stay within their daily calorie needs. Healthy eating patterns include whole grains and limit the amounts of refi ned grains and products made with refi ned grains. To include whole-grain foods more often, look for product labels that include the whole grains health claim or the number of grams of whole grain in the product. A product that is 100-percent whole grain will contain 16 grams of whole grains per ounce. Another hint that a food is 100-percent whole grain is if whole-grain ingredients are listed fi rst in the ingredients list. Like fruits and vegetables, dairy products— milk, yogurt, and cheese—are low in many American diets. Increasing intake of these foods will provide needed potassium, calcium, and vitamin D. Fat-free and low-fat milk are the most nutrient-dense forms of dairy products. Flavored yogurt often has added sugars. Whole and reduced fat (2%) milk and cheese contain solid fats. Replacing higher fat products with those that are lower in fat will reduce calorie intake. People who do not wish to use cows’ milk prod- ucts can use fortifi ed soy beverages instead. Most American diets include suffi cient protein however, eating patterns can be improved with slight changes to the choice of proteins. For instance, choosing more lean forms of meat and poultry, and limiting processed meat and poultry will reduce solid fats and sodium. Choosing unsalted nuts and seeds will reduce sodium in the diet. Seafood will supply benefi cial oils. Beans and peas are an affordable, low-fat, high-fi ber source of protein. Oils are important to good health, but are calorie dense. For this reason, oils should replace solid fats in the diet, rather than be an addition. Another step many people must take to balance calories is to be mindful of amounts and avoid oversized portions. Unfortunately, large portions are common in many restaurants. Choosing smaller portions from appetizer or lunch menus is one way to address this concern. Splitting a meal with someone and setting aside food to take home are other ways to avoid eating large portions. When not eating out, be aware of the amounts of food eaten at one time. Read the Nutrition Facts panels on food labels. Check serving sizes listed on labels and compare them with the amounts of food typically eaten. Realize that eating a portion that is double the given serving size will provide twice the number of calories listed. Learn to estimate serving sizes more accurately using your hand as a guide (Figure 8.6). When dishing up foods, serve small amounts. At meals, use small plates to make modest (limited in size) food portions look bigger. This will keep you from putting more food on the plate than you really need or want. When eating snacks, put small portions in dishes rather than eating out of packages. Limit Calories from Added Sugars and Saturated Fats, and Reduce Sodium Intake For many people, choosing a nutrient-dense diet means eating less of some foods. These include foods that provide a lot of empty calories. Empty calories come from solid fats and added sugars, which offer little nutritional value in foods. Some foods, such as sugar-sweetened drinks, candy, and desserts, provide mostly empty calo- ries. Save these foods for occasional treats and choose small portions. Empty calories are also found in many nutritious foods. For instance, fruit-fl avored yogurt is a good source of calcium and protein, but it contains a lot of added sugars, too. Fried fi sh is high in omega-3 fatty acids, but the batter and frying oil add a number of empty calories. Plain, fat-free yogurt fl avored with fresh fruit and broiled fi sh would be more nutrient-dense versions of these foods. Foods nearly everyone needs to eat less of include those that are high in sodium. In the United States, most people consume more than the recommended amount of this nutrient. Most of the sodium in the average diet comes from processed foods. Read the Nutrition Facts panel to see how much sodium foods contain. Compare products and choose those that have lower amounts. Also limit the amount of salt added to foods during preparation and at the table. Sodium is a vital nutrient. However, too much salt in the diet can cause high blood pres- sure. Potassium helps offset some of the effects sodium has on blood pressure. Therefore, along with curbing sodium, make an effort to increase potassium intake. Foods like baked potatoes, tomato products, and yogurt are good sources of this mineral.