Nutrition Guidelines

Eat a balanced diet. The key to good nutrition is a varied diet that includes every kind of nutrient. To simplify the planning of a varied diet, nutritionists have devised systems that group foods according to nutrient content. One such system divides foods into five groups: (1) vegetables, (2) fruit, (3) bread, cereals, rice and pasta, (4) milk, yog­hurt and cheese, (5) meat, poultry, fish, dried beans and peas, eggs and nuts.

Additional guidelines, called Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), are provided in the United States by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. In other countries, simi­lar groups provide national nutrition guidelines. The RDAs give health experts estimates of the amounts of essential nutrients needed daily to maintain good nutrition in healthy people. This article includes a table of RDAs.

The RDA for a particular nutrient may vary depending on person’s sex and age.

The RDA for iron, for example, is 12 milligrams for males age 11 to 18 and 15 milligrams for females age 11 to 50. The RDA for cal­cium ranges from 400 milligrams for infants under the age of 6 months to 1.200 milligrams for males and females age 11 to 24 and for preg­nant women.

People also vary in their needs for energy. A person who plays sports daily, for example, needs more calories than someone who does little physical work. Children need more calories than their size would indicate because they are growing. Pregnant women also need extra calories to provide enough nutrients for a healthy baby.

Include fibre. Dietary fibre consists of cellulose and other complex carbohydrates that cannot be absorbed by the body. It passes out of the body as waste. Fibre moves food along through the stomach and intestines, thus helping to prevent constipation. Many experts believe

that it also helps reduce the risk of such rectal and intestinal disorders as haemorrhoids, diverticulitis, cancers of the colon and rectum. Good sources of fibre include wholegrain breads and cereals, beans and peas, vegetables, and fruit.'

Limit your intake of saturated fats and cholesterol. Health experts recommend a diet that is low in saturated fats and cholesterol, a waxy substance found in many animal foods. A high level of blood choles­terol increases the risk of heart disease. Animal products are the source of most saturated fats and all dietary cholesterol. To reduce the intake of saturated fats and cholesterol, health experts suggest choosing lean meats, fish, low-fat dairy products. They also advise using fats and oils sparingly.

Limit your intake of sodium and sugar. A diet that includes a great deal of sodium may increase the risk of high blood pressure. Sodium is found in many foods, including canned vegetables, pick­les, processed cheeses, table salt, and such snack foods as pretzels, potato chips, and nuts. One way to reduce sodium intake is to use herbs and other seasoning instead of salt in cooking and at the table. Another way is to select fresh foods rather than canned or frozen foods.

Foods that contain a lot of sugar are often high in calories and fat but low in minerals, proteins, and vitamins. Nutritionists sometimes call them “empty calorie” foods, because they may make a person feel full but provide few nutrients. In addition, sugar that remains in and around the teeth contributes to tooth decay. Foods that have a large amount of sugar include candies, pastries, many breakfast cereals, and sweetened canned fruits. In place of sugary foods, nutritionists advise people to snack on such foods as fresh fruits and vegetables. They also recommended that people drink unsweetened fruit and vegetable juice instead of soft drinks.

Beware of alcohol. Alcoholic beverages supply calories, but they provide almost no nutrients. In addition, alcohol is a powerful drug, and habitual drinking can lead to many health problems. Health ex­perts recommend that if people choose to drink alcoholic beverages, they consume only small amounts. They suggest that certain people avoid alcohol altogether: children and adolescents, pregnant women, people who are about to drive, anyone who is taking medicine, and those who are unable to limit their drinking.

2. i Read the text and answer the questions.

1. How can many people reduce high blood pressure?

2. What foods may help prevent some cancers in people?

3. Why are deficiency diseases most widespread in developing coun­tries?

4. What are signs of kwashiorkor?

5. When is kwashiorkor fatal?

Nutrition and Diseases

An improper or inadequate diet can lead to a number of diseases. On the other hand, good nutritional habits can help prevent certain diseases.

Heart disease in its most common form is called coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD narrows the coronary arteries and so reduces the blood supply to the heart. It can lead to crippling attacks of chest pain and, eventually, to life-threatening heart attacks. High blood pressure and high levels of blood cholesterol are two of the major risk factors for CAD. Each of these risk factors can often be lessened by following good nutritional practices. Many people with mild high blood pressure can reduce it by limiting their intake of salt and calories. Similarly, many people can lower their blood cholesterol level by reducing the amount of cholesterol, fat — particularly saturated fat — and calories in their diet. They can do so by avoiding such foods as butter, cakes, cookies, egg yolks, fatty meats, tropical oils, and whole-fat dairy pro­ducts.

Cancer. Scientists do not know exactly why cancer develops. But they have found that heredity, environment, and life style all play a role in causing the disease. They have also learned that good nutrition can help prevent certain kinds of cancer in laboratory animals. Large doses of vitamins A and C have been proven to prevent some cancers in animals. Many scientists believer that certain foods contain sub­stance that may help prevent some cancers in people. Such foods in­clude broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, fruits, spinach, who- legrain breads and cereals, and some seafoods. Lessening the intake of fats and increasing the intake of fibre may also help prevent some cancers from forming.

Deficiency diseases. Many diseases result from the deficiency (lack) of certain nutrients in the diet. When the missing nutrient is provided, the disease usually can be eliminated. Deficiency diseases are most widespread in developing countries, where people often lack access to adequate food supplies. The availability of a variety of foods all the year round, along with vitamin and mineral fortification of many foods, have made deficiency diseases less common in most developed countries.

Protein-calorie malnutrition occurs when the diet is low in both proteins and calories. If the diet is especially low in proteins, the con­dition is called kwashiorkor. Signs of kwashiorkor include changes in the colour and texture or the hair and skin, swelling of the body, and damage to the intestines, liver and pancreas. The disease, which is common in some developing nations, usually attacks children who are suffering from an infectious disease. Kwashiorkor is fatal unless the patient is given protein along with food providing calories. If the diet is especially low in calories, the condition is called marasmus. Maras­mus usually attacks infants and young children, and it causes extreme underweight and weakness.

Unit 22 VITAMINS

[ l] Learn the following words.

sufficient	[sa'fijnt]	достатній
convert	[kon'vs:t]	перетворювати
essential	[isenjal]	необхідний, суттєвий
deficiency	[di'fijansi]	недостатність, дефіцит
soluble	[soljubl]	розчинний
dissolve	[di'zolv]	розчиняти
cod liver oil	[ kod 'liva 'oil]	риб’ячий жир
ascorbic acid	[s'sko-.bik aesid]	аскорбінова кислота
dairy	['deari]	молочний
wheat germ oil	[ wi:t d33:m oil]	масло зародків пшениці
whole-grain cereals	[ haulgrein siarialz]	цільнозернові злаки
yeast		дріжджі
lean	[li:n]	пісний
legume	[ legju;m)	боби, бобові
fortify	[fo:tifai]	збагачувати; вітамінізувати
unrefined	[,Anri'faind]	нерафінований, неочищений
scurvy	['sks:vi]	цинга, гіпомітаміноз віт. С
rickets	[rikits]	рахіт, остеомаляція
retention	[ri'tenjn]	затримання

[ 2]Match the following terms with their definitions.

1 deficiency	a any of various organic substances that are essential in minute quantities to the nutrition of most animals and some plants
2 cod liver oil	b a condition in which the blood is deficient in red blood cells or in haemoglobin

3 starch	c a molecule capable of inhibiting the oxidation of other molecules
4 anaemia	d a limitation on the use or enjoyment of property or a facility
5 gut flora	e a deficiency disease that affects the young during the period of skeletal growth, is characterized especially by soft and deformed bones
6 restriction	f a shortage of substances necessary to health
7 vitamin	g microorganisms that live in the digestive tracts
8 scurvy	h a white odourless tasteless granular or powdery com­plex carbohydrate in plants
9 rickets	i a nutritional supplement derived from the liver of cod fish with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A and D
10 antioxidant	j a disease characterized by spongy gums, loosening of the teeth, and a bleeding into the skin and mucous membranes

3]Translate the following sentences into Ukrainian.

1. Vitamin A deficiency is estimated to affect approximately one third of children under the age of five around the world.

2. Vitamin C is found in high concentrations in immune cells, and is consumed quickly during infections.

3. In modern Western societies, scurvy is rarely present in adults, although infants and elderly people may be affected.

4. A multivitamin is a preparation intended to supplement a human diet with vitamins, dietary minerals and other nutritional ele­ments.

5. Wheat germ oil contains the four fatty acids which have been re­ported to lower plasma cholesterol in humans.

6. In their natural form whole-grain cereals are a rich source of vita­mins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, oils, and protein.

7. Cod liver oil is widely taken to ease the pain and joint stiffness

associated with arthritis, and has also been clinically proven to

have a positive effect on the heart, bones, skin, hair, and nails.

8. Soft cod liver can be tinned (canned) and eaten. It is an important source of vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids.

9. Children and adults both require folic acid to produce healthy red blood cells and prevent anaemia.

10. Rickets is among the most frequent childhood diseases in many developing countries. The predominant cause is a vitamin D defi­ciency, but lack of adequate calcium in the diet may also lead U> rickets.