Dietary Fiber

Dietary Fiber

February 21st, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Fiber is important to our well being because:

  • it lowers the blood cholesterol, especially low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
  • undigested fiber helps to increase stool bulk.
  • it slows down the speed at which food passes through small intestine and hence helps the absorption of nutrients from food.
  • it can help passing motion by preventing water from being removed from stools.

There are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Most plant foods contain both.

Soluble Fiber

There are a few types of soluble fiber:

  • Pectin (found in citrus fruits and apple)
  • Beta-glucans (found in oats, barley and rye)
  • Arabinose (found in pulses)

Insoluble Fiber

Insoluble fiber could be foud in wheats, corn, rice, vegetables and pulses. Because our body has no enzyme that can break down the fiber into smaller pieces for absorption, undigested fiber can relieve constipation. Dietery of insoluble fiber could also help to prevent bowel cancer, diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome.

Good Sources of Fiber

Food / 100g Amount (g)
Bulgur, dry 18
Barley, pearled, raw 16
Oat bran, raw 15
Wheat flour, whole-grain 12
Navy beans, boiled without salt 10
Pinto beans, boiled without salt 9
Black beans, boiled without salt 9
Artichokes, (globe or french), cooked 9
Turnip greens, boiled without salt 9
Split peas, boiled without salt 8
Lentils, boiled without salt 8
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), boiled without salt 8
Baked beans, canned, with franks 7
Red kidney beans, boiled without salt 7
Soybeans, boiled without salt 6
Couscous, dry 5
Blackberries, raw 5
Roasted chestnuts 5
Spaghetti, whole-wheat, cooked 5
Raspberries, sweetened 4
Tomato paste, without salt added 4
Asian pears, raw 4
Brussels sprouts, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 4
Prunes, without added sugar 3
Pumpkin, canned, without salt 3
Winter squash, baked without salt 3

How Much Vitamins You Need?

Dietary reference intake (DRIs): recommended intakes for infants, children, pregnant women and breastfeeding moms.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D

February 21st, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Vitamin D is essential for the following body functions:

  • abortion of calcium and phosphorus, helping to form bones and carry out other mineralization
  • the growth of skin cells

Vitamin D can be manufactured by the action of sunlight on the skin. If a child does not receive adequate amounts of vitamin D daily, then the deficiency can impair bone mineralization and may lead to several bone diseases such as:

  • bone softening diseases, rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults
  • osteoporosis.

Sources of Vitamin D:

Food / 100g Amount (µ g)
Cod liver oil 210
Kipper fillet, baked 25
Red salmon, canned in brine, drained 23.1
Cod roe, fried in oil 17
Herring fillet. grilled 16.1
Sardines, grilled 12.1
Rainbow trout, grilled 11
Salmon, grilled 9.6
Smoked mackerel fillet 8
Margarine 7.9
Tuna, fresh 7.2
Sardine canned in oil, drained 5
Tuna canned in brine, drained 4
Tuna canned in oil, drained 3
Eggs 1.8

µ = one millionth, 0.000001

How Much Vitamins You Need?

Dietary reference intake (DRIs): recommended intakes for infants, children, pregnant women and breastfeeding moms.

Calcium

Calcium

February 21st, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Calcium is an important component of a healthy diet. It is essential for growth and maintenance of healthy bones and teeth. A child who does not receive adequate amount of calcium daily can lead to rickets. Deficiency in calcium will affect bone and teeth formation.

Vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium. The absorption of calcium can be hindered by foods that are high in insoluble fiber, oxalates (found in spinach, rhubarb, chard, chocolate and beetroot), and tannin (found in tea and coffee). Excess calcium consumption can cause kidney stones.

Sources of Calcium:

Food / 100g Amount (mg)
Poppy seeds 1158
Parmesan cheese 1200
Kombu seaweed, dried 900
Reduced fat cheddar cheese 840
Full fat cheddar cheese 740
Sesame seeds 670
Full fat mozzarella cheese 590
Sardine canned in brine, drained 540
Steamed tofu 510
Nori seeweed, dried 430
White chocolate 270
Almond, shelled 240
Soya beans, dry weight 240
Milk chocolate 220
Muesli 200
Goat’s milk soft cheese 190
Haricot beans, dry weight 180
Spinach 170
Brazil nut, shelled 170
Chickpeas, dry weight 160
Naan bread 160
Kale, lightly boiled 150
White bread, french 130
Semi-skimmed milk 120
Skimmed milk 120
Tilapia fish 120
White bread 120
Whole milk 115
Prawn, cooked and shelled 110
Purple sprouting broccoli, lightly boiled 110
Spring green, lightly boiled 75
White cabbage 49
Broccoli 40

m = 0.001

How Much Mineral You Need?

Dietary reference intake (DRIs): recommended intakes for infants, children, pregnant women and breastfeeding moms.

Dietary Minerals

Dietary Minerals

February 21st, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Dietary minerals are important to the growing needs of infants and children. These nutrients help establish a foundation for a healthy adult life. Excessive intake of dietary minerals may lead to illness directly or indirectly. This is due to the competitive nature between mineral levels in the body. Dietary mineral deficiency may cause all kinds of health problems.

Good Source of Dietary Minerals

The dietary minerals needed for our body can come from the following sources:

  • milk and dairy products
  • vegetables
  • nuts and legumes
  • whole grains
  • fruits
  • meats

Our body needs adequate amount of dietary minerals for vital body processes and body developments. The major dietary minerals are listed below:

  • Calcium
  • Iron
  • Magnesium
  • Phosphorus
  • Potassium
  • Selenium
  • Sodium
  • Zinc

How Much Vitamins You Need?

Dietary reference intake (DRIs): recommended intakes for infants, children, pregnant women and breastfeeding moms.

Fats

Fats

February 21st, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Fats are important components of a healthy diet. They provide our body energy. It is estimated that about 33-35% of our daily calories intake is in the form of fats (Fats provide more than twice as much energy as either carbohydrate or protein). Besides, fats also help to transport fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D and E, produce hormones and form part of the structure of cell membranes.

Fats are made up of mainly fatty acids and these fatty acids can be divided into three main categories:

  • Saturated fatty acids
  • Polyunsaturated fatty acids (for example: omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids)
  • Monounsaturated fatty acids

All three types of fatty acids exist in fat-containing food. However, the proportion of each fatty acids can be different.

Ideal Amounts of Different Fats in the Diet

Nutrients Children, 1-3 year old Children, 4-18 year old Adults
Fat 30-40% of the total energy intake 25-35% of the total energy intake 25-35% of the total energy intake
Carbohydrates 45-65% 45-65% 45-65%
Protein 5-20% 10-30% 10-35%

Saturated Fats

Foods that are high in saturated fatty acid:

Food / 100g Saturated Fatty Acid (g) Total Fat (g)
Creamed coconut block 58.5 68
Suet, animal 56 100
Butter 53.5 80
Suet, vegetable 45 88
Lard 41 100
Hard margarine 35 80
Cream cheese 30 48
Double cream 30 48
Cheddar cheese, full-fat 21.5 34
Chocolate 18.5 31
Fried bacon, lean and fat 16 41
Shortcrust pastry 10 28
Pork pie 10 27
Potato crisps 9 37
Minced beef 7 16

How Much Fat Should You Eat?

Decrease your intake of saturated and trans fats is good for your health. You can eat more plant-based foods and less animal-based and commercial product foods. Polyunsaturated fats such as omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are essential to our health because our body cannot make them on its own. Breast milk contains DHA naturally, an omega 3 fatty acid which helps the brain development.

Dietary reference intake (DRIs): recommended intakes for infants, children, pregnant women and breastfeeding moms.

Proteins

Proteins

February 20th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Proteins are complex structures of amino acids. Proteins provide 4 calories for each gram of weight. Adequate intake of protein is essential to our health as they are used for the following body functions:

  • Growth and development in child
  • Cell maintenance and repair
  • Fighting infections
  • Various tasks that fat and carbohydrates can not do

Foods that are high in proteins:

Food / 100g Amount (g)
Animal Proteins
Chicken, meat only, cooked 33
Stewed chicken, meat only 30
Roasted turkey, all classes, meat only 29
Halibut, Atlantic and Pacific, cooked, dry heat 27
Salmon, sockeye, cooked, dry heat 27
Tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids 26
Roasted chicken thigh, meat only 26
Swordfish, cooked, dry heat 25
Roasted veal rib 24
Tuna, white, canned in water, drained solids 24
Roasted duck meat 23
Cod, Pacific, cooked, dry heat 23
Roasted ham 22
Lobster, cooked, moist heat 21
Blue crab, cooked, moist heat 20
Lowfat cottage cheese, 1% milkfat 12
Ricotta cheese, part skim milk 11
Ricotta cheese, whole milk 11
Scrambled egg 11
Condensed milk 8
Plain yogurt, skim milk 6
Whole milk, 3.25% milkfat 3
Plant Proteins
Almonds 21
Soybeans, boiled, without salt 17
Oat bran, raw 17
Bread crumbs 14
Wheat flour, whole-grain 14
Couscous, dry 13
Barley, pearled, raw 10
Lentils, boiled, without salt 9
Pinto beans, boiled, without salt 9
Kidney beans, boiled, without salt 9
Black beans, boiled, without salt 9
Chickpeas, boiled, without salt 9
Peas, boiled, without salt 8
Rice, raw 7
Tofu, soft 7
Spaghetti, cooked, without added salt 6
Spaghetti, whole-wheat, cooked 5
Tomato paste, canned 4

Ideal Amounts of Protein in the Diet

Nutrients Children, 1-3 year old Children, 4-18 year old Adults
Fat 30-40% of the total energy intake 25-35% of the total energy intake 25-35% of the total energy intake
Carbohydrates 45-65% 45-65% 45-65%
Protein 5-20% 10-30% 10-35%

How Much Protein Should You Eat?

Dietary reference intake (DRIs): recommended intakes for infants, children, pregnant women and breastfeeding moms.

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)

February 20th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Dietary Reference Intake (DRIs):

Recoommended intakes for individual: Macronutrients.

Life Stage Group Total Water
(L/day)		 Total Carbohydrates

(g/day)

 Total Fiber
(g/day)		 Fat

(g/day)

 Protein

(g/day)
Infants

0-6 mo

7-12 mo

 0.7*
0.8*		 60*

95*

 ND

ND

 31*

30*

 9.1*

11*
Children

1-3 y

4-8 y

 1.3*

1.7*

 130

130

 19*

25*

 ND

ND

 13

19
Males

9-13 y

14-18 y

19-30 y

31-50 y

51-70 y

>70 y

 2.4*

3.3*

3.7*

3.7*

3.7*

3.7*

 130

130

130

130

130

130

 31*

38*

38*

38*

30*

30*

 ND

ND

ND

ND

ND

ND

 34

52

56

56

56

56
Females

9-13 y

14-18 y

19-30 y

31-50 y

51-70 y

>70 y

 2.1*

2.3*

2.7*

2.7*

2.7*

2.7*

 130

130

130

130

130

130

 26*

26*

25*

25*

21*

21*

 ND

ND

ND

ND

ND

ND

 34

46

46

46

46

46
Pregnancy

<19 y

19 – >50 y

 3.0*

3.0*

 175

175

 28*

28*

 ND

ND

 71

71
Lactation

<19 y

19 – >50 y

 3.8*

3.8*

 210

210

 29*

29*

 ND

ND

 71

71

AI* = Adequate Intakes

ND = None determinable

Dietary Reference Intake (DRIs):

Recoommended intakes for individual: Vitamins

Life Stage Group Vit A

µg / day

Vit C

µg / day

Vit D

µg / day

Vit E

mg / day

Vit K

µg / day

Infants

0-6 months

7-12 months

 400*

500*

 40*

50*

 4*

5*

 4*

5*

 2.0*

2.5*
Children

1-3 years

4-8 years

 300

400

 15

25

 5*

5*

 6

7

 30*

55*
Males

9-13 y

14-18 y

19-30 y

31-50 y

51-70 y

>70 y

 600

900

900

900

900

900

 45

75

90

90

90

90

 5*

5*

5*

5*

10*

15*

 11

15

15

15

15

15

 60*

75*

120*

120*

120*

120*
Females

9-13 y

14-18 y

19-30 y

31-50 y

51-70 y

>70 y

 600

700

700

700

700

700

 45

65

75

75

75

75

 5*

5*

5*

5*

10*

15*

 11

15

15

15

15

15

 60*

75*

90*

90*

90*

90*
Pregnancy

<19 years

19 – >50 years

 750

770

 80

85

 5*

5*

 15

15

 75*

90*
Lactation

<19 years

19 – >50 years

 1200

1300

 115

120

 5*

5*

 19

19

 75*

90*
Life Stage Group Vit B1

mg / day

Vit B2

mg / day

Vit B3

mg / day

Vit B6

mg / day

Folate

µg / day

Vit B12

µg / day

Infants

0-6 months

7-12 months

 0.2*

0.3*

 0.3*

0.4*

 2*

4*

 0.1*

0.3*

 65*

80*

 0.4*

0.5*
Children

1-3 years

4-8 years

 0.5

0.6

 0.5

0.6

 6

8

 0.5

0.6

 150

20

 0.9

1.2
Males

9-13 y

14-18 y

19-30 y

31-50 y

51-70 y

>70 y

 0.9

1.2

1.2

1.2

1.2

1.2

 0.9

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.3

 12

16

16

16

16

16

 1.0

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.7

1.7

 300

400

400

400

400

400

 1.8

2.4

2.4

2.4

2.4

2.4
Females

9-13 y

14-18 y

19-30 y

31-50 y

51-70 y

>70 y

 0.9

1.0

1.1

1.1

1.1

1.1

 0.9

1.0

1.1

1.1

1.1

1.1

 12

14

14

14

14

14

 1.0

1.2

1.3

1.3

1.5

1.5

 300

400

400

400

400

400

 1.8

2.4

2.4

2.4

2.4

2.4
Pregnancy

<19 years

19 – >50 years

 1.4

1.4

 1.4

1.4

 18

18

 1.9

1.9

 600

600

 2.6

2.6
Lactation

<19 years

19 – >50 years

 1.4

1.4

 1.6

1.6

 17

17

 2.0

2.0

 500

500

 2.8

2.8
Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates

February 20th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Carbohydrates are sugar of various types that provide our body with energy. Carbohydrates provide 4 calories for each gram of weight. There are two main types of carbohydrates:

  • Simple carbohydrates
  • Complex carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates are short chains of sugars known as monosaccharides (glucose, fructose and galactose) and disaccharides (sucrose, lactose and maltose).

Foods that contains simple carbohydrates:

  • fruits (sucrose)
  • vegetables (sucrose)
  • table sugar (sucrose)
  • breast milk (lactose)
  • cow’s milk (lactose)
  • milk products (lactose)
  • wheat (maltose)
  • barley (maltose)

Complex Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates are longer chains of sugars known as polysaccharides. Fiber is a very important polysaccharides that we need for our health.

Foods that contains simple carbohydrates:

  • rice
  • vegetables
  • beans
  • potatoes

Foods that are high in carbohydrates:

Food / 100g Amount (g)
Rice 80
Raisins, seedless 79
Barley, pearled, raw 78
White wheat flour, all-purpose 76
Oat bran, raw 66
White chocolate 59
Condensed milk 54
Roasted chestnuts 53
Rhubarb, frozen, cooked, with sugar 31
Spaghetti, cooked without added salt 31
Plums, dried (prunes), stewed, without added sugar 28
Spaghetti, whole-wheat, cooked 27
Raspberries, frozen, sweetened 26
Strawberries, frozen, sweetened 26
Egg Noodles, cooked 25
Couscous, cooked 23
Bananas 23
Red kidney beans, boiled without salt 23
Chickpeas, canned 23
Blueberries, frozen, sweetened 22
Baked potato with flesh and skin 21
Sweet potato, canned 21
Lentils, boiled without salt 21
Sweet corn 19
Canned tomato paste, without salt added 19
Asian pears 11
Papayas 10

Ideal Amounts of Carbohydrates in the Diet

Nutrients Children, 1-3 year old Children, 4-18 year old Adults
Fat 30-40% of the total energy intake 25-35% of the total energy intake 25-35% of the total energy intake
Carbohydrates 45-65% 45-65% 45-65%
Protein 5-20% 10-30% 10-35%

How Much Carbohydrates Should You Eat

Dietary reference intake (DRIs): recommended intakes for infants, children, pregnant women and breastfeeding moms.

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