Extension Human Nutrition, Kansas State University
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Nutrition -- How To

Introduction

The dinner menus were planned nutritionally to follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 1995 edition. The guidelines are:
  • Eat a Variety of Foods
  • Maintain Healthy Weight
  • Choose a Diet Low in Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol
  • Choose a Diet with Plenty of Vegetables, Fruits, and Grain Products
  • Use Sugars in Moderation
  • Use Salt and Sodium in Moderation
  • If You Drink Alcoholic Beverages, Do So in Moderation

Recommended Daily Nutritional Needs

To make the Dietary Guidelines for Americans easier to understand on a per meal basis, suggested amounts of calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and fiber per meal are provided. The nutritional contribution of all meals and snacks is important. The dinner meal is , however, the focus of these materials, and the nutrition value is illustrated as a percentage of the day's recommended allowance.
Following is an explanation of how the numbers were chosen.

Calories

Calories are based on the 1989 RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) for females aged 11-50 years consuming 2,200 calories a day. Most people eat three meals and one snack a day (breakfast = 25 percent of calories, lunch = 30 percent, dinner = 30 percent, and a snack = 15 percent). This averages out to 550 calories for breakfast, 660 calories each for lunch and for dinner and 330 calories for a snack.
To get 2,200 calories and follow the Dietary Guidelines, consume the following number of servings from each food group: milk - 2, vegetables - 6, fruits - 4, breads/grains - 10, meats - 6, and fats - 8. One portion of fat is one teaspoon of margarine, one tablespoon of salad dressing, five large olives, or ten whole peanuts.

Fat/Saturated Fat/Cholesterol

The Food and Nutrition Board's Committee on Diet and Health recommends that the fat content of the U. S. diet should not exceed 30 percent of calorie intake, contain less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids, and that dietary cholesterol should be less than 300 mg. a day. Using these guides, the dinner meal would contain:
Calories Total Fat Saturated Fat Cholesterol
660 22 gms. 7.3 gms 90 mg.

Sodium

A safe minimum intake of sodium is 500 mg a day, and the Food and Nutrition Board's Committee recommends a limit of 2,400 mg. of sodium per day. Based on this limit, the sodium limit for the dinner meal is 720 mg.

Dietary Fiber

Americans currently consume about 12 grams of dietary fiber daily. Most health professionals recommend about 20-30 grams of dietary fiber daily, with an upper limit of 35 grams. To allow for differences in age and calorie intake, a general guideline of one gram of dietary fiber for 100 calories is used. For the dinner meal, the guideline is 6.6 grams dietary fiber.

In Summary

Tip: If one meal is high in calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol or sodium or low in fiber, remember to adjust other meals accordingly during the day. Every meal need not be perfect.
In summary, these are the guidelines for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack.
  Calories Total Fat (g) Saturated
Fat (g)		 Cholesterol (mg) Sodium (mg) Dietary
Fiber (g)
Breakfast 550 18.3 6.1 75 600 5.5
Lunch 660 22.0 7.3 90 720 6.6
Dinner 660 22.0 7.3 90 720 6.6
Snack 330 11.0 3.6 45 360 3.3
TOTALS 2200 73.3 24.3 303 2400 22.0

A Pattern For Daily Food Choices

Food Group Suggested Daily Servings What Counts as a Serving?
Breads, Cereals, and Other Grain Products
Whole-grain
Enriched 		6 to 11 servings from entire group (include several servings of whole grain products daily.
  • 1 slice of bread
  • 1/2 hamburger bun or English Muffin
  • small roll, biscuit, muffin
  • 3 to 4 small crackers
  • 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
  • 1 oz of ready-to eat breakfast cereal
Fruits
Citrus, melon, berries, other fruits 		2 to 4 servings from entire group
  • a whole fruit --medium apple, banana, or orange
  • a grapefruit half
  • a melon wedge
  • 3/4 cup of juice
  • 1/2 cup berries
  • 1/2 cup canned fruit
  • 1/4 cup dried fruit
Vegetables
Dark green leafy
Deep Yellow
Dry Beans, peas (legumes)
Starchy
Other Vegetables 		3 to 5 servings from entire group (include all types regularly; use dark green leafy vegetables and dry beans and peas several times a week.)
  • 1/2 cup cooked vegetables
  • 1/2 cup chopped raw vegetables
  • 1 cup leafy raw vegetables (lettuce or spinach)
Meat, Poultry, Fish, and alternatives
(eggs, dry beans and peas, nuts, and seeds) 		2 to 3 servings from entire group
  • 5 to 7 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish a day. Count 1 egg,1/2 cup cooked beans, or 2 tablespoons peanut butter as 1 oz. meat
Milk, Cheese, and Yogurt 2 servings from entire group (3 servings for pregnant or breast-feeding women and for teens; 4 servings for pregnant or breast feeding teens)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 8 oz yogurt
  • 1 1/2 ounces natural cheese
  • 2 ounces process cheese
Fats, Sweets, and Alcoholic Beverages Avoid too many fats and sweets. If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation