Monday, April 24

We had a good meeting Monday night. Lots of information and even more questions and clarifications. Here is a BRIEF (very brief) overview of what we covered (or at least what I wrote down).

1. What is a dietitian? Has a BA with heavy emphasis in science, is licensed and does internships.

2. What does scripture say about health, our bodies and taking care of ourselves?
a. We are to be healthy so that we are available for God and the service He calls us to.
b. We are to be good stewards of our bodies, not just our time and our finances.
c. We need to be able to enjoy food without baggage of what is in it, what we were taught and know that it is given to us for our nourishment.
d. 20% of cancer cases could be decreased by maintaining 5 servings or more of fruits and vegetables.

3. What does the "Nutrition Facts" label tell us?
a. All packaging is regulated by the FDA & has legislation to regulate what you can and cannot call food (ex. 100% juice)
b. "Good" = 10% of the nutrients, "Excellent" = 20%+ (ex. "Good source of Iron", "Excellent source of calcium")
c. Good rule of thumb when looking at a label and determining if it is "healthy" is to look at the first four ingredients.
d. Enriched ~ adding nutrients that were already in the original product back after they have been stripped.
e. Fortified ~ adding nutrients that are NOT in the original product (ex. Vitamin D milk)
f. The term "Natural" is not regulated
g. Organic can be on the label as long as ingredients are 95% organic.
h. Trans Fat is only in processed food. Trans Fats and Saturated Fats are BAD fats.
i. Natural sugars feed our brains. We can substitute honey for sugar, but you will need to reduce another liquid in your recipe.

We learned that the transition to a healthier lifestyle will be easier when we can...

Stop thinking Healthy vs. Unhealthy and start thinking Natural vs. Processed!