Nutrition For Dummies®, 7th Edition

Updated with the latest available research and the new 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines You are what you eat: no, really--it's a scientific fact! Good nutrition is your meal-ticket to staying sleek, healthy, and strong--both physically and mentally. Nutrition For Dummies, 7th Edition is a one-size-fits-all guide to nutrition that shows you how to maintain a healthy weight, promote health, and prevent chronic disease. This book gives you the know-how to put together a shopping list, prepare healthy foods, and easily cut calories. Veteran author and nutrition columnist Carol Ann Rinzler serves up a full course in making your diet nutritionally sound. Along the way, she dips into the science of how to eat at different stages of life--including new guidance for pregnant women, infants, and toddlers--the latest in peanut allergies, the effects of cholesterol on the brain, and the cutting-edge thinking on obesity. Take control of your diet. Discover the truth about sugar. Get the science on obesity and dementia. Take a new look at eating disorders. No matter which way you slice it, you have to eat--so why not learn how to do it well and enjoy life even more in the process! Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Introduction About This Book Foolish Assumptions Icons Used in This Book Beyond the Book Where to Go from Here Part 1 Nutrition 101: The Basic Facts about Nutrition Chapter 1 Nutrition Equals Life: Knowing What to Eat to Get What You Need Discovering the First Principles of Nutrition Breaking nutrients into two groups Looking at essential nutrients Protecting the Nutrients in Your Food Knowing Your Nutritional Status Fitting Food into the Medicine Chest Finding Nutrition Facts Nutrition people Questions to ask about any study Chapter 2 Digestion: The 24/7 Food Factory Introducing the Digestive System Digestion: One Step at a Time Your brain, eyes, and nose Your mouth Your stomach Your small intestine Your large intestine Chapter 3 How Much Nutrition Do You Need? RDAs: Guidelines for Good Nutrition Proteins, vitamins, and minerals: The essentials Recommendations for carbohydrates, fats, dietary fiber, and alcohol Different people, different needs AIs: The Nutritional Numbers Formerly Known as ESADDIs DRI: The Totally Complete Nutrition Guide Chapter 4 Bigger But Not Better The Obesity Epidemic Observing the Obesity Map Determining How Much You Should Weigh Weight charts and tables The BMI: Another way to rate your weight Understanding What the Numbers Really Mean Increasing the odds of accuracy Seeing red flags on weight and health Facing the Numbers When They Don’t Fit Your Body Chapter 5 Calories: Powering Up the Body Counting the Calories in Food Empty calories Every calorie counts Determining How Many Calories You Need Resting energy expenditure (REE) Sex, glands, and chocolate cake Energy for work Calculating Your Daily Calorie Needs Part 2 The Good Stuff in Your Food Chapter 6 Protein Power Understanding How Your Body Uses Proteins Moving Proteins from Your Dinner Plate to Your Cells Differentiating Dietary Proteins Essential and nonessential proteins Evaluating proteins Figuring Out How Much Protein You Need Calculating the correct amount Dodging protein deficiency Boosting your protein intake: Special considerations Avoiding protein overload Chapter 7 Facing Facts on Fat and Cholesterol Discovering How Your Body Uses Fats Understanding what fats do for you Pulling energy from fat Defining Fatty Acids and Their Relationship to Dietary Fat Focusing on the Fats in Food Looking at the fatty acids in food Identifying the foods with fats Getting the right amount of fat Considering Cholesterol and You Cholesterol and heart disease Lipoproteins Diet and cholesterol Chapter 8 Carbohydrates: A Complex Story Checking Out Carbohydrates Simple carbohydrates Complex carbohydrates Dietary fiber Carbohydrates and Energy: A Biochemical Love Story How glucose becomes energy How pasta ends up on your hips when too many carbs pass your lips Other ways your body uses carbohydrates Finding the Carbohydrates You Need Some people have problems with carbohydrates Some people need extra carbohydrates Dietary Fiber: The Non-Nutrient in Carbohydrate Foods Defining the two kinds of dietary fiber Getting dietary fiber from food Determining how much fiber you need Chapter 9 Alcohol: Another Form of Grape and Grain Creating Alcohol Beverages Fermented alcohol products Distilled alcohol products The foods used to make beverage alcohol Checking How Much Alcohol Is in That Bottle Following Alcohol through Your Body Understanding How Alcohol Affects Your Health The physical effects of excessive drinking Alcoholism: An addiction disease Who shouldn’t drink Alcohol and age Advice from the Sages: Moderation Chapter 10 Validating Vitamins Understanding What Vitamins Your Body Needs Fat-soluble vitamins Water-soluble vitamins Discovering Where to Get Your Vitamins Too Much or Too Little: Avoiding Two Ways to Go Wrong with Vitamins Vitamin deficiencies Vitamin megadoses Acceptable Exceptions: Taking Extra Vitamins as Needed I’m taking medication I’m a smoker I never eat animals I’m pregnant I’m breast-feeding I’m approaching menopause I have very light skin or very dark skin Chapter 11 Making Mineral Magic Getting the Minerals You Need The major minerals The trace elements Knowing What’s Too Much and What’s Too Little Avoiding mineral deficiency Understanding the risks of overdoses Figuring Out When You May Need More than the RDA You’re a strict vegetarian You live inland, away from the ocean You’re a man You’re a woman You’re pregnant or nursing Chapter 12 The Wonder of Water Investigating the Many Ways Your Body Uses Water Maintaining the Right Amount of Water in Your Body The electrolytes’ primary job Other tasks electrolytes perform Getting the Water You Need Evaluating Electrolytes Sodium Potassium and chloride When you need more Dehydration: When the Body Doesn’t Get Enough Water First signs Worsening problems Really bad trouble The crash Chapter 13 Added Attractions: Supplements Introducing Dietary Supplements Examining Two Reasons to Use Dietary Supplements When food isn’t enough Using supplements as insurance Exploring Supplement Safety: An Iffy Proposition Choosing the Most Effective Supplements Getting Nutrients from Food Rather Than Supplements Part 3 Hunger, Health, and Habits Chapter 14 Why You Eat When You Eat Underlining the Difference between Hunger and Appetite Refueling: The Cycle of Hunger and Satiety Recognizing hunger Identifying the hormones that say, “I’m hungry” and “I’m full” Beating the four-hour hungries The better way: Five or six small meals Maintaining a healthy appetite Responding to Your Environment on a Gut Level Baby, it’s cold outside Exercising more than your mouth Taking medicine that changes your appetite Revealing Unhealthy Relationships with Food Obesity Anorexia nervosa Bulimia nervosa Binge eating disorder Chapter 15 Why You Like the Foods You Like Tackling Taste: How Your Brain and Tongue Work Together The five basic flavors Your health and your taste buds Tricking your taste buds Determining Deliciousness Listening to your body Loving the food you’re with: Geography and taste Taking offense to food and flavors Changing the Menu: Adapting to Exotic Foods Learning to like unusual foods Stirring the stew: The culinary benefits of immigration Chapter 16 Building Your New and Improved Healthful Diet Discovering the Dietary Guidelines for Americans Finding What’s New in the 2020–2025 Edition Factor in the fats Subtract the added sugar Get adequate essential nutrients Go fish for good food Bring on the veggies Get up and go Do the Guidelines Work? Chapter 17 Choosing Wisely with Pyramids, Plates, and Patterns Checking Out Basic Diet Pictures The original USDA Food Guide Pyramid From pyramid to plate: The evolution of the Food Guide An assortment of pyramids and plates Tracking Food Patterns Understanding the Nutrition Facts Label Getting the facts Relying on labels: Health claims Navigating the highs and lows Listing other stuff Using Pyramids, Plates, Patterns, and Labels to Choose Healthful Foods Chapter 18 Eating Smart When Eating Out Reading a Restaurant Menu Apportion the portions Ask for proof Editing Your Menu Choices Start simple Elevate appetizers to entrees Skip the fat on the bread Undress the veggies Minimize the main dish Sideline sauces Satisfy your sweet tooth Writing Rules for Chain Restaurants Exploring the Healthful Side of Fast Food Choosing wisely at the drive-through Finding a guilt-free, 300-calorie snack solution Managing the Mechanical Menu Part 4 Food Processing Chapter 19 Praising Food Processing Preserving Food: Five Methods of Processing Temperature control Removing the water Controlling the air flow Chemical warfare Irradiation Improving Food’s Appeal and Nutritional Value Intensifying flavor and aroma Adding nutrients Combining benefits Faking It: Food Substitutes Alternative foods No. 1: Fat replacers Alternative foods No. 2: Substitute sweeteners A Last Word: Follow That Bird Chapter 20 Healthful and Delicious Heat Exploring Different Methods of Cooking Cooking with fire Cooking with electromagnetic waves Understanding How Cooking Alters Food Changing food’s texture Enhancing flavor and aroma Shading the color palette Picking the Right Cooking Materials Aluminum Copper Ceramics Enamelware Glass Iron Nonstick Stainless steel Plastic and paper Protecting the Nutrients in Cooked Foods Maintaining minerals Keeping those volatile vitamins Keeping Food Safe by Cooking Naming the bad guys Heating to the appropriate temperature Chapter 21 How Freezing, Canning, Drying, and Zapping Protect Your Food Cold Comfort: Chilling and Freezing How freezing affects the texture of food Thawing frozen food Refreezing frozen food Canned Food: Keeping Out Contaminants Dried Food: No Life without Water How drying affects food’s nutritional value When dried fruit may be hazardous to your health Irradiation: A Hot Topic Chapter 22 Better Eating through Chemistry Nature’s Beneficial Chemistry Antioxidants Hormonelike compounds Sulfur compounds Exploring the Natural and Synthetic Nature of Food Additives Nutrient additives Color additives Flavor additives Preservatives Other additives in food Determining the Safety of Food Additives Defining toxins Explaining carcinogens Listing allergens Beyond Additives: Foods Nature Never Made Part 5 Food and Medicine Chapter 23 When Food Fights Back Diagnosing Food Allergies Understanding how an allergic reaction occurs Investigating two kinds of allergic reactions Identifying food allergies Coping with Food Allergies Reading the food ingredient label Avoiding unusual interactions Practicing pragmatic protection Recognizing Other Body Reactions to Food Chapter 24 Brain Food Nourishing the Developing Brain Fats and the fetal brain Fish and the teenage brain Determining how much DHA a body needs Avoiding malicious mercury Protecting the Adult Brain Introducing the natural enemies of thought and memory Dieting to keep your brain in shape Choosing foods that boost the brain Minding your mind diet Altering the Emotional Brain Recognizing mood malfunctions Seeing how food can affect your mood Using food to manage mood Healing the Injured Brain The 5, 7, 2, 4, 100, 200 solution Protein possibilities The (eventual) official word Eating to Benefit Your Brain and Your Body Chapter 25 Food and Drug Interactions Following Food and Drug Interactions Listing the Reactions of Drugs and Certain Foods Discovering Drug Interactions with Nutrients Using Food to Improve a Drug’s Performance Chapter 26 Using Food as Medicine Defining Food as Medicine Naming Diets with Absolutely, Positively Beneficial Medical Effects Using Food to Prevent Disease Battling deficiency diseases Reviewing the evidence on anticancer diets DASHing to healthy blood pressure Conquering the common cold Eating for a Better Body (And Brain) The Last Word on Food versus Medicine Part 6 The Part of Tens Chapter 27 Ten Reliable Food and Nutrition Websites U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Composition Website U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) The American Heart Association (AHA) American Cancer Society (ACS) Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) Mayo Clinic Science Daily WebMD Food Safety News Chapter 28 Ten Northern Nutrition Rules Be Mindful of Your Eating Habits Cook More Often Enjoy Your Food Eat Meals with Others Eat Plenty of Vegetables and Fruits, Whole Grain Foods, and Protein Foods Limit Highly Processed Foods Make Water Your Drink of Choice Use Food Labels Be Aware That Food Marketing Can Influence Your Choices Check the Guidelines for Updates Chapter 29 Ten Superstar Foods Avocado Bananas Beans Celery Cheese Chocolate Nuts Sardines White Tea Whole Grains Chapter 30 Ten Ways Coffee (and Tea) Make Life Better Coffee Lights Up Your Brain Coffee Chases the Blues Coffee Powers Endurance Exercise Coffee Is Cholesterol-Safe Coffee Lowers Your Risk of Stroke Coffee Lowers Your Risk of Some Cancers Coffee May Ward Off Type 2 Diabetes Coffee Doesn’t Keep Everyone Awake Coffee Lowers a Man’s Risk of ED Coffee Drinkers Live Longer Chapter 31 Ten Terrific Foods Starting with the Letter P Papaya Pear Peas Pineapple Plantain Pork Potato Prawns Prune Pumpkin Appendix Glossary of Nutrition Terms Index EULA Updated with the latest available research and the new 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines It's a scientific fact: You really are what you eat. Good nutrition is your meal-ticket to staying sleek, healthy, and strong—both physically and mentally. Nutrition For Dummies , 7th Edition is a complete guide that shows you how to maintain a healthy weight, promote health, and prevent chronic disease. This book gives you the know-how to put together a shopping list, prepare healthy foods, and easily cut calories. Along the way, there's up-to-the-minute guidance for building a nutritious diet at every stage of life from toddler time to your Golden Years. Enjoy!