Introduction
“Yellow meat watermelon, sugar cane, purple hull peas, buffalo fish, butter beans, hot water cornbread, the Green Lady with her truck full of produce were tiny bits of what I would now call the good old days.”
– Chef Hardette Harris
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter you will be able to:
- Describe the purpose and function of nutrition recommendations
- Describe steps towards building healthy eating patterns
- Interpret the Nutrition Facts labels found on food items
- Describe the purpose and use of the US Dietary Guidelines, the MyPlate Planner, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Guidelines and the Pacific Food Guide
Developing a healthful diet can be rewarding, but be mindful that all of the principles presented must be followed to derive maximal health benefits. For example, the inability to maintain traditional diets for various environmental, social and demographic reasons has resulted in diets high in a variety of high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods. Frequent inadequate and/or excessive nutrient intake can lead to many health issues in a community such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Therefore, it is important to employ moderation and portion control by using all of the principles together to afford you lasting health benefits.
