Healthy Recipes
Stacy Beeson, RD, LD
St Luke’s Health Solutions Registered Dietitian
MARCH 24th, 2008:
Are You a Nutrition Whiz?
In sticking with the National Nutrition month theme, use the quiz to test your nutrition knowledge. Cover the answers while you read the question!
1. Can you name the six main nutrients the body needs to survive?
Water, carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins and minerals. Phytochemicals are other helpful components in foods but they don’t under any of the nutrient categories above.
2. Which of the following habits helps you control cravings most?
a) Eating breakfast
b) Drinking juice with a meal
c) Doing jumping jacks
d) Skipping dessert
a) Eating breakfast daily. Research suggests that breakfast eaters tend to weigh less and have better balance to their day.
3. How many trips per week does the average person make to the grocery store?
a) 4 b) 6 c) ½ d) 2
d) 2 trips per week. The key to grocery shopping is to figure out what works for you. Some people shop once a month, some every day. One thing for sure, shop the perimeter when you do shop! Don’t get trapped in the middle aisles.
4. How many items does an average grocery store carry?
a) 5,000 b) 25,00 c) 45,000 d) 15,000
c) 45,000 items are available for us to buy in our grocery stores! Now wonder why grocery shopping seems like a chore!
5. Americans tend to underestimate the amount of food they eat by what percent? a) 25% b) 50% c) 40% d) 75%
b) 50%. We have lost touch with normal serving sizes because of the super-size mentality and “get-the-most-for-your-money” attitude. There is no long-term value in a super-sized meal or you. The result is decreased attention to hunger cues. It is very helpful to spend at least 3 days writing down everything that goes into your mouth to help you focus on your intake.
6. How many calories do you need to burn to lose 1 pound of fat?
a) 1250 calories b) 3500 calories c) 4500 calories d) 500 calories
b) 3,500. That is why it is hard to consistently lose more than 2 pounds a week - a depletion of 7000 calories or 1000 calories a day is quite a deficit!
7. Eating too many carbohydrates causes weight gain. Avoid them as much as possible. True False
False. Excess calories from any source, whether carbohydrates, fats or proteins, can cause weight gain, especially when combined with a sedentary lifestyle. Don’t be afraid to eat whole grain, hearty, dense, brown carbs!
8. Eating sugar causes diabetes. True False
False. Diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin in your body. Since foods that are high in sugar also are often high in calories, overeating those foods can lead to weight gain. Research shows people who are overweight and obese are at increased risk for diabetes.
9. Beans such as pinto and kidney beans, split peas and lentils count as a serving of which food group in the Food Guide Pyramid?
a) grains b) vegetable c) meat/protein d) vegetable and meat/protein
d). Vegetable and meat/protein group. Beans, split peas, and lentils can be counted as a meat or vegetable serving. Due to their high protein content, a 1⁄2 cup serving is equivalent to one ounce of meat. When counted as a vegetable, one serving is 1⁄2 cup cooked beans. Dried beans (such as, soybeans, pinto, black and kidney beans), split peas, and lentils are also good sources of fiber, iron, calcium, zinc and B vitamins.
10. What was named the #1 snack in 2005?
a) Pretzels b) Chewing gum c) Pistachio nuts d) Red Hots
b) Chewing gum. New research indicates that chewing gum may be used as a tool to help manage weight, increase focus, alertness and concentration, and help relieve “life’s everyday stresses.”
Nutrition quiz questions taken from the American Dietetic Association National Nutrition month Fact or Fiction: http://www.eatright.org/ada/files/Quiz_PDF.pdf. Accessed 03.21.08
For nutrition questions, contact St Luke’s Health Solutions dietitian, Stacy Beeson at 381-2403.
