NUR NUTRITION TOOLS, STANDARDS, & GUIDELINES

C203 ELENITA S. VALDEZ, RN, MAN

I. NUTRITION TOOLS
• Used to assess nutritional quality of diet
• Evaluates food consumption
• Assesses whether patient follows the diet instructions
• Used for nutrient analysis; serves as an input to nutrition education
strategies to improve intake
• Types
§ Food Guides & Food Groups
§ Dietary Standards & Guidelines
§ Food Composition Tables
§ Food Exchange Lists
§ Nutrition Labeling

A. FOOD GUIDES
• Translate quantitative nutritional requirements into simple, Figure 1. The Food Pyramid
practical, and non-technical language
§ Uses available and common food in a country
Pinggang Pinoy
§ Food is available and common in the community
• Food containing high levels of certain nutrients are grouped • Visual tool to help Filipinos adopt healthy eating habits
together • Delivers effective dietary and healthy lifestyle messages
• Serving portions are made easy to understand • Unlike food pyramid, changes depending on the age group and
• Not definite or constant – may change or be revised from time to special population
time in light of new knowledge and changes in consumption data § Kids (3-12 yrs)
• Used in planning nutritious diets for the masses or for special § Teens (13-18 yrs)
groups (e.g., pregnant, lactating, young adults, infants) § Adults (19-59 yrs)
§ Elderly (60 and above)
§ Pregnant & Lactating Women
Food Pyramid
• Qualitative tool
• Assesses nutritional adequacy of daily diet
• Dietary Diversity: Principle of eating a variety of food everyday in
proper amounts of servings
• Fats, Oils, Salts, Sweets – Eat Less
§ Take up the least volume and bulk
§ Should only be consumed in small amounts to prevent
developing non-communicable diseases (e.g. hypertension)
• Meat, Eggs, and Dairy – Eat Moderately
§ Should be consumed in moderation
§ Occupies a smaller area than carbohydrate-rich food Figure 2. Pinggang Pinoy. Scan the QR Code to visit the FNRI website for
§ Must not be eaten more than carbohydrates Pinggang Pinoy or visit this link:
§ Proteins must be spared for body-building and must not be https://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph/index.php/tools-and-standard/pinggang-
used immediately as energy source pinoy/94-pinggang-pinoy/190-pinggang-pinoy
• Fruits and Vegetables – Eat More
§ Provides a wide variety of macro- and micronutrients
• Grains and Cereals – Eat Most
B. FOOD GROUPS
§ Represents bulk of the Filipino Diet • When talking about food in general, these groups are called food
§ Contributes to 55-70% of total energy needs groups
§ Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy • When talking about nutrition, these are called classifications
§ Should be eaten the most to ensure adequacy of energy to according to function
function normally throughout the day • Energy-giving (Go)
• Body building (Grow)
• Regulatory (Glow)

Table 1. Nutrients classified according to function

NUTRIENT GO GROW GLOW
Carbohydrates ✓
Lipids ✓ ✓ ✓
Proteins ✓ ✓ ✓
Vit. & Minerals ✓ ✓
Water ✓ ✓

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 NUR NUTRITION TOOLS, STANDARDS, & GUIDELINES
C203 ELENITA S. VALDEZ, RN, MAN
II. NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES
• Recommendations to promote good health habits through proper
nutrition
• Promotes adequate and balanced nutrition
• Promotes desirable food and nutrition practices and healthy habits
suitable for the general population
§ Unlike food guides that are focused on individuals
• Provides a handy reference to those concerned with nutrition
information and education for their counseling and educational
references
§ Could be used by teachers, nutritionists and dietitians, nurses,
and doctors
Figure 3. 10 Kumainments by the National Nutrition Council
III. DIETARY STANDARDS
• Compilation of nutrient requirements or allowances in specific
quantities
• Tentative; may be subject to change depending on updates in
guidelines
• Observes the principle of individualization being a quantitative tool
in assessing nutritional adequacy of diets
§ Focuses more on individuals
§ Based on specific characteristics of a person
IV. DIETARY REQUREMENTS
• Minimum amount of nutrients needed to attain good health
§ Age, sec, weight, physical activity, physiological conditions, etc.
• Assessment varies for different countries
• Lacks precision; close approximates only
§ Should not be interpreted as final and accurate due to its
variability
A. RECOMMENDED DIETARY ALLOWANCES (RDA)
• Average daily dietary intake level sufficient to meet nutrient
requirements
§ Takes into account life stage and sex
• Data consist of the minimum requirements plus a safety factor
called the margin of safety
§ Allows individual variations of body storage, state of health,
nutrient utilization, and other day-to-day variations within a
person
§ Gives an estimate of nutrients and calories we should eat
everyday
• Developed by Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI)
• Updated periodically based on the findings from the National
Nutrition Surveys
• RDAs are always higher than the minimum dietary requirements
because of the margin of safety
B. RECOMMENDED ENERGY & NUTRIENT INTAKE (RENI)
• Revision of the Philippine RDA of 1989
• Emphasizes that standards are in terms of macronutrients and not
according to food or diet in general
• Nutrient-based dietary standard; not food-based
• Aims to maintain health and prevent nutrient deficiency among
Filipinos
• Values are used to guide individuals in achieving adequate nutrient
intake
C. DIETARY REFERENCE INTAKE (DRI)
• Planning and assessing diet of healthy groups or individuals
• People with diseases cannot use these tools because diet advices
are more specific and specialized
• Should be given by licensed nutritionists and dieticians
• Collective term comprised of reference values for energy and
nutrient level of intakes
• Estimated Average Requirements (EAR)
§ Estimated daily nutrient intake
§ Meet requirement of healthy individuals in a life stage
• Recommended Energy Intake (REI)
§ Levels of intake considered adequate for maintenance of
health
• Adequate Intake (AI)
§ Recommended intake based on pre-determined estimates
§ Used when RDA cannot be determined
• Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL)
§ Highest level of intake that poses no adverse health effects
V. NUTRIENT DENSITY
• A nutritious food is nutrient dense because food is rich in nutrients
• Measure of nutrients a food provides compared to calories
• Nutrient-dense: Food low in calories, but high in nutrients
• Nutrient-poor: Food high in calories, but low in nutrients
• Developed for nutrient analysis and nutrient education
• Index of Nutrient Quality (INQ)
§ Obtained by dividing %RDA of nutrients by % Energy
Requirement
§ Nutritious
– INQ is at least 1 for at least four nutrients
– INQ is 2 for at least two nutrients
% #$% &' ()*+,-(*.
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% /(-+01 +-2),+-3-(*
VI. FOOD EXCHANGE LIST
• Food grouped according to macronutrient and caloric contents
• Within each food list, one exchange is approximately equal in terms
of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and calories.
• Each list is a group of measured or weighed food with
approximately equal nutritional values
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 NUR NUTRITION TOOLS, STANDARDS, & GUIDELINES
C203 ELENITA S. VALDEZ, RN, MAN

• Within one group, food items may be exchanged with another NOTE: This lecture notes was created for Jose Rizal University BS
provided that specific serving portion is followed Nursing students enrolled in the NUR C203 course for S.Y. 2020-2021.
• Intended, but not limited to, planning diabetic diets and weight Sharing and reproduction of this material with other individuals is not
management allowed unless officially authorized by Mrs. Valdez.
• Food included are simple and only those that are needed
• Used as a quick method to calculate protein, carbohydrates, fats,
and calories for any given meal or diet

VII. FOOD COMPOSITION TABLE

• Gives information on the nutrient contribution of food
• Unlike FEL, it lists the nutrients and calories present in a certain
food
• More specific compared to FEL; requires more detailed information
• Manner of cooking, weight, size are important information

FCT + Menu Eval by FNRI

https://i.fnri.dost.gov.ph/?fbclid=IwAR0HgmPA
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y04OPwivRQL6XJBz4H5owvVPeduA30yDYAjrd1
E

VIII. NUTRITION LABEL

• Monitored by Bureau of Food and Drug and Food and Drug
Authority
• Seen in packaged food
• Primary means of communication between producer and consumer
§ Consumer is informed of the nutritional properties of a food
product
• Information according to serving size
§ Required by FDA to be reflected on the food item
§ Standardizes serving sizes to help make nutritional
comparisons with similar items
• Prevents manufacturers from deceiving consumers
• Help consumers make a wise decision

Figure 4. Parts of a Nutrition Label

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