How well do we eat, and what should we eat

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

How well do we eat, and what should we eat?

A food guide pyramid for a healthy diet is built like this: At the tip are fats, oils and sweets, all foods that we should eat most sparingly. At the next level are milk, yogurt, cheese, meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts, a food group that should be consumed in some form three times daily. At the next level of the pyramid are vegetables and fruits, which should be eaten five to nine times daily. At the pyramid’s base is a food group that includes bread, cereal, rice and pasta. Six to 11 servings from this menu are recommended daily. Research and Extension professionals in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are involved in a number of efforts to promote healthy eating and to ensure food safety.

Did you know that...

through the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), North Carolina Cooperative Extension has been improving nutrition for the state’s citizens for 30 years?

compared to 10 years ago, pork today has 31 percent less fat, 14 percent fewer calories and 10 percent less cholesterol, making its lean cuts comparable to skinless chicken breasts?

one cup of muscadine grapes has only 90 calories and no fat or cholesterol, one egg has 69 nutrients, and low-calorie tomatoes are a great source for potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, phosphorus and other minerals?

sweetpotatoes contain more fiber than oatmeal and offer 23 times more cancer-fighting beta carotene than broccoli?

25 grams of soy protein included in a daily diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease?

a new system for rapidly cooling eggs with carbon dioxide, developed at NC Sate, will help reduce consumers’ risk of contracting Salmonella enteritidis from eggs?

small, frequent servings of peanuts can reduce the risk of heart disease?

97 percent of all foodborne illnesses result from improper cooking and handling?

blueberries are high in antioxidants, which help keep us young, healthy and smart?

many of the state’s food service workers have been trained in safe food handling and preparation by N.C. Cooperative Extension?