UCSF WATCH Program Plate Model
How to Grow Healthy Kids
by Dr. Robert Lustig and Chef/Teacher Cindy Gershen
Food Processing and Obesity
The 6 Essential Nutrients for a Healthy Body
1. Carbohydrates:
3. Protein: The Body’s Building Blocks
The Body’s Main Energy Source
10-35% of calories
45-65% of calories
All Carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram.
Food groups include: Whole fruits, vegetables,
whole grains and some diary.
Functions: provide energy, assist in break down of fats
and provide bulk/fiber in the diet.
Complex Carbs: contains starch and fiber. Adding
fiber to processed food doesn’t do the job. For example,
wheat and white bread, pasta, bagels, most cereals.
Remember to eat whole grains.
Best sources:
Whole Grains: barley, quinoa, brown rice, polenta, oatmeal
Starchy Vegetables: corn, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes
Vegetables: spinach, peppers, onions, carrots, broccoli
Healthy Simple Carbs: accompanied by other
nutrients (i.e. fiber, vitamins) and breakdown slowly ,
keeping your insulin and triglycerides from rising so you do
not store fat. Fructose and lactose in their natural form are
not harmful.
Best sources:
Whole Fruits: apples, bananas, berries, melons
Dairy: low-fat, plain milk and yogurt
Processed Simple Carbs: Fiber-less, break down rapidly
Protein provide 4 calories per gram. Food sources
include: meats, dairy, legumes, seeds and nuts
Water is part of every cell in the body! Most adults are
between 50-75% water by weight. It is essential to consume
water every day, including in food.
Too much protein can cause negative health effects such as
kidney problems, calcium-loss and excess body fat.
Example Sources: fresh fruits and vegetables, water
(unsweetened teas and sparkling water are ok too)
Functions (to name a few): builds and maintain tissues,
For beverages, follow this simple rule: Look at the
calories 6 or more, leave it at the store.
makes important compounds, regulates mineral and fluid
balance, provides energy, transports iron and other nutrients.
Animal protein: provide all nine essential amino acids
Examples: chicken, fish, lean cuts of meat, dairy (plain
yogurt, milk, cheeses, etc), eggs
Plant protein: in combination with whole grains provide all
nine essential amino acids. most plant foods are missing one
or more essential amino acids (quinoa is one exception)
Examples: beans, tofu, and lentils, many nuts and seeds,
4. Fats: A Concentrated Energy Source
20-35% of calories (less than 10% saturated)
Fats provide 9 calories per gram.
Functions: dissolve fat soluble
vitamins (A, D, E, K), move vitamins around body,
help with skin, reproductive system, liver, kidneys
and brain.
and raise insulin and triglycerides. Used immediately or
stored as fat. Better known as SUGAR.
Animal fats: saturated, limit to 10 % of total calories
Sugar: Excess sugar can stress the pancreas and make cells
Plant oils: mostly unsaturated fats
throughout the body resistant to insulin. That, in turn, can
lead to high blood sugar as well as weight gain, high
triglycerides, tooth decay, and more. Table sugar is half
fructose. The body cannot digest fructose, and it is toxic
to the liver.
Eat sparingly and consider them a dessert!
Not more than 10 % of calories or one dessert
2. Vitamins: Drivers of Cell Processes
Vitamins have no calories and help regulate body function.
Functions: They are vital to health and help the body
release energy needed for physical activity. Vitamins are
essential to protect against diseases.
Best source examples: whole fruits, vegetables, whole
grains, lean proteins, low-fat dairy and good fats and oils.
6. Water: The Forgotten Nutrient
Best source examples: olive oil, canola oil, avocadoes,
whole grains and fish.
5. Minerals: Regulators of Body
Functions
Like vitamins, minerals have no calories. There are at least
21 minerals known to be essential for health. Excesses and
deficiencies of minerals cause health problems. (i.e. excess
phosphorus found in soda can cause bone loss)
Functions: Minerals are needed in small amounts to
perform vital functions in the body.
Best source examples: whole foods (whole fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, low-fat dairy)
Watch portions, sodium and caffeine!
Food processing has dramatically and directly affected our
biochemistry. WHY??
It can be summed up by looking at two primary downsides of food
processing:
1) TOO MUCH SUGAR
2) NO FIBER
To prevent obesity, we must eliminate our intake of processed foods. We
need to eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables and a lot less sugar. We
need to learn to cook AGAIN.
Label Reading 101
3 Simple Rules
When Choosing Packaged Food
A. No Sugar in the First 3 Ingredients!!
Tip: If there is any form of sugar is in the first 3 ingredients, or
more than two names of sugar in the ingredients, it’s dessert!
Ex: Fruit juice concentrate, sucrose, honey, corn sugar
(see chart)
B. 3g of Whole Grain Fiber per
100 Calories.
The word “Whole grain” must be 1st ingredient.
C. No Trans-fat/Hydrogenated Oils
Read the ingredients. If the word hydrogenated
Or partially-hydrogenated is anywhere on the
ingredient list, leave it at the store!
Food Safety!
Never leave your food out for more than 4 hours
(total time).
Store food below 41 degrees or above 135 degrees.
(out of the danger zone!)
Avoid cross-contamination by separating raw
meats from ready to serve foods!
Contributors
Dr. Robert Lustig, Pediatric Endocrinologist, UCSF. Author: FAT
CHANCE: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and
Disease, 2012; Co-author of the Fat Chance Cookbook
Cindy Gershen, chef/owner of the Sunrise Bistro since 1981 in Walnut
Creek, now teaching Sustainable Hospitality at Mt. Diablo High School.
Concord, CA. Cindy co-authored the Fat Chance Cookbook
The Many Names for Sugar Added to Processed Food
Agave nectar*
Barbados sugar*
Barley Malt
Beet sugar*
Blackstrap molasses Brown sugar*
Buttered syrup*
Cane juice crystals*
Cane sugar*
Caramel
Carob syrup*
Castor sugar*
Confectioner’s
Sugar*
Corn Syrup
Corn syrup solids
Crystalline fructose*
Date Sugar*
Demerara sugar*
Dextrin
Dextrose
Diastatic malt
Diastase
Ethyl maltol
Evaporated cane
juice*
Florida crystals*
Fructose*
Fruit juice*
Fruit juice concentrate
Galactose
Glucose
Glucose solids
Golden sugar*
Golden Syrup*
Grape sugar*
High-fructose corn
syrup*
Honey*
Icing Sugar*
Invert sugar
Lactose
Malt Syrup
Maltodextrin
Maltose
Maple Syrup*
Molasses*
Muscovado sugar*
Organic raw sugar
Panocha*
Raw sugar*
Refiner’s syrup*
Rice syrup
Sorghum syrup*
Sucrose*
Sugar*
Treacle
Turbinado sugar*
Yellow sugar*