Smart Living

Smart Nutrition

Hand holding walnutsSmart Eating Style:

Making simple food choices or changes in recipes can turn your eating style into a “smarter” one without compromising taste. Remember, food should be your ally in wellness helping you feel healthier and happier.

Guidelines:

  • 35% of daily calories or less should come from total fat.
  • No Trans Fat. 
  • Less than 10% of calories should come from saturated fatty acid with most fats coming from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. 
  • Keep Salt/Sodium, and sugar to a minimum-instead use herbs, spices zests and fruit juices when possible. Try to keep each meal below 600 MG of Sodium and each side dish or dessert below 480 MG  (Consume less than 2300 MG per day) 
  • Eat your Fruits and Vegetables. According to USDA, Women and Men aged 19-50 should aim to consume 1.5 to 2 cups of fruits and 2.5 to 3 cups of Vegetables per day based on a 2,000-Calorie Diet. 
  • Try to consume at least 7-8 Grams of Fiber at meals-aim for 25-30 Grams per day.
  • When possible, use whole grains in place of refined/white products.
  • Aim for 20 minutes of cooking prep-time or less.
  • No more than 6-8 ingredients should be called for-not including seasonings.
  • Ingredients should be easily available at your local grocery store.
  • Recipes should maximize the use of whole foods.

Portions: Use your eye for portion size.

  • Serving of cooked Meat, Fish, or Poultry is the size of a deck of cards. 
  • An Ounce of Walnuts is a handful. 
  • A piece of fruit should be the size of a baseball.
  • A bagel should be the size of a hockey puck. 
  • One ounce of Cheese is the size of four dice.
  • A small baked potato is the size of a computer mouse.
  • The serving size for raw fruits and vegetables is one cup – which will fit into an average woman's hand.

Here are some external resources on health and nutrition:

American Heart Association - www.americanheart.org

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Dietary Guidelines - www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines

U.S. Government Food Safety Website - www.foodsafety.gov

U.S. Department of Agriculture, My Pyramid - www.mypyramid.gov

American Dietetic Association - www.eatright.org

Request Additional Information

If you would like to additional nutritional information about California Walnuts, please our Available Materials request form.