Saturated fats come mostly from animals, but palm oil and coconut oil are also considered saturated fats. Animal fats are solid at room temperature, and plant saturated fats are liquids. No more than 10 percent of your daily diet should come from saturated fat.

Unsaturated fats are found in oils from plants. They usually are liquid at room temperature.

Fats have five major functions:

• store energy in a form that can be used when the body needs it
• pad and protect organs
• insulate the body from the cold
• contribute to the production of hormones
• store and transport vitamins within the body.

Ventricular fibrillation (fibrillation of the ventricles, the lower chambers of the heart) is usually fatal if not treated immediately because the heart stops pumping blood. Some victims respond if an electric shock is administered, putting the heart back on rhythm.

• bread, cereal, rice, and pasta
• vegetables
• fruits
• milk, yogurt, and cheese
• meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts
• fats, oils, and sweets (use sparingly).

Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta

You should choose 6-11 servings of foods within this group daily, limiting your intake of fat-based grains, such as sweet rolls, cheese bread, and croissants. A serving is equivalent to 1 slice of bread, 1/2 cup of cereal, or 1/2 cup of pasta. These are good sources for complex carbohydrates, iron, and B Vitamins.

Vegetable

You should choose 3-5 servings of foods from this category daily, limiting your intake of avocados and olives. A serving is equivalent to 1/2 cup of cooked or raw vegetables, 1 cup of leafy vegetables, or 3/4 cup of vegetable juice. These are good sources for Vitamin C and Vitamin A, and complex carbohydrates.

Fruit

You should choose 2-4 servings of foods from this category daily. A serving is equivalent to 1 piece of fruit, 1/2 cup of canned fruit, or 3/4 cup of fruit juice. If you drink fruit juice, make sure that it is 100 percent pure because many fruit drinks contain little or no fruit juice. Choose canned fruits that are packed in natural juices or light syrup to avoid additional sugar. These are good sources for Vitamin A and Vitamin C and complex carbohydrates.

Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese

You should have 2-5 servings from this group daily, limiting milk products with more than 1 percent fat and cheeses with more than 2 grams of fat per ounce. A serving is considered to be 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1 1/2 ounces of cheese, or 2 ounces of processed cheese. These are good sources of calcium, protein, and riboflavin (a B Vitamin).

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts

You should choose 2-3 servings from this group daily, limiting meats with more than 2 grams of fat per ounce, peanut butter, high-fat nuts, and liver. A serving is equivalent to 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish. One egg or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter equals 1 ounce of meat. These are good sources of protein, iron, and B Vitamins.

Fats, Sweets, Soft Drinks, Coffee, Tea, and Alcohol

You should use items in this group sparingly. Caution: Soft drinks provide phosphorus, a necessary macromineral; however, they do not contain adequate calcium to maintain the necessary balance for healthy bone development. People who drink large amounts of soft drinks also tend to have diets low in calcium, riboflavin, and Vitamin A. Many soft drinks contain caffeine and sugar, promoting tooth decay.

Caffeine is a stimulant and diuretic. It is most commonly found in coffee, tea, colas, and many diet pills. It can cause headaches, stomach problems, nervousness, anxiety, and diarrhea. If overused, it can cause dehydration because it depletes the body's water.

A diuretic is a substance that increases the amount of urine produced.

A stimulant is a drug that increases the level of activity of the central nervous system. It increases heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure and decreases appetite.

Ingredients and Nutrient and Caloric Content

All foods governed by the FDA labeling regulations must contain a food label outlining the ingredients and the nutrient and caloric content of the food.

• Serving size and servings per container--The label must tell the consumer the amount of food that has been used to determine the nutrient and caloric content and how many of those servings are included in the package.
• Calories per serving and calories per serving from fat--The label must tell the consumer how many calories there are in each of the servings as described in the serving size. It also must let the consumer know how many of those calories come from fat.
• Grams of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, sugar, and protein per serving--The label must tell the consumer the amount of each of these nutrients present in each serving as described in the serving size.
• Percentage of the Recommended Daily Value the product supplies of the above nutrients plus some important vitamins and minerals--The label must tell the consumer what percentage of the daily nutritional requirements is met by this product.
• Ingredients listed by weight in descending order--The label must tell the consumer all of the ingredients used to make this product. The ingredient that was used the most is listed first, with the rest of the ingredients listed in the order of their weight.
• Food additives--The label must contain anything that was added to give the food some desired effect (color, preservative, etc.).

Effects of Associated Products

Some products include information about how other products that are closely associated with them may affect them. For example, a cereal box label may include the required information and then how milk and/or sugar would affect the nutrition or caloric totals.

Benefits

Some products may include possible health benefits that they could have. For example, a product high in fiber may say that dietary fiber has been shown to aid in digestion or help prevent colon cancer.

Terms on Labels

Food labels must use standardized terms if they wish to discuss possible benefits.

• Enriched--Nutrients lost in processing are returned after the product has completed processing.
• Fortified--Nutrients not naturally in the product have been added.
• Light--Calories have been reduced by at least a third OR fat or sodium reduced by at least a half.
• Less and More--The product must have at least 25 percent less or 10 percent more of a nutrient or calories.
• Free--There is none, or only an unavoidable and extremely small amount, of the element being described. For example, something that is said to be "fat free" cannot have any fat, or such a small amount of fat that it is insignificant and unavoidable (oil-based coating on the packaging material).
• High--The product must have 20 percent or more of the Daily Value.
• Good--The product must have 10-19 percent of the Daily Value.
• Fresh--The product must be raw, unprocessed, contain no preservatives, and have never been frozen or heated.
• Natural--The "Natural" label can be used only on meat and poultry that has minimal processing and no artificial or synthetic ingredients.

Dating

Some products have begun to put information usage times on food labels.

• Expiration date--The expiration date is the last date you should use or consume the product.
• Freshness date--The freshness date is the last date a food is thought to be fresh.
• Pack date--The pack date is the date that the product was packaged.
• Sell date--The sell date is the last date the product should be sold.

Shelf Labeling

Some food distributors have included information about products in the areas where they are displayed.

• Unit pricing--The unit pricing shows how the food price compares with other products or with a different size of the same product.
• Nutritional labeling--Nutritional shelf labels give information where the product is displayed showing the product's nutritional value. This is especially common with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Foodborne illnesses and food poisoning are very common, but generally avoidable, problems. They occur from eating food contaminated by bacteria, such as salmonella, staphylococcus arueus, clostridium perfringens, and clostridium botulinum. They generally produce flu-like symptoms of varying seriousness. Botulism can be fatal.

Prevention of Food Poisoning

Most food poisoning can be prevented by taking a few precautions.

• Do not buy or eat food from damaged packaging, such as cracks, leaks, bulging lids, or popped safety seals.
• Prepare food according to instructions, and store food at suggested temperatures.
• Keep hot foods hot enough to destroy bacteria (internal 160 degrees). Make sure that foods cooked in a microwave reach suitable temperatures.
• Keep cold foods below 40 degrees.
• Make sure that the surfaces and utensils used in preparation are clean. Also beware of cross contamination, such as bacteria from one food item contaminating another food item prepared on the same surface or with the same utensils. Clean can openers frequently as well as sponges or cloths.
• Refrigerate leftovers immediately. Room temperature is ideal for bacteria growth.
• Throw away any foods that may be contaminated.

Treatment of Food Poisoning

Most food poisoning can be treated with rest and fluids, but seek medical attention if any of the symptoms are severe, or if the condition lasts more than 48 hours.