Eat a variety of foods to get the energy (calories), protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber you need for good health.

Maintain a healthy weight to reduce your chances of having high blood pressure, heart disease, a stroke, certain cancers, and the most common type of diabetes.

Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol to reduce your risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. Because fat contains more than twice the calories of an equal amount of carbohydrates or protein, a diet low in fat can help you maintain a healthy weight.

Choose a diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits and grain products that provide needed vitamins, minerals, fiber and complex carbohydrates. They are generally low in fat.

Use sugars only in moderation. A diet with lots of sugars has too many calories and too few nutrients for most people and can contribute to tooth decay.

Use salt and other sodium sources in moderation to help reduce your risk of high blood pressure.

If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. Alcoholic beverages supply calories but few nutrients. Drinking alcohol causes many health problems and accidents, and it can lead to addiction.  If this is the current program in place to educate the public, it makes sense to adhere to it when designing food products. However, this is not the only source that informs the consumer on nutrition. While there is no official definition for the term "balanced meal," the government offers more guidelines in terms of product labeling and graphic representation via the Food Guide Pyramid.

  "Traditionally, balanced meals referred to the inclusion of foods from all of the food groups, and that is pretty much how the Food Guide Pyramid developed," says Godfrey. "Now there is a new concept in terms of balancing nutrients. That means balancing food groups, which is food-based, versus balancing nutrients, which is number-based - essentially, the pyramid versus the RDI (recommended daily intake) and DVs (daily values). The food based method is simple for the consumer to use. Nutritionists are trying to develop methods of teaching them the number-based methods. Balance really does come down to looking at the pyramid and then looking at the RDIs and the DVs."

Nutrition according to NLEA

  The percent DVs and RDIs were established for the Nutrition Facts panel, now required for food labels by the 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA). Prior to its implementation, nutritional labeling was voluntary unless the product made nutrient content claims or contained added nutrients. The NLEA also standardized label formats, serving sizes and health claims.

  The percent DVs were established to give consumers an easy reference to the percent of a nutrient contained in a serving of the product. They are based on Daily Reference Values (DRV) for a 2,OOO calorie-per-day diet and include amounts for eight nutrients: fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, sodium, potassium and protein. In addition to nutrients with specified percent DVs, the amount of several other nutrients in one serving must appear on the label. These are sugar, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron. Listing other nutrient levels is optional.

  The RDIs are based on the original 1973 U.S. RDAs (recommended daily allowances). If a serving contains less than 2% of its RDI, the label must state the level as 0%.

  One thing that may not be clear to the consumer is which of these values are considered maximum (fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium). Maximum figures are listed because excessive consumption of these nutrients may lead to health problems. With the exception of those for sodium and cholesterol, the DRVs increase with increased caloric requirements. Maximum cholesterol and sodium remain at the same levels even with increased caloric requirements. In most cases, caloric content is the key for a nutritionally balanced product.

  "The factor most often looked at today is the amount of fat that is in a product," notes Stacheklek. "But what's more important is total calorie intake. With many low-fat foods, the total calories are probably within 15% or 20% of a full-fat product."

  The calorie level of 2,000 per day is based in part on the calorie requirements for moderately active, post-menopausal women. This group reportedly has the highest risk for excessive intake of total calories and fat. This level of calories is also appropriate for teenage girls and sedentary men. The label makes reference to Daily Values for a 2,500-calorie diet. This level is recommended for many men, teenage boys and active women. Nutritionists also recommend other target calorie consumption levels: 1,600 per day for older adults, sedentary women and children; and 2,800 calories per day for active men and teenage boys and very active women.

  Obviously, this is an important consideration if you are designing "Couch Potato Cuisine" rather than "Triathlon Tidbits." However, since the percent DV is based on a 2,000 calorie level, those are the figures that will be most prominent on the label. The 2,500-calorie figures are only expressed as DRV, and that appears in the fine print at the bottom of the Nutrition Facts panel; it doesn't state percent DV at the higher caloric level. Some products out on the market provide percent DVs for the higher caloric requirements elsewhere on the package.

  While the NLEA does not give any definition of a "balanced" food or diet, it provides a number of methods to get the message across:

Health claims. The FDA allows eight claims that discuss the relationship between nutrients or foods and disease. The FDA has published vignettes to serve as a model for each allowed claim - for example, "Low fat diets rich in fiber containing grain products, fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer, a disease associated with many factors." These claims are purposely vague, reflecting the current state of nutritional research.

Descriptor claims. The NLEA clarifies and defines the meaning of many descriptors frequently used on food packaging. These include absolute claims such as "free," "low," "high" and "source of," as well as relative claims such as "more," "reduced," "less" and "light." Many of these would be applicable in a product positioned as balanced.

"Healthy." Since "healthy" is implied in an entree with balanced nutrients, this is one claim that would make a valid formulation goal. To use this term on the package, one serving of an individual food must contain less than 3 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 60 mg of cholesterol, and 480 mg of sodium. In addition, it must provide at least 10% of the Daily Value of either vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein or fiber per serving. These rules are applicable for an entree that might be considered a single food - a stew or a burrito, for example.

  Meal-type products, such as frozen entrees or multi-course frozen dinners, must contain at least 10% of the DV of two or three of those nutrients, depending on the type and size of the meal. Meal-type products also must meet sodium limits of 480 mg by January 1, 1996, for FDA regulated foods and in November 1995 for USDA-regulated products. These levels drop to 360 mg per serving for individual foods two years after that, but remain at the 480 mg level for meal-type products.

  Another point to keep in mind is that these labels apply to the food as packaged and do not call for the labeling of the food as prepared - either including cooking or the recommended addition of extra ingredients such as milk or oil. However, the label can list the nutrient information "as consumed" (after cooking without added ingredients) or "as prepared" (using additional ingredients) if desired. While most frozen, prepared entrees do not need this type of information, it could make sense in the case of entrees designed for fresh distribution, such as vegetables with pasta and sauce.

Another balancing act

  Another method of defining "balanced" used over the years involves the concept of energy-nutrient balance. This uses calories consumed and balances the calories from three macronutrients: fat, protein and carbohydrates. The most commonly accepted ratio of calories is 10% to 20% protein; 30% fat, no more than 10% of which comes from saturated fat; and 50% to 60% carbohydrates. (The FDA's DRVs calculate out to 10% protein, 30% fat, and 60% carbohydrates.) Some advocate dropping the maximum fat level to 20% and the saturated fat level to 7%.

  "If you are looking at it from a product development standpoint, you can take the number of calories that you think should be in an entree, then calculate the maximum grams of fat, the amount of protein and the amount of carbohydrates," says Godfrey. "Then base the formulation on the energy-nutrient balance concept. The 30% fat and 10% of calories from saturated fats are important and they are well publicized. We do over-consume protein in this country; we have a tendency to have much more than the actual grams that we need, but often that's because we have more calories than we need. If you have the correct amount of energy in a balanced diet, you will have the correct amount of nutrients. That's why that caloric figure on the Nutrition Facts label is so important."

Pyramids and programs

  The Food Guide Pyramid was developed by the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services. It's based on the types of foods Americans eat, their nutrients, and the frequency of consumption that promotes good health. If fact, the whole idea is to depict graphically how the diet should be balanced. The Food Guide Pyramid specifies six to 11 servings of cereal and grain products, three to five servings of vegetables, two to four servings of fruit, two to three servings of dairy products, and two to three servings of protein sources (meat, poultry, seafood, beans and legumes). The top of the pyramid specifies that fat and sugar should be used sparingly.

  While many nutrition experts agree with the USDA's pyramid, others believe that modifications are required to model a truly balanced, healthful diet. The one concept gaining a significant following is the Mediterranean diet. This concept looks-at the "Seven Countries Study," a long-term study conducted in the 1960s of the eating habits of the Mediterranean region. This study indicated that people in this region ate diets that were very low in saturated fats (olive oil was consumed as the major fat source) and high in fruits and vegetables. The study group had a very low incidence of heart disease and other chronic diseases of the industrialized world. This served as the basis for the design of a set of nutritional guidelines known as the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid.

  "Working with the World Health Organization and the Harvard School of Public Health we developed the pyramid over a period of years. In June of 1994 we introduced it," says Sara Baer-Sinnott, executive vice president, Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust, Boston. "The big differences between this pyramid and the one established by the USDA are separating out beans, legumes and nuts from the red meat and that red meat is separated out at the top of the pyramid. Also, the recommendation of moderate exercise is included."

  The major differences set out to promote the substitution of red meat with other protein sources with lower saturated fat levels, particularly vegetable sources of protein. Less consumption of dairy products also results. Another difference is that the amount of fat consumed is not as big an issue as the type of fat - specifically high monounsaturated olive oil. Many believe this applies to any monounsaturated oil.

  "Different studies and different countries show different levels of olive oil consumption, " explains Baer-Sinnott. "Studies have shown that keeping the oil consumption at 30% may not be necessary. It also depends on the individual and the amount of calories they can consume. The same number may not hold true for everybody, but that's true of any dietary recommendation.

  "At Oldways, our mission is to promote healthier eating," continues Baer-Sinnott. "Our method is looking at different traditional diets as models of healthy eating. But we realize that traditions also have to bend to meet reality and real life. We certainly aren't advocating a plant based diet, but a lower consumption of red meat and those foods with saturated fats."

  Others believe that a balanced diet should be modeled on certain Asian patterns of eating. These are similar to the Mediterranean diet - high consumption of vegetables, fruit and grains; lower consumption of animal foods, particularly red meat and animal fat. Some go as far as advocating a totally vegetarian diet. Indeed, an increasing number of Americans are turning to part- or full-time vegetarianism.

Ideas in motion

  Theoretically, these concepts can serve as the model for a balanced entree. With the USDA Pyramid, for example, the numbers could be used as weighted averages: six parts grain to three parts vegetable, etc. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily a reflection of eating habits. People don't eat three perfectly balanced meals each day.

  "There used to be a rule of thumb about calorie intake at each meal," notes Godfrey. "That has changed a bit. We used to believe that you had to balance everything out during the day. You had to have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks. And you would take a certain amount of the calories at breakfast, lunch and dinner and balance the nutrients accordingly. Now we are saying that balance does not imply perfection. For some people it isn't critical to have a traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner. Maybe there will be more, perhaps five to seven, eating occasions."

  While this reflects the way Americans actually eat, it doesn't offer too much in the way of guidelines for product development. This is where some market research as to the eating habits of the target consumer or adherence to certain philosophies of eating comes in. For example, to most Americans, dinner implies a larger calorie consumption than other meals. Godfrey does suggest some general guidelines, but the actual numbers used tend to reflect tradition or competitive products. Most frozen dinners will fall in the 220- to 500-calorie range, with those positioned as light typically at about 300 calories or below. On the other hand, certain products designed for consumers who feel comfortable consuming 2,500 to 2,800 calories per day can easily be targeted at 600 calories or higher.

  "It comes down again to that key concept of balancing variety and moderation," Godfrey recommends. "Variety is where you have different choices within a food category in the pyramid. Moderation is where you get the correct number of servings of foods from each of those food groups and the correct amount in a serving. That's where product development comes in to play; you really do have to design the correct size serving so that it incorporates moderation as part of the diet. If you have them throughout the day, you don't necessarily have to have fruit or two vegetables at dinner like we used to recommend. Essentially a meal pattern has to have some balance, but it doesn't have to be as rigid as we used to think."

  What does this mean in terms of product development? It depends on the type of leeway given to develop the product. A marketing directive of, "Create a 300-calorie chicken breast teriyaki dinner with a 3-oz. portion of meat, a 3-oz. portion of fried rice, and a 3-oz. portion of carrots, pea pods and onions" doesn't leave much leave much room for putting these theories into practice. If the request is "What can you give us in the way of an Oriental-style chicken dinner in the 250- to 300 calorie range that we can position as nutritionally balanced," you can put your nutritional knowledge to work.

  Keep the calories from the macronutrients and any target vitamins or minerals balanced in some semblance of the appropriate proportions. Incorporate the necessary nutritional marketing claims. At the same time; remember that balanced nutrition cannot come from a single entree - although it is entirely possible that the consumer may believe this - so a dinner entree does not have to contain one-third of all essential nutrients. In all probability, somewhere there is a person who exists solely on Freeze Cuisine Swedish Meatballs and water, but if so, it's a pretty small market.

  As nutrition becomes an increasingly important feature, from both regulatory and consumer perception aspects, food product designers must take the appropriate steps to ensure that the products meet the requirements. While there are no easy answers for some of the questions, one thing is apparent: Good nutrition can be synonymous with good taste.

  "Consumers do not view foods as tasting bad if they are healthy," says Godfrey. "There was a study on how Americans make their food choices by Gallup, ADA and IFIC that concluded that Americans feel they could eat healthfully but they still can have foods that taste good. In that study 70% of the people surveyed disagreed with the statement that foods that are good for you usually don't taste good. Years ago it was just the opposite. We've made a lot of progress in that area."

Balancing Numbers

  It's fortunate that this emphasis on nutrition has come about in the computer age. Otherwise the food companies of the world would have to employ legions of mathematicians, slide rules clacking, solving complex mathematical equations to provide direction for product development. Since most people now have access to a personal computer, the easiest way to see if a particular formulation meets a set of nutritional figures is to use a nutritional database program. Food Product Design looked at these software packages in March 1994's "Navigating Nutritional Database and Labeling Software." While the main function of these programs is to generate nutritional information for labeling purposes, they also can be used as valuable tools for formulation of balanced meals.

  You need to look for a program that gives you the best flexibility to use for product development. This includes several features:

Accuracy of the database. Garbage in, garbage out. We've all heard the controversy surrounding USDA's Handbook 8. While there are other databases out there containing valid and accurate information, they still must be evaluated in terms of the ingredients actually used. Certain ingredients will have fairly standard nutrient levels; you won't find too much variance in the sodium content of salt, for example. But it might be wise to review the ingredients contained in the database in terms of the ingredients actually used in a product, especially if they are the primary source of a particular nutrient.

Ease of performing if/then analyses. If you are looking for a specific nutritional profile, you need to determine which formulations) provide it. Since most of these programs have been designed for formula input, any protocol that makes it easy to input ingredients or individual components without reentering the entire formula each time makes it easier to use for formula development.

Means of identifying nutrients in ingredients. If you need to alter the level of a specific nutrient, knowing which ingredients contribute to the overall content and at what levels makes it easier to effect changes.

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