Final answer:
The three E's of nutrition—adequacy, balance, and calorie control—are important in making healthy food choices, with nutrient density and energy density being key concepts. PDIs help in understanding and applying these principles by providing information on how much of the recommended daily values of nutrients are consumed.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Three E's of Nutrition and PDI's
The concept of the three E's of nutrition involves the following:
Adequacy: Ensuring the diet provides sufficient energy and all essential nutrients.
Balance: Not consuming too much of one nutrient at the expense of others.
Calorie control: Balancing the number of calories consumed with the number that is used by the body.
Nutrient Density and Energy Density
Nutrient density refers to the amount of essential nutrients in a food compared to the total calories it contains. Nutritious food choices generally have high nutrient density, meaning they are rich in vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients relative to their caloric content.
In contrast, energy density pertains to the amount of energy a food contains in relation to its weight. Foods with high energy density provide a lot of calories but might be low in essential nutrients. Maintaining energy homeostasis means the balance between energy intake and energy expenditure, which is vital for preventing excess weight gain and associated health risks like type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
PDIs (Percent Daily Values) fit into the three E's by helping individuals gauge how much of the recommended daily values of various nutrients they are consuming in relation to their total daily calorie needs, which aids in achieving adequacy, balance, and calorie control.
Malnutrition can either be a result of under-nutrition - lack of sufficient nutrients - or over-nutrition due to excessive intake of certain nutrients. Understanding nutrient and energy density can aid in making healthier food choices to avoid malnutrition.