Instructor: Laurel Brannon.

There is no difference between good nutrition for RVers and everyone else. This most informative program began by discussing the Food Guide Pyramid, something I had not thought of since about fourth grade. The basic 4 food groups have now become the basic 5 due to the splitting of the fruit group from the vegetable. Now nutritionists want us to eat veggies as well as fruits. No substitution of an apple for a piece of broccoli. Still, the basis of one's diet should consist of breads, pasta, cereals and rice, with fruits and vegetables next in importance. Then comes protein (meat, fish, chicken, eggs and legumes) and milk. Fats, oils and sweets are NOT a food group. (Apple pie does not fall into the fruit group!)

Fats and cholesterol were in prime topics for consideration. To determine your dail y fat limit in grams, the formula is quite simple: take your daily caloric intake, multiply that number by 0.3, and divide the result by 9. Remember that only 30% of your total calories should come from fat.

There are three types of fat. Saturated (from animal sources like meat, butter and eggs or vegetable sources, the exotic oils, avocado, coconut, palm, or Crisco, peanut butter and margarine). Monounsaturated, which includes olives, olive oil, peanuts and canola oil. Polyunsaturated, including safflower, corn and soybean oil. All food will have some of each type. The amount will dictate into which group the food falls.

Laurel believes that if you look at the amount of saturated fat in a product, the cholesterol will take care of itself. Colesterol is found only in animal products. No oil ever has it, therefore the ads which claim "no saturated fat", when found on a bottle of oil, are specious. You should check those foods which claim no cholesterol to determine the content of saturated fat. Eating cholesterol does not lead to blood cholesterol, your body, specifically your liver, makes it. A high intake of saturated fat does lead to a high total serum cholesterol.

Her bottom line: Lower your intake of saturated fats, lower your intake of total fats, and use less monounsaturated and more polyunsaturated fats whenever possible.