○ Dietary assessment : DRIs can be used to evaluate the adequacy or excess of an individual or group's dietary intakes. For individuals, if the usual intake is lower than the EAR, the likelihood of nutritional deficiency is increased; for groups, th...
○ Dietary assessment : DRIs can be used to evaluate the adequacy or excess of an individual or group's dietary intakes. For individuals, if the usual intake is lower than the EAR, the likelihood of nutritional deficiency is increased; for groups, the risk of undernutrition increases with increasing proportion of individuals with a usual intake lower than the EAR. The risk for excessive intake in individuals or in groups can be estimated on the basis of the UL. DRIs should be used appropriately and interpreted cautiously in all cases of dietary assessment.
○ Dietary planning : Meal planning is the targeting of meals with no deficient or excessive nutrients in order to provide proper nutrition to an individual and a group. For individuals, the aim of meal planning should be set close to RNI or AI; for groups, the aim should be set to meet EAR and less than UL, based on the usual intake distribution, and be free from the risk of deficiency or excess.
○ Korean Food Guidance System : The Food Guidance System describes the basic concept of planning a meal with major food groups, its representative food items, and the number of servings in order to meet the nutritional recommendation for the general population. Nutritional recommendations for the Food Guidance system were established on the basis of KDRIs and Dietary Guidelines for Koreans. In this revision, the existing six major food groups were retained but some modifications were made, including grains, relocation of nuts, and change of group names. The six major food groups are 'Grains', 'Meat, Fish, Eggs, and Beans', 'Vegetables', 'Fruits', 'Milk and Dairy products', and 'Oils, Fats, and Sugars'. Representative food items of each food group were selected and one serving size of each representative food item was prepared using data of the 2007 and 2008 KNHANES as well as the existing data that were used for the previous Food Guidance System. The serving size in the Food Guidance System was determined based on the certain amount of energy for each food group in order to educate the general public easily. This size is different from the exchange unit that was designed for medical dietary therapy for individuals because this is for the general population. Target patterns were developed according to lifecycle in order to present how to plan meals using the Food Guidance System and achieve nutritional goals. At first, the age group and gender specific energy levels were based on the EER suggested in DRIs. The nutrient profile of each food group was calculated. Target patterns were designed by two different types: A-type with two servings of milk and dairy products and B-type with one serving as the calcium requirements differ between children and adults. Finally, the menu was presented for each age and gender group. For the educational message, the Food Balance Wheels symbol was developed comprising a bicycle image to promote exercise, a big wheel consisting of the 6 major food groups with proportional area to represent the number of servings of each food group, and a small wheel containing a glass of water. This symbol represents the importance of a balanced diet and sufficient water intake in order to improve the health status of people and prevent obesity through proper exercise. The colors of the food groups in the Food Balance Wheels were identical to those of the USA Food Guide My Pyramid to improve consistency in international nutrition education.