"209 his /her diet. If a person consistently eats a Big Mac from McDonald’s, that is part of his/her diet. However, it is clear that food choices influence short - term and long - term health. That is why it is so important to make wise choices in what one eats on a regular basis. If a person chooses to have a diet high in calories without balancing energy use, that person can expect to put on unhealthy weight. A diet that is high in fiber, with the appropriate amount of calories and proper amounts of the macronutri ents, will contribute to a healthy body. When people discuss “going on a diet,” they are actually talking about changing their existing dietary habits in order to change their body shape. All people are “on a diet” because everyone eats! Many times, the te rm diet is thought of as a method to lose weight or to change body shape. However, it is important to focus on the nutritional concepts listed below, so long - term health can be achieved. Decisions about nutrition can be difficult. Knowing and using scienti fic research can lead to better health. Over time public health organizations have developed tools based on nutritional science to help people design healthy diets. These tools should be used as guidelines for each individual with the awareness that every one is different and therefore has different needs. Everyone, regardless of age, size, shape, physique, can benefit from learning and utilizing the following tools: Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) The AMDR describes the proportions of da ily caloric intake that should be carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. Basically the AMDR provides guidelines on how many macronutrient calories one should consume a day. According to the AMDR, the range of caloric intake in a daily diet should be: • Carbohy drates: 45 - 65% • Lipids: 20 - 35% • Proteins: 10 - 35% Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) The DRI’s are reference values of nutrient intake that help with nutrition planning and assessment of healthy individuals. There are four measures that together comprise the DR I: • Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA): the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of nearly all (about 97%) healthy individuals in a group. This is the basic quantity of a nutrient recommended. • Adequate Int ake (AI): a value based on observed or experimentally determined approximations of nutrient intake by a group (or groups) of healthy people — used when an RDA cannot be determined. This is the minimum amount of a nutrient needed for maintaining health."