Nutrition

• Nutrition• The process by which the body takes in and

uses food

• Calorie (kilocalorie)• measurement of energy from food• Units of heat that measure the energy used by

the body and the energy that food supplies to the body

• Fuels everything you do

• Nutrients• Substances in food that your body needs to

grow, to repair itself, and to use for energy

Influences

• Hunger• Natural physical drive that protects us from

starvation• When your stomach is empty it contracts

which stimulates nerves. • These nerves signal your brain that your body

needs food• When you eat the walls of your stomach are

stretched and nerves are not stimulated

• Appetite-• A desire, rather than a need, to eat• After smelling pizza cooking or freshly baked

bread

• Emotions• Eating b/c bored or upset

• Family, friends, and peers

• Culture

• Convenience and cost

• Advertising

Six essential nutrientsCarbohydrates

• Starches and sugars present in foods

• Made up of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen

• Preferred source of energy

• 4 calories per gram

• 60% of calories should be from carbs (complex)

• Simple carbohydrates- sugars• Fructose and sucrose- refined to make table sugar

• Complex carbohydrates- starches – grains, seeds, nuts, and others• Body must break them down into simple

sugars before using as energy

Role of Carbohydrates

• Body converts carbs. into glucose- sugar, source of energy

• Glucose not use right away is stored as glycogen in liver and muscles

• When more energy is needed the body converts the glycogen back to glucose and use it

• If you take in more carbs than your body can use or store as glycogen your body converts and stores it as fat

• Avoid taking in excess carbohydrates

• Fiber• An indigestible complex carbohydrate found in

some vegetables, fruits, and grains• Not used as energy• Helps waste move through GI tract• 20-35 grams of fiber a day

• There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. • Insoluble fiber, as the name implies, does not

dissolve in water because it contains high amount of cellulose.

• Insoluble fiber can be found in the bran of grains, the pulp of fruit and the skin of vegetables.

• Soluble fiber is the type of fiber that dissolves in water.

• It can be found in a variety of fruits and vegetables such as apples, oatmeal and oat bran, rye flour, and dried beans.

• Although they share some common characteristics such as being partially digested in the stomach and intestines and have few calories, each type of fiber has its own specific health benefits.

• Insoluble fiber speeds up the transit of foods through the digestive system and adds bulk to the stools, therefore, it is the type of fiber that helps treatconstipation or diarrhea and prevents colon cancer.

• On the other hand, only soluble fiber can lower blood cholesterol levels. This type of fiber works by attaching itself to the cholesterol so that it can be eliminated from the body.

• This prevents cholesterol from recirculating and being reabsorbed into the bloodstream.

• In 2003, the World Health Organization released a new report specifically outlining the link of a healthy diet rich in high-fiber plant foods to preventing cancer.

Proteins

• Nutrients that help build and maintain body cells and tissues

• Made of long chains of amino acids

• Your body can actually make some amino acids but not all

• Protein supplies amino acids to build and maintain healthy body tissue.

• There are 20 amino acids considered essential because the body must have all of them in the right amounts to function properly.

• Twelve of these are manufactured in the body but the other eight amino acids must be provided by the diet.

• Foods from animal sources such as milk or eggs often contain all these essential amino acids while a variety of plant products must be taken together to provide all these necessary protein components.

• Complete protein- contains all 9 of essential amino acids- animal products

• Incomplete protein- lacks one or more essential amino acids- beans, peas, nuts

Role of Proteins

• Build new cells, especially during infancy, childhood, adolescence, puberty, and pregnancy

• Body replaces damaged or worn our cells by making new cells with proteins

• Body uses proteins to make enzymes, hormones, and antibodies

• Excess stored as fat for energy

• 4 calories per gram

Fats

• A type of lipid- fatty substance that does not dissolve in water

• 9 calories per gram

• Provide twice the energy of carbs and protein

• Saturated fat (fatty acid) is fats that are solid at room temperature• Molecules hold more hydrogen• Animal fats and tropical oils• Associated with heart disease

• Unsaturated fats (fatty acids)- vegetable fats- olive and canola oil• has at least one unsaturated bond• Liquids at room temp• Associated with reduced risk of heart disease

The role of fats

• Source of stored energy

• Transport vitamins in the blood• A, D, and K

• Linoleic acid- essential fatty acid- needed for growth and healthy skin

• Flavor

• Help satisfy hunger- b/c they take longer to digest

• Foods high in fat are high in calories

• Excess amount increases risk of unhealthy weight gain and obesity

• Only 20-30% of calories should be from fat

Role of Cholesterol

• Waxy lipid-like substance

• Body uses produces a small amount

• Small amounts are used for making cell membranes, nerve tissue, hormones, vitamin D, and bile

• Excess blood cholesterol is deposited in arteries

• High intake of saturated fats linked to high cholesterol

Vitamins

• Compounds that help regulate many vital body process, including digestion, absorption, and metabolism

• Water soluble vitamins can dissolve in water and easily pass into blood during digestion• Body doesn’t store these so we need eat them

on a daily basis

• Vitamin C- • from citrus fruits, other fruits and vegetables• Protect against infections• Heal wounds

• B1

• Thiamine• Whole grain and enriched cereals• Converts glucose to energy or fat

• B2

• Riboflavin• Milk, cheese, spinach, beef• Essential for producing energy from carbs,

protein, fats

• Niacin• Milk, eggs, poultry, beef, whole grains• Helps in energy production• Needed to utilize carbs

• B6

• Wheat bran, meat, whole grains, fish• Essential for amino acid and carbs metabolism

• Folic Acid• Nuts, orange juice, • Production of genetic material

• B12

• Animal products• Production of red blood cells

• Fat soluble vitamins are absorbed, stored in fat, liver, and kidneys, and transported by fat• Excess buildup can be toxic

• A• Milk, green vegetables• Maintain skin tissue

• D• Milk, produced in skin exposed to sun• Use of calcium and phosphorus

• E• Vegetable oil, some fruit• Help in oxygen transport

• K• Spinach, broccoli• Essential for blood clotting

Minerals

• Substances that the body cannot manufacture but that are needed for forming healthy bones and teeth and for regulating many vital process

• Calcium• Dairy products, leafy vegetables• Bones and teeth

• Phosphorus• Dairy products• Gives rigidity to bones and teeth

• Magnesium• Whole grains• Muscle contraction

• Iron• Meat shellfish• Transporting oxygen in blood

Water

• Transports nutrients

• Carries waste

• Lubricates joints and mucous membranes

• Swallow, digest, and absorb food

• Eliminate waste

• Maintain normal body temperature- perspiration

• Drinks and food contain water• Milk, juice, fruit, vegetables

• Beverages with caffeine increase urination • Not good choices to get daily need of water