Nutrition and Your
Health
Chapter 5: Lessons 1 & 2
What is Nutrition?
 The process by which the body takes in
and uses food.
Good nutrition enhances your quality of life
and helps prevent diseases.
 Provides you with the calories and nutrients
your body needs for maximum energy and
wellness.
Calories
Units of heat that measure the energy used
by the body and the energy that foods
supply to the body
This energy fuels everything you do, from
exercising and playing sports to doing
your homework and talking with friends.
Nutrients
Substances in food that your body needs to
grow, to repair itself, and to supply you
with energy.
Making healthy food choices will provide
your body with the nutrients it needs to
help you look your best and perform your
best.
Hunger vs. Appetite
 Hunger is a natural physical drive that
protects you from starvation.
 Appetite is a desire, rather than a need,
to eat.
Why Do You Eat?
 Emotional needs
 stressed, frustrated, depressed, bored
 Environmental influence
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family & friends
cultural & ethnic background
convenience & cost
advertising
Six Basic Nutrients
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Carbohydrates
Fats
Protein
Vitamins
Minerals
Water
Carbohydrates
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Starches and sugars present in foods
The body’s primary energy source
60% of diet
Simple vs. Complex
Simple Carbohydrates
 Sugars
 Fructose (fruit) and lactose (milk)
 Sucrose (occurs naturally in many plants
and refined to make table sugar)
 Sugars are added to many manufactured
food products
Complex Carbohydrates
 Starches
 Found in whole grains, seeds, nuts, legumes
(dried peas and beans)
 The body must break down complex
carbohydrates into simple carbohydrates
before it can use them for energy
Role of Carbohydrates
 Converted to glucose (sugar)
 Body’s main source of energy
 Glucose that is not used right away is stored in
the liver and muscles as a starch-like
substance called glycogen.
 When more energy is needed, glycogen is
converted back to glucose.
 Taking in more carbohydrates than your body
needs (or can store as glycogen) is then stored
as body fat.
Fats
 Secondary energy source
 BUT, fats provide more than twice the
energy of carbohydrates or proteins
 30% of diet
 Lipid – fatty substance that does not
dissolve in water
 Saturated vs. Unsaturated
Role of Fats
 Source of energy
 Transport vitamins A, D, E, and K in your
blood
 Serve as a source of linoleic acid –
essential fatty acid that is needed for
growth and healthy skin
 Add flavor and texture to food
 Help satisfy hunger, but high in calories
Proteins
 Builds and repairs tissue
 Secondary energy source
 10% of your diet
Proteins
 Made of long chains of substances called
amino acids.
 Your body can’t manufacture 9 of the 20
different amino acids
 The other 9 are called essential amino acids
that you must get from the foods you eat.
Complete vs. Incomplete
Proteins
 Complete –
 Contain adequate amounts of all nine
essential amino acids.
 Animal products (fish, meat, poultry, eggs,
milk, cheese and yogurt, soybean products)
 Incomplete –
 Lack one or more of the essential amino
acids
 Beans, peas, nuts and whole grains
Role of Proteins
 Body uses proteins to make enzymes
(substances that control the rate of
chemical reactions in your cells),
hormones (regulate the activities of
different cells) and antibodies (help
identify and destroy disease-causing
organisms).
 Energy supply
Vitamins
Required for growth and proper body
functions
A,D,E,K (fat soluble)
B,C (water soluble)
Vitamins
 Compounds that help regulate many vital
body processes, including digestion,
absorption, and metabolism of other
nutrients.
 Water soluble vs. Fat soluble
Water Soluble
 Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water
and pass easily into the blood during
digestion.
 The body doesn’t store these vitamins, so
you need to replenish them regularly through
the foods you eat.
 Figure 5.1 (pg. 119)
Fat Soluble
 Absorbed, stored, and transported in fat
 Your body stores these vitamins in your
fatty tissue, liver and kidneys
 Excess build-up of these vitamins can be
toxic
 Figure 5.2 (pg. 120)
Minerals
Needed for body processes (i.e.: muscle
contractions, bone strength, etc.)
Minerals
 Substances that the body cannot
manufacture but that are needed for
forming healthy bones and teeth and for
regulating many vital processes.
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Calcium
Phosphorous
Magnesium
Iron**
Water
Most important nutrient
Most abundant nutrient
60-70% of our body
8 cups a day!!!
MyPlate
AHA Dietary Guidelines
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Amount of total calories from fat: 30%
Amount of saturated fat: <10%
Daily cholesterol intake: <300 mg
Daily sodium intake: <2400 mg
Partially Hydrogenated
Fats
 Also known as trans fats
 BAD!!!
 Found in processed foods
One pounds of fat equals
3,500 calories
Calculations **
 Carbohydrates and Proteins =
4 calories per gram
 Alcohol =
7 calories per gram
 Fat =
9 calories per gram
Empty Caloric Food **
 High in calories
 Low in nutrients
Cholesterol
 Waxy, fat-like substance found in
saturated fats from animal products
Saturated Fats
 Solid at room temperature
 Animal sources
 High intake of saturated fats is
associated with increased risk of heart
disease
Unsaturated Fats
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Usually liquids (oils) at room temperature
Found in vegetable sources
Healthier choice!
Linked to reduced risk of heart disease
Monounsaturated fatty acids –
 Liquid at room temp. but start to solidify when
refrigerated
 Polyunsaturated fatty acids –
 Liquid at both room temp. and refrigerated
Lipoproteins (Two Types)
Low Density (LDL)
 Carries cholesterol from the
liver to the tissues
 Deposits cholesterol on the
lining of the arteries
 Dietary intake affected
 “Bad cholesterol”
High Density (HDL)
 Gathers & carries excess
cholesterol back to the liver
 Exercise affected
 “Good cholesterol”
Fiber
 Indigestible complex carbohydrate
 Found in tough, stringy parts of vegetables, fruits
and whole grains
 Helps move waste through the digestive
system and helps prevent intestinal problems
 Reduces risk of heart disease
 May help reduce risk of diabetes
 20-35 grams per day
Think over your diet, what are
some things you could add to
it or eliminate to make it
healthier?
As a review of the six basic nutrients,
complete pg. 71 in your WB
Answer these questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What is an empty calorie?
How many glasses of water per day?
What mineral is supplied by dairy products?
What is a source of complex carbs?
What are fat-soluble vitamins?
What is hunger?
What type of fats are animals fats and tropical
oils?
8. Which mineral is used to resist infection?
9. What is “bad cholesterol?”
10. What is the most abundant nutrient in the body?