The Importance of Nutrition

 Nutrition – the process by which your body takes in and uses food.
 Nutrients – substances in food that your body needs to grow, to repair itself, and to supply you with energy.
 Calorie – a unit of heat used to measure the energy your body uses and the energy it receives from food.

 Hunger – the natural physical drive to eat, prompted by the body’s need for food.
 Appetite – the psychological desire for food.

 Your body uses nutrients in many ways:
 As an energy source
 To heal, and build and repair tissue
 To sustain growth
 To help transport oxygen to cells
 To regulate body functions

 Starches and sugars found in foods, which provide your body’s main source of energy.
 45-65% of your daily calories
 Three types of carbohydrates
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Simple Carbohydrates – sugars such as fructose and lactose
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Occur naturally in fruits, dairy products, honey, and syrup
Added to processed foods such as cold cereals, bread, and bakery products
Complex Carbohydrates– or starches
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Long chains of sugars linked together
Sources include; grains, grain products such as bread and pasta, beans, and root vegetables
Fiber – a tough complex carbohydrate that the body cannot digest
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Moves waste through the body at an appropriate rate.

 Nutrients the body uses to build and maintain its cells and tissues.
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Your body needs 20 amino acids; the amount you need depends on gender and age.
Body can make all but 9
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These 9 are essential amino acids
Complete proteins
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Contain all 9 essential amino acids
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Include all animal products and soy
Incomplete proteins
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Usually missing one or more amino acid
 Includes plant proteins such as grains, seeds, and legumes

 Dietary fats are composed of fatty acids; fat in all foods is a combination of saturated and unsaturated fats:
 Unsaturated fats – vegetable oils, nuts and seeds
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Can lower your risk of heart disease.
 Saturated fats – found mostly in animal-based foods; some plant fats including palm, coconut, and palm kernel oils.
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Saturated fats can increase your risk of heart disease.
 Trans fats – formed by a process called hydrogenation adding hydrogen to vegetable oils.
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Found in many snack foods, packaged foods, and cookies and crackers.
 Can raise total cholesterol which increases your risk of heart disease.

 Body needs some fat to function properly.
 Foods containing a lot of fat are generally high in calories.
 Eating a lot of fat can lead to unhealthy weight gain and obesity.

 Compounds found in food that help regulate many body processes
 Water-Soluble – vitamin C, folic acid, and B vitamins
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Dissolve in water and pass easily into the blood stream
Body does not store these vitamins
Removed by the kidneys
 Fat-Soluble – vitamins A,D,E, and K
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Stored in fat for later use
Can become toxic if too much are consumed.

 Elements found in food that is used by the body.

 Essential for most body functions
 Moving food through the digestive tract
 Digestion
 Transporting nutrients and removing waste
 Storing and releasing heat
 Cooling the body
 Cushioning the eyes, brain and spinal cord
 Lubricating joints

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcwQ4uFwxDs&fe ature=related

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i195cJcP8l0&featur e=related