Nutrition and Diets
Chapter 11
Fundamentals
 Relationship between food and good health
 Nutrition:
 Includes all body processes relating to food that allow the
body to use food for energy, maintenance of health and
growth
 Nutritional Status:
 State or condition of one’s nutrition
 Nutrition plays a role in many areas of our lives
 Effects of good nutrition can be seen immediately
Diseases or Conditions
 Many can be prevented or delayed by good
nutrition
 Hypertension
 Excess fat or salt
 Atherosclerosis
 Large amounts of saturated fats or cholesterol
 Osteoporosis
 Long term calcium, magnesium and vitamin D deficiency
 Malnutrition
 State of poor nutrition caused by a poor diet or illness
 Fatigue, depression, underweight or overweight, irritability
 Muscular or skeletal deficiencies, reduced mental abilities
Essential Nutrients
 Chemical elements found in food
 Used by body to perform functions
 As body uses them, you need to replace with foods
 Carbohydrates
 Lipids
 Cholesterol
 Proteins
 Vitamins
 Minerals
 Water
Carbohydrates
 Major source of energy
 Easily digested
 Starches or sugars
 Main source: breads, cereals, pasta, crackers, potatoes, corn,
peas, beans, grains, fruits, sugar, syrups
 Cellulose: ingestible form of plant carbohydrate
 Provides bulk in the digestive tract
 Bran, whole grains, fibrous fruits and vegetables
Lipids (Fats and Oils)
 Three kinds of lipids in food/human body
 Triglycerides
 Phospholipids
 Sterols
 Provide the most concentrated form of energy
 Functions:
 Maintain body temperature
 Cushion organs and bones
 Aid in absorption
 Provide flavor to meals
Saturated and
Polyunsaturated Fats and
Cholesterol
 Saturated Fats:
 Usually solid at room temperature
 Fats in meat, eggs, whole milk, cream, butter, cheese
 Polyunsaturated Fats:
 Usually soft or oily
 Vegetable oils, margarines
 Cholesterol
 Sterol lipid found in body cells and animal products
 Egg yolk, fatty meats, butter, cream, cheese, organ meats
 LDL: “bad cholesterol” leads to plaque build up
 HDL: “good cholesterol” transports cholesterol back to the liver
Proteins
 Build and repair tissue, regulate body functions, provide energy
and heat
 Made up of 22 “building blocks” called amino acids
 Complete Proteins:
 Contain 9 amino acids which are essential to life
 Meat, fish, milk, cheese, eggs
 Incomplete proteins:
 Contain 13 remaining amino acids
 Vegetable foods—cereals, soybeans, dry beans, corn, peas,
peanuts
Vitamins
 Regulate metabolism, build tissue, regulate body processes
 Allow body to use energy provided by carbohydrates, fats,
and proteins
 Only small amount of vitamins are needed
 Antioxidants—help protect body from harmful chemicals/free
radicals
 Water Soluble Vitamins: Dissolve in water, not stored in the
body and can be destroyed by cooking, light, air
 Fat Soluble: Dissolve in fat, can be stored in the body, not
easily destroyed by cooking, air, light
Minerals
 Inorganic (non-living) elements found in all body
tissues
 Regulate body fluids
 Assist in growth and muscle building
 Minerals including zinc, selenium, copper, and
manganese are oxidants
Water
 Found in all body tissues
 Functions
 Digestion
 Makes up most of the blood plasma, and cytoplasm of cells
 Helps move body tissues to absorb nutrients
 Moves waste materials though the body
 Found in most foods
 Average person needs 6-8 glasses of water to provide the
body with the water it needs
Utilization of Nutrients
 Digestion
 Process in which body breaks the food down into smaller parts
 Changes the food chemically
 Moves food through digestive system
 Mechanical Digestion
 Chemical Digestion
 Absorption
 Blood or Lymph pick up the digested nutrients and carry them to the
cells
 Most occurs in the small intestine
 Metabolism
 Nutrients are used by cells for building tissue, providing energy and
regulating functions
Energy
 During metabolism heat and energy are released
 Energy is required for voluntary and involuntary work
 Basal metabolic rate (BMR)
 Rate in which body uses own energy for maintaining it’s own
tissue
 Body needs energy continually
 Stores some nutrients for future use
 Uses stored nutrients to provide energy when food intake is not
adequate for energy needs
Maintenance
 Good nutrition=good health
 Balanced diet
 USDA food pyramid
 5 major food groups
 Foods arranged according to similar nutrients
 Exercise is encouraged
 Pyramid was updated in 2011
Old Food Pyramid
New Food Pyramid
Food Groups
 5 major groups
 Grains
 Veggies
 Fruits
 Milk and milk products
 Meats/fish/poultry, dry beans, eggs and nuts
 The USDA recommendations are based off of a 2,000
calorie per day diet
Healthy Eating Habits
 Make smart choices from every food group
 Find balance between food and physical activity
 Limit fats
 Get the most nutrition out of your calories
 Use sugar in moderation
 Reduce sodium and increase potassium
 Read food labels
 Be aware that alcohol is harmful to your health
 Food habits affect nutrition
Weight and BMI
 Weight: good nutrition and adequate exercise allows an
individual to maintain a healthy weight
 Males: 60 inches=106 lbs, each additional inch=6 additional pounds
 Females: 60 inches=100 lbs, each additional inch=5 additional
pounds
 Increase up to 10% for large bone structure and decrease up to 10%
for small bone structure
 BMI: calculation that measures weight in relationship to height
and correlates that number with body fat
 Better indicator of health than weight alone
 Divide weight in kilograms by height in meters squared
 Ideal range is 18.5-24.9
Overweight
 Body weight that is 10-20% above average recommended weight
for a person’s height
 Obesity: more than 20% above
 Health Stats show over 30% of adults are obese
 60 million in the U.S.
 15% of 6-17 year olds
 Causes: excessive calorie consumption and inadequate physical
activity. Genetic, psychological, socioeconomic, cultural and
environmental factors contribute.
 High risk for hypertension, DM, coronary heart disease,
hypertension, CVA, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea
 Obesity decreases life span and causes many early deaths
Underweight
 Body weight that is 10-15% below desired weight
 More likely to have nutritional deficiencies
 Can include inadequate intake of food,
excessive exercise, severe infections, eating
disorders, diseases and/or starvation
 Treatment involves gradually increasing amount
of food eaten, eating higher calories, seeking
counseling
Measuring Food Energy
 Foods contain energy, but vary in amount
 When body metabolizes energy heat is released
 Measurement of amount of heat produced during
metabolism is how energy content of food Is measured
 Heat is measured in a kilocalorie or calorie
 Number of kilocalories/calories are known as that foods
caloric value
 Carbs and proteins=4 calories per gram
 Fat=9 calories per gram
 Vitamins, minerals, and water have no calories
Caloric Requirements
 Number of calories needed by the body in a 24
hour period
 Vary from person to person and depend on size,
sex, age, physical condition, climate
 Physical activity is a large factor when determine
caloric requirements
 Energy lost during activity needs to be replaced
 Gain weight=decrease activity/increase calories
 Lose weight=increase activity/decrease calories
Managing Weight
 Diets
 Best method is to make desired changes slowly
 Avoid fast weight loss because weight is regained when regular diet
is resumed
 Increase exercise gradually
 Discuss weight management with a physician
 Nutrition plan
 Steady loss of 1-2 lbs per week is recommended
Weight loss/Gain Guidelines
 1 lb= 3,500 calories
 Loose 1 lb—decrease of 3,500 calories is required
 Achieved through decrease in consumption or increase in
exercise
 Decrease calories by 500 calories a day=3,500/1lb per week
 To maintain weight
 15 calories per pound of body weight
 Gain weight
 Increase by 500 calories=1 lb per week
 Increasing or decreasing exercise along with calories is
essentail
 Slow steady weight gain of 1-2 lbs is efficient and safe
USDA Dietary Guidelines
 Balance calories from foods and beverages
 Prevent gradual weight increases
 Engage in 30 minutes of exercise
 Consume less than 10% of calories from fatty acids and less
than 300 milligrams of cholesterol daily
 Keep total fat between 20-35% of calories
 Select lean, low-fat, or fat-free foods
 Eat more fiber-rich foods, vegetables, and whole grains
Therapeutic Diets
 Modifications of a normal diet used to improve specific health
conditions
 Normally prescribed by a dr. and planned by dietitian
 Changes may include
 Nutrients
 Caloric content
 Textrue
 Healthcare workers may need to use encouragement and
patients when helping individuals eat a special diet
Regular Diet
 Balanced diet usually used for patient with no dietary
restrictions
Liquid Diet
 Foods that are liquid at room temperature
 Nutritionally Inadequate for long periods of time
 Clear of full liquid diets
 Clear—water, apple juice, broth, plain gelatin, coffee, tea,
ginger ale
 Full—soups, fruit/veggie juices, yogurt, ice cream, pudding,
sherbet
 Used for patients after surgery, digestive problems, replace
fluid loss, before x-rays
Soft Diet
 Foods that require little chewing
 Easily digested
 Avoid meat and shellfish, spicy foods, rich desserts, fried foods, raw
fruits and veggies, nuts
Diabetic Diet
 Used after surgery, patients with infections, digestive or oral problems
 Used for patients with DM
 Exchange lists
 Group foods according to type, nutrients, calories
 Allow a certain number of items from each exchange list according to
individual needs
 Sugar heavy foods, drinks, candies, cookies, syrup, jellies are avoided
Calorie Controlled Diets
 Low calorie diet
 Used for overweight patients
 Avoid or limit high calorie foods
 Butter, cream, whole milk, soft drinks, fatty meats, salad dressings
 High calorie diet
 Used for patients who are underweight, have anorexia, hyperthyroidism,
cancer
 Extra proteins and carbs are included
 Avoid high bulk and fibrous foods
 Avoid high fat foods
Low-Cholesterol Diet
 Restricts foods containing cholesterol
 Atherosclerosis and heart disease patients
 Limit foods high in saturated fat
Fat-Restricted/Low-Fat diet
 Avoid cream, whole milk, cheese, fatty meats, dressings
 Patients with gallbladder and liver disease, obesity, and heart
disease
Sodium-restricted diets
 Low-sodium/low salt diets
 Avoid or limit addition of salt to any food
 Avoid processed or smoked foods, pickles, olives, canned
foods
 Used for cardiovascular diseases, kidney disease or edema
Protein Diet
 Low and High protein diets
 Low: kidney or renal diseases or certain conditions (PKU)
 High: Children/adolescents needing more growth, pregnant or
lactating women, before/after surgery, burn patients
 Protein rich foods: cheese meats, fish, milk, eggs
Bland Diet
 Easily digested foods that don’t irritate the digestive tract
 Avoid spicy or fatty foods, alcohol, carbonated beverages
 Patients with ulcers, colitis, or digestive problems
Low-Residue Diet
 Eliminates or limits foods high in fiber
 Raw fruits/vegetables, grains
 Patients with digestive and rectal diseases or diarrhea