Nutrition
Unit 4
Nutrition and Nutrients
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Nutrition is the study of what people eat, eating
habits and how these affect health status.
Nutrients are important to obtain optimal health.
Nutrients are in food to help with body processes,
such as growth, cell repair, and they provide
energy.
Calories are units of energy produced by food
and used by the body.
There are 6 classes of nutrients: Proteins,
Carbohydrates, Fats, Vitamins, Minerals, and
Water.
Proteins
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Proteins make up more than 50% of your total
body weight.
Skin, nails, and hair are mostly proteins.
Proteins help your body maintain strength and
resist infection.
Protein is used for growth, development of certain
tissue, regulate body processes, and supply
energy.
Excess protein is burned as energy or stored as
fat.
Two types of proteins: Complete protein and
Incomplete protein.
Two types of proteins
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Complete protein
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Contains all of the essential amino acids
Incomplete protein
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From plant source that does not have all the
essential amino acids
Essential amino acids are the nine amino acids
that the body cannot produce. These nine
essential amino acids must come from the foods
that you eat.
Carbohydrates
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Carbohydrates are the nutrients that are the
main source of energy for the body.
Carbohydrates include sugars, starches and fiber.
Your body can store only a limited amounts of
carbohydrates.
Excess carbohydrates are stored as fat.
Two types of carbohydrates: simple carbohydrates
and complex carbohydrates.
Simple Carbohydrates
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Enter the blood stream rapidly and
provide quick energy
Provides calories but few vitamins and
minerals
Simple carbohydrates include: cakes,
candy, sweet desserts, and soda pop.
Complex Carbohydrates
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Starch and Fiber, which account for most of the
calories in your diet.
Starch comes from plants and can be digested
Fiber is grains and plant food that cannot be
digested.
Starches provide long-lasting energy
Fiber helps move food through the digestive
system
Complex carbohydrates include: bread, pasta,
potatoes and beans, wheat, cereals, fruits and
vegetables.
Carbohydrates
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Complex carbohydrates are changed
by saliva and other digestive juices
to glucose.
Some glucose is used by cells to
provide energy and heat.
Glycogen is the remaining glucose
which is stored in the muscles.
Glycogen is converted to glucose
when energy is needed
Fats
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Fats are nutrients that provides energy and helps
the body store and use vitamins.
Fats supply more than twice the calories supplied
by proteins and carbohydrates.
Fats contribute to the taste and texture of many
foods.
The body needs fats to maintain body heat, store
and use vitamins, maintain an energy reserve and
build brain cells and nerve tissues
Two types of fats: saturated fat and unsaturated
fat
Saturated and Unsaturated Fat
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Saturated fat comes from dairy products, solid
vegetable fat, and meat and poultry.
-Contribute to the level of cholesterol that is in a
persons blood.
-Cholesterol is a fat-like substance made by the
body and found in certain foods.
-Maintaining a healthful cholesterol level lowers
the risk of heart disease and some cancers
Saturated and Unsaturated Fat
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Unsaturated fat is obtained from plant products
and fish.
Polyunsaturated fat include sunflower, corn and
soybean oils.
Monounsaturated fat include olive and canola oils
Vitamins
Vitamins are nutrients that helps the body use
carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
Two types of vitamins:
1.
Fat soluble vitamins dissolve in fat and can be stored
in the body.
4 fat soluble vitamins: A, D, E, K
2.
Water soluble vitamins dissolve in water and cannot
be stored in the body in significant amounts.
examples: B complex and C
*You need foods & beverages each day that are sources of
water soluble vitamins.
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Minerals and Water
Minerals are nutrients that regulates many
chemical reactions in the body.
Two types of minerals:
1.
Macro Minerals are required amounts greater
than 100 milligrams. ex. Calcium and Sodium
2.
Trace Minerals are needed in very small
amounts
ex. Iron and Zinc
*Both are equally important to the body.
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Water is a nutrient that is involved with all
body processes and makes up the basic part of
the blood.
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