Lecture
Outline
Chapter 1
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The Basics of Nutrition
Chapter 1
Chapter Learning Outcomes
1. Define terms such as diet, nutrition, nutrient,
essential nutrient, macronutrient, micronutrient,
kilocalorie, and photochemical.
2. Identify factors that influence personal food
choices.
3. Identify lifestyle factors that contribute to the
leading causes of death in the United States.
4. List the 6 classes of nutrients and identify a
major role of each class in the body.
5. Identify basic metric system units often used in
nutrition.
Chapter Learning Outcomes
(continued)
6.
Explain the concept of energy density and identify
energy-dense foods.
7. Use the caloric values of energy-yielding nutrients to
estimate the amount of energy in a food.
8. Identify key basic nutrition concepts, such as the
importance of eating a variety of foods and no food
supplies all nutrients.
9. Discuss factors that contribute to malnutrition in the
world.
10. Identify major federal U.S. food assistance programs.
Quiz Yourself
True or False

1. There are four classes of nutrients: proteins,
lipids, sugars, and vitamins. T F
2. Proteins are the most essential class of
nutrients. T F
3. All nutrients must be supplied by the diet,
because they cannot be made by the body.
T F
4. Vitamins are a source of energy. T F
5. Milk, carrots, and bananas are examples of
“perfect foods” that contain all nutrients.
T F
How Did You Do?

1. False There are six classes of nutrients:
carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins,
minerals, and water.
2. False Proteins are not the most essential
class of nutrients.
3. False All nutrients do not need to be
supplied by the diet, because some can be
made by the body.
4. False Vitamins are not a source of energy.
5. False Milk, carrots, and bananas are not
“perfect foods.” No naturally-occurring food
supplies all nutrients.
What
Influences
Your Eating
Habits?
Why Should You Care About Your
Diet?

Poor diet is associated with 4 of 10
leading causes of death:
-Heart disease
-Some types of cancer
-Stroke
-Type 2 diabetes

Adequate diet plus regular exercise may
reduce your chances of developing
these serious chronic diseases.
Nutrition: The Basics
Key Terms

Nutrition
Scientific study of nutrients, the chemicals in
food that are necessary for life, and how the
body uses them
Nutrients
Life-sustaining substances in food
Diet
Typical pattern of food choices
Nutrition: The Basics
Key Terms (continued)

Chemistry
Study of the composition and
characteristics of matter and the
changes that can occur to it
Cell
Smallest functioning structural unit
in a living organism
Six Classes of Nutrients
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Carbohydrates
Lipids (includes fat)
Proteins
Vitamins
Minerals
Water
Note approximate
percentages of
nutrients in young
male and female
bodies.
Vitamins are not
included, because
they are in very
small amounts.
Major Functions of Nutrients
in the Body
Essential
Nutrients and
Nonnutrients
Essential Nutrients
-must be supplied
by food
-the body cannot
synthesize or make
enough of them
Insert table 1.2
Three Features of
Essential Nutrients
1. If missing from diet, a deficiency
disease occurs.
2. Adding missing nutrient back to diet
corrects signs and symptoms of the
deficiency.
3. Scientists can explain why lack of the
nutrient caused abnormalities.
Nonnutrients
Key Terms

Fiber
Group of substances made by plants
that humans do not digest but produce
some health benefits
Phytochemicals
Compounds made by plants that are
not nutrients
Nonnutrients
Key Terms (continued)

Antioxidants
Substances that protect other compounds
from being damaged or destroyed by certain
environmental factors
Phytochemicals of Scientific Interest
What Are Dietary Supplements?
Dietary supplements include:
- Nutrient preparations
- Certain hormones
- Herbs
FDA does not regulate dietary supplements as it
regulates medications.
Echinacea Flower—the herbal
supplement Echinacea is generally not
useful for preventing or treating colds.
Factors that Influence Your Health
Your Lifestyle
The way you live
Your Risk Factors
Personal characteristics
that influence chances
of developing disease
Example:
Lifestyle


Poor diet and lack of regular
exercise contribute
to
Excess Body Fat
(Risk Factor)
Our Changing Eating Habits
Insert Table 1.4
Today, the typical American
consumes more food energy,
fat, and sugar than in 1970.
Healthy People 2010
A report from the
U.S. Public
Health Service
that includes 467
specific national
health promotion
and disease
prevention
objectives
Metrics for Nutrition
Units of scientific measurement often used in
nutrition
 Length — meters
 Weight — grams
 Volume — liters
Metrics for Nutrition
Metric Basics
(approximations)
1 inch = 2.5 cm
1 ounce = 28 g
1 pound = 454 g
2.2 pounds = 1 kg
Do the Math

If you are 5’5” (65”)
(65 x 2.5 = 162.5 cm)
If you weigh 130 lbs
(130 ÷ 2.2 = approx.
59 kg)
Metrics for Nutrition
What’s a Calorie?
calorie – measure of food energy; heat needed to
raise 1 g of water 1o Celsius
Kilocalorie or Calorie — measure of food energy
–
Technically a kilocalorie is the heat energy needed to raise
the temperature of 1000 g (1 liter) of water 1o Celsius.
Specific number of calories in food is reported as
kilocalories or Calories
1 kilocalorie = 1000 calories = 1 Calorie
Kilocalorie Contributors in Diets
• 1 g of carbohydrate provides 4 kcal.
• 1 g of protein provides 4 kcal.
• 1 g of fat provides 9 kcal.
• 1 g pure alcohol (a non nutrient) provides
7 kcal.
Macronutrients and Micronutrients
Macronutrients
Micronutrients
Needed in gram
amounts and provide
energy
Needed in very small
amounts and do not
provide energy
• Carbohydrates,
protein, and fat
• Vitamins and minerals
Key Basic
Nutrition
Concepts
Concept 1: Most Naturally Occurring
Foods are Mixtures of Nutrients.
A 6 oz potato contains:
4 g protein
36 g carbohydrate
<1 g fat
8 fluid oz fat-free milk contains:
8 g protein
12 g carbohydrate
1 g fat
Energy and Nutrient Composition
These foods contribute very different amounts of energy, water,
protein, carbohydrate, fat, and calcium to diets.
Concept 2: Eating a variety of foods can help
ensure the nutritional adequacy of a diet.
• There are no “perfect” natural foods that
contain all nutrients in amounts needed
by the human body.
• Eat a variety of foods, especially fruits,
vegetables, and minimally processed
grains, to ensure nutritional adequacy.
Concept 3: There are no “good” or
“bad” foods.
Empty Calorie versus Nutrient Dense


Poor source of micronutrients (vitamins and
minerals) compared to
calories
Has more micronutrients
(vitamins and minerals) in
relation to its energy
value
Concept 4: Enjoy eating all food in
moderation
Dietary moderation =
Obtaining enough nutrients from food
+
Avoiding excessive amounts of nutrients
+
Balancing calorie intake with expenditure
Concept: 5
For each nutrient, there is a
range of safe intakes.
Physiological dose
Amount of a nutrient within the
range of safe intake that
enables the body to function
optimally
Megadose
Generally defined as 10 times
the recommended amount of a
vitamin or mineral
Concept 6:
Food is the best source of nutrients and
During refinement, a wheat
kernel is stripped of the nutrientphytochemicals.
rich germ and phytochemical-rich bran.
Concept 7: There is no “One Size Fits
All” approach to planning a nutritionally
adequate diet.
Food guides can be
used to individualize
your diet, so it is
nutritionally adequate
and suits your likes and
dislikes.
Concept 8: Foods and the nutrients
they contain are not cure-alls.
Specific nutrient deficiency
diseases can be cured by
eating foods that contain the
missing nutrient.
But, nutrients do not “cure”
other ailments.
Concept 9: Malnutrition includes
UNDERnutrition as well as OVERnutrition
Malnutrition
State of health that occurs when the body is
improperly nourished
 May be from inadequate or excessive
amounts of nutrients
Concept 10: Nutrition is a
dynamic science.
• As researchers continue to explore
complex relationships between diets
and health, nutrition information
constantly evolves.
• Even nutrition educators have difficulty
keeping up with the vast amount of
research published in scientific journals.
Chapter 1 Highlight
Malnutrition: A Worldwide Concern
• Malnutrition
– Improper nourishment
• Chronic undernutrition
– Long-term energy and nutrient deficiency
- In children: stunted growth, delayed physical
development, blindness, impaired intellectual
development, and premature death
• Hunger
– Physiological need for food
Factors that Contribute to Undernutrition
Undernutrition
• Affects ~ 1 in 3 people
worldwide
• More prevalent in:
- Children
- Underdeveloped
countries
• Insert figure 1.B
Undernutrition During Life
Cycle Stages
- Pregnancy
• Insert Figure 1.C
- Infancy
- Preschool years
Effects of Malnutrition on Children
Chronically undernourished children
are underweight, do not grow
normally, and tend to be shorter
—if they survive to adulthood—
than properly nourished children.
Undernutrition in the United States
Contributing factors:
- Anorexia nervosa
- Alcoholism
- Low income
Food insecurity:
- Reported in 11%
of U.S. households
Insert Figure 1.D
Major U.S. Food
Assistance
Programs
Solutions
Biotechnology
Modifying living things
(especially plants and
animals) to make
improved products
Genetic Modification
Techniques that alter an
organism’s DNA
Genetic Food Safety