NUTRIENTS
Malnutrition
 Eating
too little food
 Eating foods with insufficient (not enough)
amounts of particular nutrients
 Not absorbing nutrients well
 Eating too much food (high-calorie food
like fats and sugars) can lead to obesity
Calories
 The
amount of energy obtained from
macronutrients in food
 An important aspect of healthy eating is
consuming the appropriate amount of
food to obtain optimal amount of energy
Nutrient Dense
 Foods
that are relatively low in calories
while high in a variety of nutrients
 Example: whole grains and fish
Nutrient Deficiency
 Inadequate
amounts in the diet of
nutrients necessary for good health and
the prevention of disease
Empty calorie foods
 Foods
that are high in calories and low in
nutrients
 Also known as Nutrient-poor
 Example: pop and chips, candy, energy
drinks, etc.
Dietary Reference Intakes
 Also
known as DRI’s
 A set of nutrient reference values based
on most current Canadian scientific
knowledge
MACRONUTRIENTS
 Provide
your body with the energy it
needs to function

TYPES:
 Carbohydrates
 Proteins
 Fats
 Water
Acceptable Macronutrient
Distribution Ranges (AMDR)
Males &
Females
Total Carbs
Total Protein
Total Fat
% of Energy
% of Energy
% of Energy
1-3 years
45-65%
5-20%
30-40%
4-18 years
45-65%
10-30%
25-35%
19 + years
45-65%
10-35%
20-35%
 Use
the AMDR table to estimate the
percent of your daily calories that you
should obtain from protein, fat, and
carbohydrates in order to provide
adequate intakes of essential nutrients
and minimize the risk of chronic disease
1
gram of protein contains 4 calories
 1 gram of of fat contains 9 calories
 1 gram of carbohydrates contains 4
calories
Calculating percent of
calories from macronutrient
PROTEIN
(grams of protein x 4 calories) x 100
total calories
FAT
(grams of fat x 9 calories) x 100
total calories
CARBOHYDRATE
(grams of carbohydrate x 4 calories x 100
total calories
EXAMPLE
TOFU BERRY SMOOTHIE – p. 11 in textbook
DO AS A CLASS!!!!
Carbohydrates
 Are
chains of sugar molecules
 Before long chains can be used, our
bodies convert them to single sugar
molecules - glucose

Besides providing your body with energy,
carbs are necessary for many other functions:




Protein sparing – preventing your body from
using protein tissue (muscles) as a source of
energy
Regulating the amount of sugar circulating in
your blood so that all of your cells get the
energy that they need
Providing nutrients for the bacteria in your
intestinal tract that help you digest food
Assisting in your body’s absorption of calcium
Types of Carbohydrates
 Sugars
 Starches
 Glycogen
 Dietary
fibre
Monosaccharides
 Are
simple sugars
 Most common:



Glucose (found in fruits & vegetables)
Fructose (found in honey and many fruits &
vegetables)
Galactose (found in milk sugar, lactose)
Disaccharides
 Consists
of molecules of two simple sugars
linked together
 The body digests disaccharides to form
monosaccharides
 3 most nutritionally important
disaccharides are:



Sucrose (table sugar)
Maltose (found in grains)
Lactose (found in milk)
Fibre
 Found



in:
Cell walls of plants
Outer layer of whole grains
In the skin of fruits and vegetables
Fibre is made up of indigestible plant material
that humans can not digest so it does not
provide you with energy
Insoluble fibre






helps keep your bowel movements regular
Helps prevent constipation
Helps maintain healthy body weight
Lowers your risk of heart disease and some
cancers
It does not dissolve in water but instead
absorbs water in your digestive tract like a
sponge and helps you feel full
Fruits and vegetables are good sources of
insoluble fibre
Soluble Fibre
 Dissolves
in water and forms a gel in
intestinal tract that regulates the
absorption of nutrients
 Helps lower cholesterol
 Controls blood sugar
 Found in: apples, oranges, carrots,
pecans, walnuts, beans
DAILY FIBRE REQUIREMENT
AGE GROUP
BOYS
GIRLS
9-13 years old
31 g
26 g
14-18 years old
38 g
26 g
Carbohydrate Toxicity &
Deficiency
 Your
body stores excess glucose as
glycogen in muscle & liver cells
 If these are full, the body stores the excess
glycogen as FAT
 If your diet includes more energy
(calories) than you require this could lead
to weight gain (which can lead to
cardiovascular disease and Type 2
Diabetes)




If your diet provides too little energy (calories)
from carbohydrates, your body breaks down
stored glycogen to use as energy
If you don’t have enough glycogen, the body
breaks down fatty tissue instead
From there, your body will break down it’s
own protein tissue (muscle) for energy
When this occurs the body will eventually run
out of energy, possibly leading to death
Fibre Toxicity & Deficiency
 Carbohydrate
deficiency can result from
a carb-restricted diet or a medical
condition preventing you from using the
carbs you consume
 If your diet provides too little fibre, your
digestive system will work slowly and
sluggishly, which could lead to
constipation and hemorrhoids and
increase risk of developing colon cancer
 If
your diet provides too much fibre, you
may experience indigestion, diarrhea and
excessive gas
 You must consume enough liquids to
soften the fibre that you eat
FATS
Fats, oils, and cholesterol are known as LIPIDS
FUNCTIONS
 Providing energy
 Helping with ingestion and absorption of Fat-soluble
vitamins A, D, E, K (only available in foods that contain
lipids)
 Giving shape to your body, promoting healthy skin and
insulation against extreme temperatures
 Transmitting nerve signals (nerve cells are surrounded by a
thin layer of fat which helps control and speed up signalling
– your brain is 60% fat!)
 Cushioning and protecting organs
 Helps body fight off bacteria and repairs damaged tissue
 Forming parts of hormones

Cholesterol

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

Part of every cell in the body
Helps you make Vitamin D, bile, estrogen and
testosterone
Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs
(blood cholesterol)
Dietary cholesterol is found in some foods
from animal sources (ex: eggs, shrimp)
Does not dissolve in blood (a waxy lipid)
Forms part of lipoproteins which are carried
through your bloodstream
Lipoproteins

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)



BAD
Settles into arteries, becomes plaque as it
hardens (restricts blood flow which can lead to
heart attacks and strokes)
High-density lipoprotein (HDL)


GOOD
Gathers up all extra cholesterol in arteries and
transports it to the liver to be broken down –
works like a sponge to clean out blood vessels
Fatty Acids
3
main types:
1) Saturated Fatty Acids (SFA’s)
 Raise
LDL
 Examples: meat, poultry, whole-milk
products, and tropical oils (palm)
 Consumption of these can lead to increased
risk of heart disease
Fatty Acids ctd…
2) Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA’s)



GOOD
Lower LDL and maintain HDL
Examples – olives, olive oil, avocados,
peanuts, peanut oil, canola oil
Fatty acids ctd.
3)
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA’s)





EXCELLENT
Raise HDL and lower LDL
Omega 3 – found in soybeans, walnuts, flax
oil, and salmon
Omega 6 – found in sunflower oil,
margarine
Your body makes most of the PUFA’s it
needs
Lipid Toxicity and Deficiency




A lipid deficiency can lead to a deficiency in
fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K
As a result, production of hormones and other
chemicals important for life may be
compromised
Some storage of fat is necessary to provide for
growth
However, the typical Canadian diet includes
more fats and oils than the body needs
PROTEIN


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You need protein to constantly repair,
replace, and make new cells
Example: skin cells only live for about 25 days
Your body has to make a huge number of
cells to replace the cells that die
If carbohydrates and lipids in your diet do not
provide the energy you need, your body will
stop using protein for growth and repair, and
will start using it to provide energy instead
Proteins ctd..
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Proteins are made of chains of amino acids
Different proteins have different combinations
of amino acids
Your body uses 20 amino acids in various
combinations to synthesize thousands of types
of protein
Your body manufactures 11 of the 20 amino
acids
9 of the 20 are not made by the body so they
are called ESSENTIAL (must get them from
food)
Complete proteins
 Proteins
found in foods from animal
sources: beef, poultry, fish, and dairy
 They contain all 9 essential amino acids
Incomplete Proteins





Proteins found in all plants except soy and
quinoa
They lack one or more essential amino acids
On their own they would not provide
adequate amounts of amino acids
2 or more proteins that lack different amino
acids are known as complementary proteins
and can be eaten together to provide all 9
essential amino acids
Example: combining legumes with grains or
nuts, or grains or nuts with dairy
Protein Toxicity & Deficiency



Extra protein is converted to glucose or
glycogen by the liver and the rest is filtered by
the kidneys and excreted
If there is a large amount of extra protein in
the diet, the extra work required of the liver
and kidneys can lead to tissue damage
Most canadians get enough protein in their
diet, however, some conditions such as
eating disorders or economic issues may
cause a protein deficiency
 Early
signs of a protein deficiency include
muscle weakness and an inability to fight
off illness
 A severe lack of protein can lead to a
disease called Kwashiorkor


Symptom: swollen belly filled with liquid
collected below the skin (not fat)
Not common in Canada, but where would
it be common?
WATER

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Essential for survival
Your body is 50-70% water
You can live for a few weeks without food but
you can only live a few days without water
Helps move nutrients and waste through your
body
Helps keep blood pressure normal
Helps regulate body temperature
Chlorine is added to kill bacteria and in some
places Fluoride is added to help protect teeth
from tooth decay
Water ctd…
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The water in beverages and in food contribute to
your daily intake of water
The amount of water you need to consume varies
depending on: size, diet, activity level, and
weather
During exercise the body releases heat by
generating sweat
If you loose too much fluid in sweat you become
dehydrated and your muscles can’t function
efficiently and you become fatigued
Use the colour of your urine to know if you are
dehydrated (for adequate hydration your urine
should be light yellow to clear)
Water Toxicity & Deficiency





If you drink too much water too quickly, you may
upset the balance of water and salt in your body
Can cause fluid to collect in your body tissues
(called Edema) which can lead to confusion,
convulsions, and in some rare cases, death
If you lose more fluid than you take in, you
become dehyrated
Signs of dehydration: thirst, headache, dry lips
and mouth, dizziness, fainting, low b.p, and
increased heart rate, and dark yellow strong
smelling urine
When you feel thirsty dehydration has already
begun so drink water often!!