Choosing Healthful Foods
Unit 5, Lesson 25
National Health Standards 1.1, 2.10, 7.1
Proteins
Nutrient needed for growth, to build and repair
body tissue, regulate body processes, supply
energy, maintain strength, resist infection
 Part of every cell in your body
 Make up more than 50% of body weight

Skin, nails, and hair – mostly protein
 Each gram of protein provides 4 calories
 Deficient – stunt growth, development of
some tissues, and mental development
 Excess – burned as energy or stored as fat


2 types of protein

Complete
Contain all essential amino acids – building blocks of
protein
 Examples – meat, fish, poultry, milk, yogurt, and eggs
 Soybean – only plant that provides all 9 essential amino
acids

Body needs 20 amino acids
 Body can produce 11amino acids
 The 9 amino acids the body cannot make are referred
to as essential amino acids – must come from foods
you eat


Incomplete proteins
Do not contain all essential amino acids
 From plant sources
 Fall into 3 categories

Grains – whole grains, pastas, and corn
 Legumes – dried beans, peas, and lentils
 Nuts and seeds


Different plant sources of incomplete proteins can be
combined to create a complete protein
Carbohydrates
Main source of energy for the body
 Include sugars, starches, and fiber
 Supply 4 calories per gram of food
 Can store only limited amounts; excess stored
as fat


Sources: vegetables, beans, potatoes, pasta,
bread, rice, bran, popcorn, and fruit

2 types of carbohydrates

Simple
Sugars that enter the bloodstream quickly and provide
quick energy
 Provide calories but no vitamins or minerals
 Found naturally in fruits, honey, and milk

Processed sugar or table sugar is added to foods
during processing
 Examples of processed sugar foods include cakes,
candy, other sweet desserts, ketchup, spaghetti
sauce, pop


Complex
Starches and fiber
 Most calories in diet come from these
 Sources include: grains and vegetables


Starch
Food substance made and stored in most plants
 Provide long-lasting energy


Glucose
Complex carbohydrates changed by saliva and
other digestive juices to glucose
 Used by cells to provide energy and heat


Fiber
Part of plant and grain foods that cannot be
digested
 Also known as roughage
 Move food through the system


2 types
Insoluble – prevent constipation and other intestinal
problems by binding with water
 Soluble – reduce blood cholesterol level and risk of
developing heart disease


Fiber sources: wheat, bran, barley, rye, oats,
whole grains, popcorn, brown rice, seeds,
fruits, and vegetables
Fats
Provide energy, helps body store and use
vitamins
 One gram equals 9 calories of energy
 Supply more than twice the number of
calories supplied by proteins and
carbohydrates

Store and transport fat soluble vitamins – A,D,
E, and K
 Stored as fat tissue that surrounds and
cushions internal organs
 Contribute to taste and texture

Maintain body heat, energy reserve, build brain
cells and nerve tissues
 No more than 30% of daily intake should
come from fat


Saturated fat
Found in dairy products, solid vegetable fat, and
meat and poultry
 Usually solid at room temperature
 Contribute to cholesterol level – fat-like
substance made by the body and found in certain
foods


Dietary cholesterol
Found in foods of animal origins
 Combined with cholesterol made by the body
make up the blood cholesterol level
 Can lower blood cholesterol level by eating fewer
saturated fats


Unsaturated fats
Come from plants and fish
 Usually liquid at room temperature
 2 types


Polyunsaturated – include sunflower, corn, and soybean
oils
Monounsaturated – olive and canola
oils
 Visible fat – fat you can see on a food
 Invisible fat – fat not seen my naked
eye – cakes, cookies


Trans-fatty acids
Formed when vegetable oils are processed into
solid fats – margarine, shortening
 Process of hydrogenation makes liquid oil more
solid, more stable and less greasy tasting
 Body handles these as saturated fats
 Raise blood cholesterol levels

Vitamins
Helps the body use carbohydrates, proteins,
and fats
 Provide no energy, but unleash energy stored
in carbohydrates, proteins, and fats
 2 types

Water-soluble
 Fat-soluble


Fat-soluble
Dissolves in fat
 Can be stored in the body
 A, D, E, and K


Water-soluble
Dissolves in water
 Cannot be stored in the body
 Vitamin C and B complex


Vitamin C
Strengthens blood vessels, strengthens immune
system, and aids in iron absorption
 Found in citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables,
potatoes, and tomatoes


B-complex

B1 – thiamin – necessary for the function of
nerves

B2 - riboflavin – helps body use energy

Vitamin B3 – Niacin

B6 – helps the body use fat and takes in
protein

B9 – folacin – necessary for the formation of
hemoglobin in red blood cells

B12 – necessary for the formation of red blood
cells

Biotin - Vitamin H – necessary for normal
metabolism of carbohydrates

B5 - Pantothenic acid – necessary for the
production of RNA and DNA
Minerals
Regulate many chemical reactions in the body,
essential in metabolism and nutrition
 Naturally occurring inorganic substances
 Two types:

Macro minerals
 Trace minerals


Macro minerals

Required in amounts greater than 100 mg
Calcium – builds up bones and teeth
 Magnesium – necessary for chemical reactions
during metabolism
 Phosphorus – builds bones, teeth, and cells
 Potassium – keeps fluids in balance within cells

Sodium – necessary for water balance in cells
and tissues and for nerve cell conduction
 Sulfur – builds hair, nails, and skin


Trace minerals

Needed in very small amounts

Trace Mineral Food Sources
Herbal Supplements
Supplements containing extracts or ingredients
from roots, berries, seeds, stems, leaves, buds, or
flowers of plants
 Come in many forms
 Sold in health food stores, grocery stores, gyms,
mail-order catalogs, Internet, and television
programs


Officially classified as foods and not as drugs


Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of
1994
Means they do not have to be proven safe or
screened by the FDA before they are placed
on the market

Creatine
An amino acid made in the liver, kidneys, and
pancreas
 Found naturally in meat and fish
 Popular dietary supplement

Under medical supervision
 Increase sports performance or way to become
more muscular


Protein supplements
Product taken orally that contains proteins that
are intended to supplement one’s diet and are not
considered food
 Build muscle

Soy and whey energy drinks
 Most meet or exceed intake daily, so any excess
will be converted to fat, not muscle

Water
Involved with all body processes
 Makes up the basic part of the blood, helps with
waste removal, regulates body temperature,
cushions the spinal cord and joints
 Makes up 60% of body mass

Carries nutrients to all body cells and waste
products from the cells to the kidneys
 Leave the body in the form or perspiration
and urine


Dehydration
water content of body has fallen to extremely low
level
 Caused by lack of water intake, dry environment,
fever, vomiting, diarrhea


Signs: fatigue, dry mouth, dizziness, weakness,
flushed skin, headache, blurred vision, difficulty
swallowing, dry skin, rapid pulse, infrequent
urination
Drink an adequate amount daily
 Pop is no substitute!
 13 cups a day for males and 9 cups a day for
females

Food Labels
Panel of nutrition information required on all
processed foods regulated by the FDA
 Required components: name of food, net
weight or volume, name and address of
manufacturer, distributor or packager,
ingredients, and nutrient content


Nutrition facts – panel required on most
foods

Ingredient Listing
by weight, from most to least
 Not part of nutrition facts
 Required on most foods


GRAS list
generally recognized as safe
 Established in 1958
 Flour, sugar, salt, gelatin, pepper, vinegar

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Dates
Sell by – last day product can be sold
 Best if used by – date by which product should be
used to ensure quality
 Expiration – date at which food should not be
used


Health claims
Healthy – must be low in fat, low in saturated fat,
and no more than 60 mg of cholesterol per
serving
 Fat Free – must be less than .5 mg of fat per
serving

Low Fat – 3 g or less of fat per serving
 Lean – less than 10 g of fat, 4.5 g of saturated fat,
and no more than 95 mg of cholesterol per
serving
 Light – 1/3 the calories and no more than ½ the
fat or sodium of the regular version

Cholesterol Free – less than 0.5 mg of cholesterol
and 2 g of date of less of saturated fat per serving
 ___ Free – fat, sodium, cholesterol, sugar, or
caffeine “free” – no amount of a negligible amount
 Fresh – raw, unprocessed, contain no
preservatives, never been heated or frozen

Less ____ - at least 25% less of a nutrient or
calories than the regular version
 High ___ - at least 20% or more of the percent
daily value of a particular nutrient per serving


Food Additives
Substances intentionally added to a food
 Add nutrients, flavor, color, or texture
 May prevent spoilage or help foods age quickly,
improve taste and appearance


Enriched


Nutrients lost during processing are added back
into the food
Fortified

Food in which nutrients not usually found are
added