Nutrition Basics and Terminology

By Jennifer Turley and Joan ThompsonBy Jennifer Turley and Joan Thompson

© 2013 Cengage© 2013 Cengage

Presentation Overview

1. Terminology2. Introduction Nutrients & Calories3. Characteristics of a sound diet4. Results of a sound diet5. Health & Malnutrition6. Factors affecting longevity & food

choices

Terminology

Diet: The kind and amount of food consumed each day.

Food: Anything that nourishes the body.

Nourish: To keep alive.

Terminology

Nutrition: The study of how food keeps us alive.–Includes the ingestion,

digestion, absorption, assimilation, and excretion of food.

Nutritional Sciences: The study of nutrition including dietary components and metabolism.

• Nutrient: Molecular substances that are nourishing or that provide nourishment to cells and thus every multicellular component of the human organism.

• Essential: The body cannot make these nutrients, they must be consumed. Without an intake, specific deficiency signs and symptom occur.

• Nonessential: The body can make these nutrients. Without an intake, nutritional deficiency signs and symptom do not occur.

• Energy Producing: Produces Calories when metabolized by the body.

• Non-Energy Producing: Do not provide Calories but have other important functions.

Terminology

Molecules to Cells to Organisms in the Order of Life

Overview of the Nutrients

* Some B vitamins contain Nitrogen

The Six Categories of Nutrients

Can be divided into two categories:• Energy Producing Nutrients

(Macronutrients)– Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins

• Essential Non-caloric Nutrients– Vitamins & Minerals

(Micronutrients) – Water

• Energy producing nutrients provide Calories

• The Kilocalorie (Calorie):–The unit used to measure

energy.–It is the amount of heat energy

required to raise one kilogram of water one degree Celsius (C) from 36o-37oC (actually a kilocalorie, Kcal or Calorie denoted with a capitol “C”).

Terminology

Energy Producing Nutrients

* Fiber is a non-caloric carbohydrate

The Kilocalorie (Calorie)

How do we apply this definition to the energy applied to food?

By using a Bomb Calorimeter.

Bomb Calorimeter

Energy Production in the Body

• The ultimate fuel used in the body is a chemical called ATP

• ATP = Adenosine Tri-Phosphate• We capture the chemical energy

between the carbon-carbon bonds in Carbohydrate, Fat and Protein to form ATP

Nicknames: Energy Producing Nutrients

• Carbohydrates are the High Performance Fuel– Carbs are fast and best at making ATP

• Fats are the Low Level Fuel– Fats are very slow to produce ATP

• Proteins are the building blocks for growth and repair– Only under intense stress does protein

provide ATP– Loads of toxic waste is produced when

protein is over consumed

The Non-caloric Nutrients

What does non-caloric mean?

• No ability to generate ATP

• No Calorie value

• Some non-caloric nutrients can be essential for the body

• Physiological failure or death occurs if the nutrient is withheld from the diet

The Goal of Eating

• Food keeps us alive by providing Calories (energy) and Nutrients. The relationship between Calories and Nutrients is called:

• Nutrient Density: Refers to the amount of nutrients provided relative to the number of Calories. Foods with high nutrient density are nutritious.

Terminology

Nutrient Density

Values shown are % DRI for a

moderately active adult woman

1 Large Potato vs 1 Small Order Fast Food Fries, both 210 Calories

Nutrient Density1 cup plain yogurt vs ½ cup vanilla ice cream, both 130 Calories

Nutrient Density

Characteristics of a Sound Diet

Calorie Control: An appropriate amount of Calories are eaten to maintain a healthy body weight.

Adequacy: Essential nutrients, fiber, and energy (Calories) are present in the diet.

Balance: Food types complement one another in the diet. Not any one nutrient or food type is overbearing.

Moderation: The diet does not contain an excess of unwanted substances.

Variety: Different foods are used for the same purpose in the diet.

Diet Results

• Result of a sound diet:– Health: The state of complete physical,

mental, and social well-being; not just the absence of infirmity.

• Result of a poor diet:– Malnutrition: Impairment of health resulting

from deficiency, toxicity, or imbalance of nutrient intake or body utilization (includes over-nutrition and under-nutrition).

Health

Philosophical Statement about Health• Healthy lifestyle behaviors promote health, &

unhealthy lifestyle behaviors promote disease. Over long periods of time the health consequences can be realized. Therefore, even though a person may be “disease-free” at the moment, a person that lives an unhealthy lifestyle should not be labeled as a “healthy” person.

Factors Affecting Longevity

1. Diet• Poor diets promote degenerative

diseases/conditions: such as, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, & obesity.

• Dietary factors like Fat, Sugar, Fiber, Sodium, Alcohol, & Calcium, function in the disease process.

Leading Causes of Death

DietRelated

Non-DietRelated

AlcoholRelated

Dea

ths

per

100

,000

Factors Affecting Longevity

2. Exercise (physical activity)

• Promotes health by positively influencing body weight/composition, metabolism, bone density, cognitive function, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and the cardiovascular system.

• Strive for 60 minutes each day.

Factors Affecting Longevity

3. Other Factors• Smoking or tobacco use is a leading

contributor to death of Americans• Habits (lack of sleep, alcohol & drug

use, unsafe sex)• Chance (accidents)• Genetics

Factors AffectingFood Choices

1. Hunger: The Physiological need for food. The physical body sends signals indicating a need for food.

2. Satiety: The Physiological feedback mechanisms that terminate food intake.

3. Appetite: The Psychological desire for food. The brain sends signals indicating a desire for food because of sensory input like seeing, smelling, or thinking about food.

Factors Affecting Hunger, Appetite and Satiety

Factors Affecting Food Choices

4. Personal Preferences: The food likes and dislikes of an individual.

5. Availability: Food supply, geographical area, climate, soil.

6. Economics: Social status and income.7. Social Factors: Family, friends, holidays,

celebrations, etc.8. Cultural Traditions: Beliefs, values, customs.9. Advertising: TV, radio, magazines, newspaper.10. Other: Habits, feelings, knowledge, etc.

Summary

• Diet is the collection of food consumed by an individual within a 24 hour period.

• Food nourishes the body, it contains nutrients that can be essential, nonessential, caloric, or non-caloric.

• Nutrition is the study of how food nourishes and affects body function throughout the day and health over several years.

• The goal of eating should be to fuel and nourish the body optimally.

Summary

• It is important to consume a healthy diet in order to promote health and prevent chronic disease.

• There are many factors affecting food choice.

References for this presentation are the same as those for this topic found in module 1 of the textbook