Nutrition

Nutrients
Substances the body needs to…
p ly
regulate body functions im t
s
d rge
repair body tissues
fo foo r
promote growth o f t o oth e
i k
n asy for
obtain energy h
t se
w e i t ’ i n g
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h e e l e e t o
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Most nutrients come from the food we eat.

 Common Analogy
The body is like a high-performance race
car.
Food is like fuel.
The body (car) needs high quality food
(fuel) to keep it running its best.

Unfortunately, there are serious problems

with this overly-simplified analogy.
 Classes of Nutrients
MACRONUTRIENTS
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Fats
PROVIDE ENERGY
Water
Vitamins
Minerals MICRONUTRIENTS

DO NOT PROVIDE ENERGY

Calorie
Energy from food
Equals the amount of
energy needed to raise a
liter of water by one degree
Celsius
The chemical process by
which the body breaks
down food to release
energy (Calories) is called
metabolism.
Energy Content

Trick Question: How many calories per gram

are there in water, vitamins, and minerals?
Nutrient Highlights
CARBOHYDRATES
Primarily serve as a source of energy
Can be classified as…
SIMPLE

or
COMPLEX
CARBOHYDRATES continued
Most of your high carbohydrate foods
should also be high in FIBER (a complex
carbohydrate FROM PLANTS that helps
your body with digestion… though your
body doesn’t actually digest it.)
45-65% of a person’s daily calories
should come from carbohydrates.

Which foods are fiber rich?

What are some benefits of fiber?
FATS
Serve as a source of energy
Also form cells, maintain body temperature,
protect nerves, etc.
Cholesterol is a waxy, fatlike substance that is
found only in animal products. Your body needs
cholesterol (to make cell membranes and nerve
tissue) but your body makes all that it needs. A
diet high in cholesterol is a risk factor for heart
disease.
20-35% of a person’s daily calories should
come from (healthy) fats.
What are some “healthy” fats?
Fats Can be classified as…
PROTEIN
Serve as a source of energy
Also aid in the growth and repair of body
tissue
Protein “chains” are made up of amino
acids
Amino acids are small units that are bound
together chemically to form proteins. Your
body can make 11 of them but your diet
must supply the remaining 9.
“Essential”
amino acids
 PROTEIN continued…

Proteins from animals are

“complete” proteins – They
contain all 9 essential amino
acids.

Proteins from plants are

“incomplete” proteins – They do
not contain all 9 essential amino
acids in one source, but can be
eaten in combination to do so.
VITAMINS
Do NOT provide energy
Assist with chemical reactions in the body
Can be classified as…
FAT SOLUBLE WATER SOLUBLE
(can be stored by the body) (cannot be stored by the body)

A
THE

D K C B S

E
 VITAMINS continued…
FAT SOLUBLE WATER SOLUBLE
(can be stored by the body) (cannot be stored by the body)

A
THE

D K C B S

E B B
Antioxidants are vitamins that B B 12
3
2

help protect healthy cells from

B
1 (NIACIN)
(RIBOFLAVIN)
(CABALAMIN)

B B B
7
damage caused by the normal (THIAMIN)
9
aging process as well as certain (BIOTIN) 6
5

types of cancer. (FOLIC

(PANTOTHENIC
(PYROXIDINE) ACID)
ACID)
MINERALS
Do NOT provide energy
Perform a wide variety of functions in the
body
Occur naturally in rocks and soil (inorganic)
Some, like calcium, we need to make sure
we get enough of.
Others, like sodium, most people get too
much of and we need to be sure to limit.
 MINERALS continued…
Needed in Only Needed in Trace
Large Quantities Amounts (Examples)

Calcium Iron Fluorine

Sodium Iodine
Potassium Copper Supplementation
is not necessary if
Magnesium Zinc a person’s diet is
nutritious and
Phosphorus well-balanced.
Chlorine
Sulfur
WATER
Does NOT provide energy
Essential for all life processes
Water is the primary component of
blood and tissue
It carries waste products out of the
body and helps digest food.
65% of the body is water!
Most people do not drink enough.
HOW MUCH DO WE NEED?
WATER continued…
TIPS:
Try gettin
g most o
the form f your wa
of plain w ter in
fruits and ater, who
vegetable le
s.
Avoid juic
e, soda, a
calories.” nd other
Sports dr “liquid
electrolyt inks (with
es) are n
unless yo ot necess
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urs or
Dietary Guidelines
Old Food Guidelines
Assessing Eating Behaviors:
What motivates us to eat?
Hunger
Appetite
Cultural & social meaning of food
Habit or custom
Emotional comfort
Convenience and advertising
Nutritional value
Social interactions
Food Rules
By Michael Pollan
PART 1: What should I eat? (Eat Food)
1. Eat food.
2. Don’t eat anything your
great-grandmother wouldn’t
recognize as food.
3. Avoid food products that contain
high-fructose corn syrup.
4. Avoid food products that have some
form of sugar (or sweetener) listed
among the top 3 ingredients.
5. Avoid food products that have more
than 5 ingredients.
6. Avoid food products that make
health claims.
7. Avoid food products with the words
“lite” or the terms “low fat” or “nonfat”
in their names.
8. Avoid foods you see advertised on
television.
9. Shop the peripheries of the
supermarket and stay out of the
middle.
10. Eat only foods that will eventually
rot.
11. Get out of the supermarket
whenever you can.
12. Buy your snacks at the farmer’s
market.
13. Eat only foods that have been
cooked by humans.
14. If it came from a plant, eat it; if it
was made in a plant, don’t.
15. It’s not food if it arrived through the
window of your car.
16. It’s not food if it’s called by the same
name in every language (Think Big
Mac, Cheetos, or Pringles).
17. Eat mostly plants, especially leaves.
18. Treat meat as a flavoring or special
occasion food.
19. Eating what stands on one leg
[mushrooms and plant food] is
better than eating what stands on
two legs [fowl], which is better than
eating what stands on four legs
[cows, pigs, and other mammals].
20. Eat your colors.
21. Drink the spinach water.
22. Eat animals that have themselves
eaten well.
23. If you have space, buy a freezer.
24. Eat like an omnivore.
25. Eat well-grown food from healthy
soil.
26. Eat wild foods when you can.
27. Don’t overlook the oily little fishes.
28. Eat some foods that have been
predigested by bacteria or fungi.
29. Sweeten and salt your food yourself.
30. Eat sweet foods as you find them in
nature.
31. Stop eating before you’re full.
32. Eat when you are hungry, not when
you are bored.
33. Eat slowly.
34. Serve a proper portion and don’t go
back for seconds.
35. Breakfast like a king, lunch like a
prince, dinner like a pauper.
36. Don’t eat breakfast cereals that
change the color of the milk.
37. The whiter the bread, the sooner
you’ll be dead.
38. Favor the kinds of oils and grains
that have traditionally been
stone-ground.
39. Eat all the junk food you want as
long as you cook it yourself.
40. Pay more, eat less.
41. Limit your snacks to unprocessed
plant foods.
42. Try not to eat alone.
43. Treat treats as treats. 61. Leave
something on your plate.
44. Plant a vegetable garden if you
have space, a window box if you
don’t.
45. Cook.
46. Break the rules once in a while.