Diet & Nutrition

FCS-FNW-1. Students will discuss basic nutrient requirements and

their use in dietary planning.
Too Few Nutrients
 Malnutrition is a serious health problem
caused by a continuing lack of nutrients, or
the body’s poor absorption or use of
nutrients
• Often is a result of food shortages or
poverty
• BUT…even people who get enough to
eat can develop malnutrition if they
make poor food choices
How Can the Community Help with Malnutrition?

 Food Stamps  Home Delivered Meals

• Government program • Meals are delivered to
that helps people with disabled or elderly
limited income buy food
 Food Banks
 Women, Infants, and
• Program that gets
Children (WIC)
donations from
• Government program community to distribute
that gives food to people in need
assistance and nutrition
education to pregnant  Community Kitchens
and nursing women, • Low cost or no cost
infants, and preschool meals are provided to
children who are in need people
Nutritious Diets
 There is no “perfect” diet because
everyone is built different and has different
nutrient needs.
 However, there are a few guidelines to
remember when creating a diet.
• Remember, the word “diet” does not mean you
are “losing weight”. It is simply the foods you
eat and the liquids you drink.
Nutrients Through the Lifespan
 Each stage of the lifespan needs certain nutrients to help
the body properly develop.
 Infancy, childhood and the teen years are the most crucial
years for proper intake of nutrients. The “grow” nutrient is
most important.
 Pregnant and lactating women usually need an increased
intake of nutrients due to the changes in their bodies.
 Adults and the elderly tend to decrease their intake of
nutrients because their bodies are not growing. Instead,
adults and the elderly have a slower metabolism and turn
more nutrients into fat.
Nutritious Diets
 Adequate
• A diet that is sufficient in all needed nutrients
 Balanced
• A diet that offers correct servings from each of the
food groups
 Moderation
• Eating each of the food groups in proper amounts
Nutritious Diets
 Portion Distortion
• Serving food portions that are well beyond the
recommended serving portion size (ex: Super Size)
 Varied
• A diet with a variety from each food group (ex:
eating grapes, strawberries and bananas…NOT just
fruit – also from vegetable group)
 Nutrient Dense
• Choosing foods that offer the most nutrients for the
amount of calories they provide
Weekly Diet Worksheet
 Your task is to develop a weekly diet for a
teenager (either male or female) that follows the
components of a nutritious diet.
 Later, after we discuss Dietary Reference
Intakes, you will revisit your weekly diet and
make any necessary changes.
• Use a pencil so changes can easily be made.
• Keep your diet realistic: consider foods that a teenager
would want to eat, while remembering to present them
in a healthy way.
Dietary Reference Intakes
 Everyone needs the same nutrients
• How much you need depends on:
Age
Size
Activity rate
Gender
Metabolism
Dietary Reference Intakes
 As a teen, your nutrient needs are higher now than
they will be at any other time in your life.
• Dietary Reference Intake (DRI’s) standards, which
give information on how much of each nutrient one
needs to intake. They are part of the Recommended
Daily Allowances (RDA’s).
• Remember, these requirements are researched
and are also based on a daily diet.
• The USDA has a web link with a complete list of
DRI’s listed at:
http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_c
enter=4&tax_level=3&tax_subject=256&topic_id=13
42&level3_id=5140
Dietary Reference Intakes Worksheet
 You will make a DRI refrigerator magnet, specific for you and your
family, as a reminder for daily meals
• Using the website listed below, customize the chart your teacher will give
you.
 Be certain to write clearly, in pen
• You may cut the chart according to how many family members you
have
• It is suggested that you shade each family member’s row a different
color using a colored pencil so it is easier for them to read.
 The chart will be laminated and your teacher will give you magnets to
put on the back.
 Website:
http://iom.edu/Activities/Nutrition/SummaryDRIs/~/media/Files/Activity%
20Files/Nutrition/DRIs/EAR%20Table.pdf
Nutrient Deficiencies
 A Nutrient Deficiency is a shortage of a nutrient
• If you do not get enough of a nutrient a
deficiency will result and poor health or lack of
energy may be the result
The effects of some deficiencies take a
long time to show
• Example: Not enough calcium in the
teen years may not show until the
elderly years (less dense bones)
VITAMIN C: Scurvy
 Scurvy can cause
bleeding gums, “cork
screw” hairs or
bleeding follicles, and
bleeding fingernails
 Scurvy was first
discovered in sailors…
Do you know why?
PROTEIN: Kwashiorkor
 Kwashiorkor is
characterized by a
protruding abdomen
due to lack of proteins

 This deficiency is
usually seen in third
world countries
IODINE: Goiter
 Lack of iodine can
cause your thyroid to
enlarge and then
produce a goiter

Thyroid  These can be painful

and uncomfortable
IRON: Anemia
 Low red blood cell
count

 Leads to poor transport

of oxygen through the
blood
VITAMIN A: Night Blindness
 Unable to see properly
at night
 Things are viewed
darker than they really
are
 The middle of this
picture would be what
someone with night
blindness would see
VITAMIN D: Rickets
 Rickets is
characterized by
bowed legs and bones

 This is usually found in

third world countries
CALCIUM: Osteoporosis
 Lack of calcium will
cause bones to become
brittle and less dense
than normal bones
Getting Too Many Nutrients
 Poor nutrition can also
result from getting too many
nutrients
• Example: too much fat can lead to
heart disease and other problems
 Excess amounts of vitamins
and minerals can cause
serious harm to your body
• Example: too much vitamin A can
damage your liver
 Taking too many vitamin and
mineral supplements can cause
this