Food as a source of nutrition

Food and its choice

• Nutrients - Components of food required for the
body’s functioning.
Roles:
• Provide energy
• Building material
• Maintenance and repair
• Support growth
• All persons, throughout life, have need for the same
nutrients, but in varying amounts.
• The amounts of nutrients needed are influenced by age, sex,
size, activity, and the state of health.
 INTRODUCTION
• Nutrition –comes from Latin word “nutr”(nourish)
• Man needs energy to support all the physical activity.
• According to American Medical Association,
“Nutrition is the science of food , the nutrients
&other substances therein , their action, and
interaction and balance in relation to health &
disease and the processes by which the organisms
ingests , absorbs , transports & utilizes and finally
excretes food substances”
• Human body contains elements and compounds.
• Food- Ingested , digested,absorbed&circulated through blood
stream to feed the cells of the body.
• Adult-7 ltrs of digestive juice enters digestive tract
• Breaks chemical bonds in indigested food & modify their
conformational states.
• Some molecules absorb into blood unchanged.
• Digestive processes releases them from matrix of foods.
• Unabsorbed foods , along with waste products eliminated
from body in feces.
•The nutrients in food support growth, maintenance, and repair
of the body.

• Deficiencies, excesses, and imbalances of nutrients bring on

the diseases of malnutrition.
•Chronic diseases have a connection to a poor diet. Chronic
diseases include:
– Heart disease
– Diabetes
– Some cancers
– Dental disease
– Adult bone loss
History:
In late 18 th century, Lavoisier began
studies in nutrition.
He studied the role of respiration in
metabolism of food.
So called “Father of Nutritional Science”.
• . Therapeutic Nutrition is broadly defined as
the use of nutrients, such as vitamins,
minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids,
co-factors, enzymes, anti-oxidants, and
phytonutrients, to support the body’s immune
and healing systems, thereby altering the
course and outcome of a disease process.
• It can be used as a preventative, or can be
used as a therapy.
• It does not focus on food types, calories nor minimum
daily requirements, but rather on metabolic and
physiological effects of foods on the body’s healing and
immune systems.
• Unlike drugs, nutritional products are not designed to
address symptoms or diseases, they are designed to
“feed” and “fuel” the cells of the body, using or calling
upon the cells’ inherent ability to heal and achieve
wellness.
• (I) The supply of appropriate, bioavailable nutrients
(II) The reduction of inflammation
(III) The enhancement of elimination of toxins
 BRANCHES OF NUTRITION
• Nutrigenomics-study of effects of foods&food constituents on
gene expression(ie) molecular level interaction b/w nutrients
& other bioactives with the genome
• Nutrition physiology-deals with different types of food and
their effects on metabolism(eg) calculation of calories/day
• Prenatal nutrition-deals with nutrition intake &dietary
planning that is undertaken before,during &after pregnancy
• Sports nutrition-study & practice of nutrition & diet as it
relates to athletic performance.
The Abundance of Foods to Choose From

All foods once looked like this...

The Challenge of Choosing Foods
...but now many foods look like this.
 The MyPyramid Plan

<<insert fig 9.7>>

 Healthy Diet:
Food intake

Carbohydrates
e.g. Rice, Chapati Salads,
Protein-based e.g. Vegetables
Milk, Egg, Dal and Fruits
Meat.

Increase fiber
Decrease oily foods
Recommendations of IAP: Indian Pediatrics 2004; 41:559
‘No’ to soft drinks
 Assessing Eating Behavior

• What drives us to eat?

– Hunger
– Appetite
– Emotional Comfort
– Convenience and advertising
– Nutritional value
– Social interactions
 Assessing Eating Behavior

• Eating for Health:

– Calorie – a unit of measure that indicates the
amount of energy we obtain from a food
– Americans consume more calories per person
than any other group of people in the world
– Americans eat more fat (38%) than
recommended by nutritionists (no more than
30%)
 Meet the Nutrients

• Calorie - the amount of heat energy needed to

raise the temperature of one kilogram of water
by 1oC

– Explode food pieces in a special water-lined

chamber and measure the heat given off from the
explosion
• Gram – a unit of weight.

– For instance, one teaspoon of sugar weighs roughly

5 grams.
 MEASURING FOOD ENERGY
1g
p ro
t ein
=4
ca
ies lo
r rie
ca lo s
= 9
fat
1g
• Food energy measured in
calories.

1g
CH • A calorie is not a
O ies t)
ca component of food.
=4 r
c alo trien
lo rie l = 7 a nu
s ho ot
o
g alc l is n
1
c oho
(al
 BALANCED DIET 

A diet is said to be balanced when it provides the right proportion

of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, roughage and
water to maintain a healthy body.

A disease which arises due to lack of nutrients like carbohydrates,

fats, proteins, minerals or vitamins In our diet is called a
deficiency disease.

These deficiency diseases are also called nutritional disorders.

Dietary deficiency may be both qualitative and quantitative.

Diseases like kwashiorkor and marasmus are found in the

children who do not get adequate amount of proteins in their
daily diet
 Meet the Nutrients
• Essential nutrients – must be obtained in the diet because
the body does not make them
• Found in all 6 classes

Nutrient Class Essential nutrient

Carbohydrate Glucose
Fat Linoleic acid linolenic
acid
Protein 9 amino acids of 20
Vitamins All 13
Minerals 25
Water Yes
 How, Exactly, Can I Recognize a Nutritious Diet?

All of these factors help to build a nutritious diet.

• Adequacy - get enough of
essential nutrients.

• Balance - contains a good

proportion of nutrients. No
overemphasis of a food group.

• Calorie control - choose foods to

maintain ideal body weight.

• Moderation - eat any food in

reasonable-size portions.

• Variety - eat different types of

food to prevent boredom.
 Reading Food Labels
To help you make healthy food
choices, many foods have a “Nutrition
Facts” label that contains helpful
information such as:
• serving size
• calories per serving
• fat/sodium/protein content
• types and relative amounts of
nutrients (vitamin C, iron, etc.)
 Reading Food Labels
What do claims on food labels mean?
• Organic - Made from foods grown
without pesticides, man-made fertilizers,
or genetic engineering
• Healthy - Low in fat and saturated fat,
contains no more than 360mg of sodium
and cholesterol per serving
• Light - Contains at least one-third fewer
calories or at least 50% less fat or
sodium
• Fresh - Raw food products that contain
no preservatives and have never been
frozen, heated, or processed in any way
 Classes of nutrition
• 6 major classes
– Carbohydrates,Fats,Minerals,Vitamins,Proteins&
water
– Food – Macronutrients-supply much needed
energy & also build
tissues(carbohydrates,fats,proteins)&
Micronutrients-play crucial role to regulate
&control body processes(vitamins,minerals)
• Micronutrients-2 types-vitamins & Minerals
• Vitamins-Fat-soluble(A,B,E,K) & water-
soluble(C,B)
• Minerals ⇨ Ca , P , Na , K , Cl , Mg , S(needed
more than 100 mg)
• Micro-minerals(13) ⇨ 1 to 100 mg ⇨ Fe , Cu , Zn , Mn ,
I , Mb , Se , F , Br , Cr , Co , Si
• Trace elements(few µgms)-B , Sn , Ni , Ge , V, W, Pb
Types of people based on diet:
• Omnivore:
A person who eats food of both plant and
animal origin, including animal flesh
• Vegetarian:
– A person who eats food of plant and animal
origin , except animal flesh.
 Vegetarianism: Eating for Health

• Types of vegetarians:
– Vegans- neither animal products nor flesh
– Lacto-vegetarians-includes dairy products but not eggs.
– Ovo-vegetarians- includes eggs but not dairy products.
– Lacto-ovo-vegetarians- animal products but no flesh
– Pesco-vegetarians(Pescatarians )- a vegetarian who
includes fish in their diets, but no other forms of meat.
Semivegetarians-diets that are vegetarian-
based with the inclusion of occasional meat
products.
•Flexitarians-  These types of vegetarians usually
stick to their diet, but sometimes still eats meat.
•Pollo-Vegetarians - Like the name suggests,
these vegetarians only eat poultry such as
chicken, duck and turkey.
•Fruitarian  Vegetarians who only eat fresh
fruits.
 Micronutrient deficiencies
• vitamin deficiency diseases are no longer found in
industrialized countries.
• Common in developing countries.
• These individuals are classified as being a ‘high-risk
group’. 
1] bad eating habits, such as skipping meals, frequent
eating of fatty foods, snacking, and, more generally,
not eating enough or having an unbalanced diet. 
• Adolescents , older people , excessive drinkers are
mostly affected.
2] increased need for vitamins, either in the short or
long term, for: 
- pregnant women and nursing mothers: they have
a greater need for vitamins, but their eating habits
are rarely adapted accordingly; 

- smokers, for whom studies have shown that

consumption of vitamin C by the cells is greater
than for non-smokers. Consequently, smokers need
more vitamin C.  (REASON ?)
3] loss of part of the vitamins in food due to the food
having been stored too long, poorly prepared,
cooked badly, or kept hot too long. 

4] post-operative or chronic digestion problems.

This can lead to a genuine deficiency since, even if
vitamins are supplied in sufficient quantity, they are
only slightly absorbed, or not at all. 
• These minor deficiencies are hard to spot. This is because
the symptoms associated with them are not specific: 
- lack of appetite, 
- apathy, 
- fatigue, 
- irritability, 
- lack of concentration, 
- insomnia, etc. 

Moreover, many months can go by before the

characteristic symptoms of vitamin deficiency appear.
 Levels of nutrition
• Depending upon individual living
situation,available food supply,health
conditions,the nutritional status varies.
3 types
• (i) Ideal or optimal nutrition
• (ii) Border-line nutrition
• (iii) Malnutrition
 Ideal or optimal nutrition
• Person receives and uses substances that are obtained from
various diet in ideal amount (i.e.) Balanced diet.
• Desired amount of nutrients should be balanced to cover
variations in health and disease.
• Ideal nutrition shows up in the form of
⇨well-developed body
⇨ideal height and weight
⇨good muscular development and tone
• Good appetite & normal digestion
• More alert(both physically & Mentally)
• Able to maintain their essential nutrient reserve for resisting
infection & disease
 Borderline nutrition
• Just manage to scrape through from day-to-
day with barest minimum needs met.
• Lack much needed nutritional reserves to
meet any extra physiological illness.
• Develops in poor eating habits and poor
economic conditions persons
• Prone to risk of greater ill health.
 Malnutrition
• Energy intake is inadequate and the limited
nutritional reserves are depleted,unable to
meet day-to-day needs.
• Occurs in resource poor countries of Asia &
Africa.
• Severely affects infants,pregnant women &
aged.
• Infant mortality rate is very high & also suffers
from stunted growth,anemia and prone to
infections
 Malnutrition & Under nutrition
• Malnutrition-physical ill-effects of the
prolonged inadequacy of diets(Qualitative or
Quantitative or both)
• Undernutrition- specifically points to
quantitative shortcoming(low food intake)
 Overnutrition
• Excess calories produce obesity & overweight
• Predisposes such persons to the risk of many
chronic disease.