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HOW FOOD AFFECTS THE BODY MSA Nutrition Education R.Whiting Are you really what you eat? A. Food sources – eating what you like while making healthy choices; using moderation to your advantage B. Vitamins & minerals – getting what you need can also be getting what you want! C. Food processing 101 – basic digestive system D. Learn how food affects your brain – improve how you think & feel There are three basic categories of molecules that our bodies use from food Carbohydrates – energy that fuels bodily functions; make ATPs that help you walk, talk, wink, blink, think… This is what our bodies are currently designed to run on. Proteins* – build structures (muscle, hair) or make enzymes, hormones, and antibodies Fats* – dissolve vitamins, act as insulation and protection; emergency fuel stores that your body turns to in the event of starvation * Your body will make carbs out of proteins & fats if necessary! Glucose = the molecule that our body craves for energy & doing work CARBS: breads, potatoes, rice, pasta, bran, and cereals *Easiest way to yield glucose ATPs PROTEINS: meats, nuts, beans, grains, meats, and dairy and dairy products FATS: unsaturated (good), saturated (not good), trans-fats (altered/not good) Find foods from each group that you like! Vitamins and Minerals You should get these from foods, not pills, particularly if you have a good, balanced diet (pay attention during the “choose-my-plate” presentation!). Pick some fruits and vegetables of every color that you do like—and eat some of these every day. What should you choose to eat? Eating a variety of foods is the best way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need, as well as the right balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and calories. Whole or unprocessed foods — like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish, and poultry — are the best choices for providing the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and grow properly. Complex carbohydrates – like whole wheat breads and pastas, starchy vegetables and fruits – will break down more slowly in your system and not cause your blood sugar to drop. Complex carbohydrates versus Simple Sugars “Eating complex carbohydrates is good; eating sugar is bad.” You may even have felt this in your own body. The following quote from The Yale Guide to Children's Nutrition explains why: • If complex carbohydrates are broken down to monosaccharides in the intestines before they are absorbed into the bloodstream, why are they better than refined sugar or other di- or mono-saccharides? To a great extent it has to do with the processes of digestion and absorption. Simple sugars require little digestion, and when a child eats a sweet food, such as a candy bar or a can of soda, the glucose level of the blood rises rapidly. In response, the pancreas secretes a large amount of insulin to keep blood glucose levels from rising too high. This large insulin response in turn tends to make the blood sugar fall to levels that are too low 3 to 5 hours after the candy bar or can of soda has been consumed. This tendency of blood glucose levels to fall may then lead to an adrenaline surge, which in turn can cause nervousness and irritability... The same roller-coaster ride of glucose and hormone levels is not experienced after eating complex carbohydrates or after eating a balanced meal because the digestion and absorption processes are much slower. Food is processed via a one-way tube within our bodies: See video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08VyJOEcDos • Nutrients begin to break down in the mouth, then in the stomach, and finally in the small intestine. • Absorption of nutrients occurs in the small intestine. • Water and minerals are absorbed in the large intestine. Label the digestive system using these terms: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ a. Liver b. Rectum c. Stomach d. Mouth e. Anus f. Salivary glands g. Small intestine h. Gall bladder i. Pancreas j. Esophagus k. Large intestine (colon) How’d you do? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. d. Mouth f. Salivary glands h. Gall bladder a. Liver i. Pancreas g. Small intestine j. Esophagus c. Stomach k. Large intestine (colon) b. Rectum e. anus How Food Affects the Brain Credit: Dreamstime Feed your Brain! The brain accounts for 2 percent of our body weight but sucks down roughly 20 percent of our daily calories. It needs glucose, but of a certain kind and in the right doses. • It's common to resolve to lose weight, but any sane person dreads a diet's dulling effect on the brain. • In fact, many studies have shown that counting calories, carbs or fat grams, is truly distracting — to the point that it taxes short-term memory. But how we eat can affect our minds at more fundamental levels, too. • Check out these eight (8) brain-builders: • whiting - brain foods.docx EAT WELL, BE WELL!