Transcript Nutrition
Unit 9: Nutrition
Nutrition Overview
Nutrition supports tissue growth, repair,
function
Digestion: process of breaking down food into
smaller and smaller pieces so we can
eventually absorb the nutrients from it
Starts in the mouth: enzymes/chewing
Continues in stomach: hydrochloric acid
Finishes in small intestine: enzymes
Digestion
Nutrition Overview
• Metabolism: the sum of all the chemical
reactions in your body.
– Building it up (anabolism) and breaking it down
(catabolism)
– Main location = liver
• Nutrition: “the act or process of nourishing or
being nourished”
• Diet: “food and drink regularly provided and
consumed”
Main categories of nutrients
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Fats
Provide energy
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Vitamins
Minerals
The most vital nutrient
Water
Major Categories Nutrients
• Carbohydrates: metabolized to simple sugars
like glucose, a ready source of energy that
circulates the body
– Provide 4 kcal/ g of energy
– Ex. Pastas, breads, fruits and vegetables
Major Categories of Nutrients
• Fats: essential parts of cell membranes and
some hormones. Provide insulation to warm
body.
– Provide 9 kcal/g of energy
– Ex. Canola oil, butter, meat fat
Major Categories of Nutrients
• Vitamins: organic compounds our body needs
to function normally that it must obtain from
the diet because it can’t make them itself
Major Categories of Nutrients
• minerals: a naturally occurring solid
compound found on the periodic table
• They support Biochemical processes
– Both vitamins and minerals provide 0 kcal/g
Water
• Most essential nutrient
• Human body ≈ 60% water by weight
(depending on size)
• Many body processes require it
• Maintains blood pressure
• Readily available from beverages and
fruits/vegetables
Proteins
• Mostly responsible for growth and repair of
tissues.
– Provide 4 kcal/g of energy. However, are only
really used for energy when everything else has
been used up
Protein
• Made from amino acids
• The body can make most amino acids except for a
few (9) which are essential amino acids (EAA).
– We have to get them from our diet!
• Proteins from plant foods are “incomplete”
meaning that they only contain some EAAs but
not all
– But two incomplete proteins together may make a
complete protein = complementing amino acids
Modern North American Diet
• Biggest problem = nutritional excess
– Affluence?
– Convenience foods?
– Perceived shortage of time?
Modern Canadian diet
Modern North American Diet
Getting too much of everything and in the improper
proportions
Too much saturated fat
Half of carbohydrates from baked goods
65% of B. Columbians not eating recommended
amounts of fruits and vegetables
77% not eating recommended amounts of calcium.
However, we are concerned about our fat, starch, fibre
intake and are taking steps to fix it (especially women)
6 Principles of a Healthful Diet
ABCD-MV
• Adequacy- are you getting enough of what you need?
• Balance- getting a good balance of all food groups
• KiloCalorie control- are your energy consumption
patterns matching your expenditure ones
• Nutrient Density- for the amount of kilocalories you are
taking in, are you getting a good amount of nutrients?
• Moderation-not too little or too much of anything
• Variety- a range of food items from each food groups
Nutrient Density
DIETARY GOALS FOR NORTH
AMERICANS
Reduce total caloric intake
• One Calorie (as we know it)= 1,000 calories = 1
kcal
• The key is to eat selectively, portion control
– Buy smaller plates
– Think of restaurant meals as 2 meals
– Consume nutrient dense foods
– Control hunger by consuming filling foods such as
protein/fibre, eating smaller meals throughout day
• We consume, on average, 18% more calories a
day than 30 years ago
Reduce total fat intake
• Fat is associated with higher calorie intake as well
as increased serum cholesterol
• Associated with some forms of cancer: breast,
colon
• Often it’s not the original source of food that is
high in fat, but the manner in which it is prepared
• Cut fat off meat before cooking, choose low fat
cheeses/spreads, dab extra fat off pizza, avoid
friend foods, fill a spray bottle with oil to grease
pans, BBQ, broil, bake
Reduce proportion of saturated fat and
increase the proportion of unsaturated fat
Saturated fat = solid at room temperature ( ex. Bacon fat).
Animal fats typically high in saturated fat, while plant fats are
typically low in saturated fat
However, palm-oil/ coconut oil = high in saturated fat
Unsaturated fat typically found in plant oils
Is actually “good fat”
Fish oil is one of the best kinds because it also has omega-3
fatty acids and reduces the risk of CVD
Choose a diet low in cholesterol
• Found mainly in animal products
• Eggs, liver, kidney, shellfish all high in
cholesterol
• However, dietary cholesterol only raises serum
cholesterol if the person is sensitive to dietary
cholesterol
• Recall: for most individuals to lower serum
cholesterol, they need to consume a diet low
in _______________
Increase Dietary Fibre
Fibre = is a carbohydrate that we are not able
to break down in our body to use for energy
It is “filler”, passing through the digestive tract
without being absorbed.
Add bulk to your diet, thus possibly reducing
appetite
Increase Dietary Fibre
Soluble fibre:
Lowers total and LDL cholesterol
Regulates blood sugar
Ex. Fruits, legumes and oats (oat bran)
Insoluble fibre:
draws water into the stool making it larger and
softer
Speeds passage of food through the digestive tract
Ex. Cereals, grains (wheat bran), vegetables
Increase consumption of complex
carbohydrates
• Complex carbs are found in grains, cereal, pasta and potatoes
• Take longer to absorb than simple carbohydrates (ex. Glucose,
fructose)
– Therefore regulate blood glucose levels, which is preventative
against __________________
• Contain more dietary fibre, richer sources of vitamins and minerals
• Look for “100% whole wheat”, “whole grain”, “whole oats”, “whole
rye” on labels. Just because something says “whole wheat” doesn’t
mean it is a complete whole grain. Check you labels!
Use Salt and Sodium in Moderation
• Table salt = sodium chloride
• North Americans typically consume more than 3
times the RNI for sodium!
• Sodium is added to a lot of products upon
processing
• Sodium may increase blood pressure, which can
cause a __________ in an artery leading to
_______________
• Salty foods are a risk factor for some digestive
cancers
– Irritates cells lining the stomach
Ensure adequate iron intake
• Iron deficiency can lead to anaemia, which is a
lowered ability of the blood to transport oxygen
• Leads to decreased energy levels
Ensure adequate iron intake
Two forms of iron:
• Heme iron from animal products. Ex. Beef, liver, heart
– Easier to absorb
• Non-heme iron from plants. Ex. lentils, beans
– Not as easy to absorb into digestive tract
• Absorption of non-heme iron is improved if
eaten together with a heme-iron source
• Overall, Iron absorption improved by vitamin
C, inhibited by coffee/tea
Ensure adequate Calcium intake
Many vital processes in your body require
calcium
Also a major component of bones/teeth
Prevents osteoporosis, which is especially
relevant to post-menopausal women
Smoking has the opposite effect of calcium!
Increase consumption of foods
containing vitamins A and C
• Vitamins C / A (beta-carotene) are powerful
antioxidants
– An antioxidant prevents the action of oxidizing
agents in the body that damage cells and can lead
to cancer (as well as aging poorly)
• Increase consumption of dark orange and dark
green veggies
• Cabbage family veggies (arugula, bok choy...)
are especially good anti-oxidants
Drink Alcohol in moderation
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Contains 7 kcal/g (more than carbs and proteins!)
One regular beer = 150 kcal
One glass white wine = 100 kcal
One shot of vodka = 60 kcal
“empty calories”
Alcohol should NEVER be consumed during
pregnancy!
Eat a variety of foods
• That way if some foods aren’t providing you
with the nutrients you need, others will
• Eliminates boredom!
Vegetarian Diets
• Do not contain meat
• Types of vegetarians:
– Vegans: eat NO animal products of any kind; this
includes milk.
– Lacto-ovo-vegetarians: don’t eat fish but eat milk
products and eggs
– Lacto-ovo-pesco vegetarians: don’t eat red meats
but eat fish, milk, eggs
• Not really vegetarians!
Health Benefits of a Vegetarian diet
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Prevents/ reverses coronary artery disease
Lowers serum cholesterol and LDL
Lowers incidence of hypertension
Lowers mortality from type 2 diabetes
Lowers incidence of lung/ colorectal cancer
May decrease breast cancer and kidney
damage
Other Benefits of Not Eating Animal
Products
– Animal products tend to be expensive
– Protein rich diets may be high in fat, low in fibre
– Meat/ dairy more likely to contain pathogens
– Animals concentrate heavy metals such as
mercury in large fish
– Better use of land resources
Nutrient Deficiencies associated with
the vegetarian diet
• Typically eat less protein, however, it is often
enough
• Iron is harder to absorb from plant food
• B-12
• Calcium
• Vitamin D
Reading Labels
• As of Dec 2007, all manufacturers had to conform to new and
extremely strict labelling standards in Canada.
• New labels contain:
- The common name of the food
- A net quantity declaration
- The name and address of the dealer
- The durable life date of the product
- A list of ingredients (in decreasing order by weight, volume,
count
- A nutrition facts table (next slide)
• They can also contain:
– Nutrient content claims– ex. ‘low in fat’; ‘reduced sodium’
– Health claims– ex. “a diet low in saturated fat is associated with decrease
incidence of heart disease. Product X is low in saturated fat
Nutrition Facts Table
• All labels in Canada must
contain the following
information
• Nutrients expressed in %Daily
Value for ease
• Check to make sure the serving
size matches how much you
are consuming!
NUTRITIONAL CONCERNS OF THE
DEVELOPING WORLD
Water
• People need approximately1 litre water/
day to survive
• In the third world, 1/3 people have access
to clean drinking water
• Estimated that 17-25 diseases relating to
water could be reduced by 50-100% with
ample clean drinking water
Energy and Protein
• Lack of calories and protein impairs growth
– Small females have more difficulty carrying/having
children
• Lack of calories and protein increases
susceptibility to disease
– Our immune cells need energy/protein to
function!
– Malnutrition often a contributing cause of illness
• Ex. measles
Nutrient Deficiency:
Kwashiorkor
• Another important function of protein is to
maintain water balance
• Lack of protein leads to fluid accumulation in
the abdomen
Obesity in the third world
• As standard of living increases, so do obesity
rates
• Egypt, Mexico have very high rates of
childhood obesity
– Both have a stable and growing economy