FUNDAMENTALS OF FOOD AND NUTRITION

- Food, nutrition and health are intimately connected aspects of our life

Definitions

Food

- Food is that which nourishes the body.

- Food may also be defined as, anything eaten or drunk, which meets the needs for energy,
building, regulation and protection of the body.
- In short, food is the raw material from which our bodies are made.
- Intake of the right kinds and amounts of food can ensure good nutrition and health, which may
be evident in our appearance, efficiency and emotional well-being

Nutrition

- Nutrition has been defined as food at work in the body.

- Nutrition includes everything that happens to food from the time it is eaten until it is used for
various functions in the body.
- Nutrients are components of food that are needed by the body in adequate amounts in order to
grow, reproduce and lead a normal, healthy life.
- Nutrients include water, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins.
- The study of the science of nutrition deals with what nutrients we need, how much we need,
why we need these and where we can get them.

Nutritional status

- Nutritional status is the state of our body as a result of the foods consumed and their use by the
body.
- Nutritional status can be good, fair or poor.
- Malnutrition means an undesirable kind of nutrition leading to ill-health.
- It results from a lack, excess or imbalance of nutrients in the diet.
- Malnutrition can primarily be due to insufficient supply of one or more essential nutrients; or it
can be secondary, which means it results from an error in metabolism, interaction between
nutrients or nutrients and drugs used in treatment.
- Overnutrition refers to an excessive intake of one or more nutrients, which creates a stress in
the bodily function
- Diet refers to whatever you eat and drink each day, it may also be modified and used for ill
persons as part of their therapy
- Health refers to the condition of the body, good health not only implies freedom from disease,
but physical, mental and emotional fitness as well.
- The WHO (World Health Organization) has defined health as the ‘state of complete physical,
mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’
Functions of Food

Physiological functions of food:

- The first function of food is to provide energy.

- The body needs energy to sustain the involuntary processes essential for continuance of life, to
carry out professional, household and recreational activities, to convert food ingested into
usable nutrients in the body, to grow and to keep warm.
- he energy needed is supplied by the oxidation of the foods consumed.
- The foods we eat become a part of us. Thus one of the most important functions of food is
building the body
- The food eaten each day helps to maintain the structure of the adult body, and to replace worn
out cells of the body
- The third function of food is to regulate activities of the body. It includes:
• Beating of the heart
• Maintenance of the body temperature
• Muscle contraction
• Control of water balance
• Clotting of blood
• Removal of waste products from the body
- The fourth function of food is to improve our body’s resistance to disease

Functions of Nutrients

- The foods which we use daily include rice, wheat, dal, vegetables, fruits, milk, eggs, fish, meat,
sugar, butter, oils, etc. These different foods are made up of a number of chemical components
called nutrients
- Each nutrient class has its own function, but the various nutrients must act in unison for
effective action.
- The nutrients found in foods are — carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins and water.
- Fibre is also an essential component of our diet.
The functions of nutrients are:
1. Carbohydrates:
- Starch found in cereals and sugar in sugarcane and fruits are examples of carbohydrates in
foods.
- The chief function of carbohydrates is to provide energy needed by our body.
- Those not used immediately for this purpose are stored as glycogen or converted to fat and
stored, to be mobilized for energy supply when needed
2. Fats:
- Oils found in seeds, butter from milk, and lard from meat, are examples of fats found in foods.
- Fats are concentrated sources of energy, carriers of fat soluble vitamins and a source of
essential fatty acids.
- If excess fats are taken in the diet, these are stored as fat reserves in the body.
 - Energy taken in excess of body needs, is stored as fat in the body
3. Proteins:
- Casein from milk, albumin in egg, globulins in legumes and gluten in wheat, are examples of
proteins occurring in foods.
- The main function of protein is the building of new tissues and maintaining and repair of those
already built.
- Synthesis of regulatory and protective substances such as enzymes, hormones and antibodies is
also a function of food proteins.
- About 10 per cent of the total energy is supplied by proteins in the diet.
- Protein, when taken in excess of the body’s need, is converted to carbohydrates and fats and is
stored in the body.
4. Minerals:
- The minerals calcium, phosphorus, iron, iodine, sodium, potassium and others are found in
various foods in combination with organic and inorganic compounds.
- Minerals are necessary for body-building, for building of bones, teeth and structural parts of soft
tissues.
- They also play a role in regulation of processes in the body, e.g., muscle contraction, clotting of
blood, nerve stimuli, etc.
5. Vitamins:
- Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and also water-soluble vitamins C and B group are found in
foods.
- These are needed for growth, normal function of the body and normal body processes.
6. Water:
- We get water in foods we eat and a major part from the water we drink as such and as
beverages.
- Water is an essential part of our body structure and it accounts for about 60 per cent of our
body weight.
- Water is essential for the utilisation of food material in the body and also for elimination of food
waste. It is a regulator of body processes such as maintenance of body temperature.

All individuals need the same nutrients for the same body function. The only variation is in the amounts
of each nutrient required according to age, size, activity, etc. For example, all persons need energy for
work, but a man, who carries loads may need more energy than a man, who works in an office at a desk
job.

Types of Nutrients

- Macronutrients are nutrients we need in relatively large quantities.

- Micronutrients are nutrients we need in relatively small quantities.
Macronutrients can be further split into energy macronutrients (that provide energy), and
macronutrients that do not provide energy.

Energy macronutrients

- Energy macronutrients provide energy, which is measured either in kilocalories (kcal or calories)
or Joules.
- 1 kilocalorie (calorie) = 4185.8 joules.

Energy macronutrients include:

Carbohydrates - 4 kcal per gram

- Carbohydrate molecules include monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, galactose), disaccharides,

and polysaccharides (starch).
- Nutritionally, polysaccharides are favored over monosaccharides because they are more
complex and therefore take longer to break down and be absorbed into the bloodstream;
- This means that they do not cause major spikes in blood sugar levels, which are linked to heart
and vascular diseases.

Proteins - 4 kcal per gram

- There are 20 amino acids - organic compounds found in nature that combine to form proteins.
- Some amino acids are essential, meaning they need to be consumed.
- Other amino acids are non-essential because the body can make them.

Fats - 9 kcal per gram

- Fats are triglycerides - three molecules of fatty acid combined with a molecule of the alcohol
glycerol.
- Fatty acids are simple compounds (monomers) while triglycerides are complex molecules
(polymers).
- Fats are required in the diet for health as they serve many functions, including lubricating joints,
helping organs produce hormones, assisting in absorption of certain vitamins,
reducing inflammation, and preserving brain health.

Macronutrients that do not provide energy

These do not provide energy, but are still important:

Fiber

- Fiber is a crucial part of nutrition, health, and fuel for gut bacteria.
- Fiber, also known as roughage, is the indigestible part of plant foods that travels through our
digestive system, absorbing water along the way and easing bowel movements.
 - Mostly found in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes, fiber has a host of health benefits,
including reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Water

- About 70 percent of the non-fat mass of the human body is water. It is vital for many processes
in the human body.
- Water requirements are very closely linked to body size, age, environmental temperatures,
physical activity, different states of health, and dietary habits; for instance, somebody who
consumes a lot of salt will require more water than another similar person.

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are required in smaller quantities:

- Dietary minerals are the other chemical elements our bodies need, other than carbon,
hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
- People with a well-balanced diet will, in most cases, obtain all the minerals they need from what
they eat.
- Minerals are sometimes added to certain foods to make up for any shortages.
- The best example of this is iodized salt - iodine is added to prevent iodine deficiency, which
affects about 2 billion people, globally; it causes mental retardation and thyroid gland problems.

16 key minerals are essential for human biochemical processes: Potassium, Chloride, Sodium, Calcium,
Phosphorus, Magnesium, Zinc, Iron, Manganese, Copper, Iodine, Selenium, Molybdenum

Vitamins

- These are organic compounds we require in tiny amounts.

- An organic compound is any molecule that contains carbon.
- It is called a vitamin when our bodies cannot synthesize (produce) enough or any of it, so we
need to get it from our food.
- Vitamins are classified as water soluble (they can be dissolved in water) or fat soluble (they can
be dissolved in fat).
- For humans, there are four fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) and nine water-soluble vitamins
(eight B vitamins and vitamin C).
- Water-soluble vitamins need to be consumed more regularly because they are eliminated faster
(in urine) and are not easily stored.
- Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed through the intestines with the help of fats (lipids).
- They are more likely to accumulate in the body because they are harder to get rid of quickly.
- If too many vitamins build up, it is called hypervitaminosis.
- A very low-fat diet can affect the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.

Below is a list of vitamins, and some of their roles.

Vitamin A

- Chemical names - retinol, retinoids, and carotenoids.

- Solubility - fat.
- Deficiency disease - Night-blindness.
- Overdose disease – Keratomalacia (degeneration of the cornea).

Vitamin B1

- Chemical name - thiamine.

- Solubility - water.
- Deficiency disease - beriberi, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
- Overdose disease – rare hypersensitive reactions resembling anaphylactic shock when an
overdose is due to injection.

Vitamin B2

- Chemical name - riboflavin.

- Solubility - water.
- Deficiency disease - ariboflavinosis (mouth lesions, seborrhea, and vascularization of the
cornea).
- Overdose disease – no known complications. Excess is excreted in urine.

Vitamin B3

- Chemical name - niacin.

- Solubility - water.
- Deficiency disease - pellagra.
- Overdose disease – liver damage, skin problems, and gastrointestinal complaints, plus other
problems.

Vitamin B5

- Chemical name - pantothenic acid.

- Solubility - water.
- Deficiency disease - paresthesia (tingling, pricking, or numbness of the skin with no apparent
long-term physical effect).
- Overdose disease – none reported.

Vitamin B6

- Chemical names - pyridoxamine, pyridoxal.

- Solubility - water.
- Deficiency disease - anemia, peripheral neuropathy.
 - Overdose disease – nerve damage, proprioception is impaired (the ability to sense where parts
of the body are in space).

Vitamin B7

- Chemical name - biotin.

- Solubility - water.
- Deficiency disease - dermatitis, enteritis.
- Overdose disease – none reported.

Vitamin B9

- Chemical name - folinic acid.

- Solubility - water.
- Deficiency disease - birth defects.
- Overdose disease – increased risk of seizures.

Vitamin B12

- Chemical names - cyanocobalamin, hydroxycobalamin, methylcobalamin.

- Solubility - water.
- Deficiency disease - megaloblastic anemia (a defect in the production of red blood cells).
- Overdose disease – none reported.

Vitamin C

- Chemical name - ascorbic acid.

- Solubility - water.
- Deficiency disease - scurvy, which can lead to a large number of complications.
- Overdose disease - vitamin C megadose - diarrhea, nausea, skin irritation, burning upon
urination, depletion of copper in the body, and higher risk of kidney stones.

Vitamin D

- Chemical names - ergocalciferol, cholecalciferol.

- Solubility - fat.
- Deficiency disease - rickets, osteomalacia (softening of bone), recent studies indicate higher risk
of some cancers, autoimmune disorders, and chronic diseases
- Overdose disease - hypervitaminosis D (headache, weakness, disturbed digestion, increased
blood pressure, and tissue calcification).

Vitamin E

- Chemical name - tocotrienols.

- Solubility - fat.
- Deficiency disease - very rare, may include hemolytic anemia in newborn babies.
 - Overdose disease - dehydration, vomiting, irritability, constipation, build up of excess calcium.

Vitamin K

- Chemical names - phylloquinone, menaquinones.

- Solubility - fat.
- Deficiency disease - greater tendency to bleed and bruise.
- Overdose disease - may undermine effects of warfarin.

Most foods contain a combination of some or all of the seven nutrient classes. We require some
nutrients regularly, and others less frequently.