Nutrition Basics

Food Choices & Health

Nutrition is all food and how the body uses it
especially as fuel for growth, maintenance, activity,
and reproduction.
It is the science of food, the nutrients, and other
substances w/in food; their action, interaction, and
balance in relation to health and disease; the process
by w/c the organism ingests, digest, absorbs,
transports, uses, and excretes substances.
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Food and Dietary Components
Types of Foods
Grains and cereals
Fruits
Vegetables
Tubers
Nuts
Oilseeds
Seaweed
Pulses
Meat and entrails
Milk
Poultry
Eggs
Fish
Shellfish
Crustaceans
mollusks
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Food Components
The term nutrient is applied to chemical substances present in food and is
used in the bo9dy for one or more of the following functions
1. To provide energy
2. To build and repair tissues
3. To regulate life process
CHO, CHON, fat, vitamins, water and minerals are the six main classes of
nutrients
All nutrients are equally and physiologically important in the body
regardless of their concentration
While all nutrients are important in the body, there are those that
cannot be made (dietary essential nutrients) and, therefore must come
from the diet.
All nutrients can have adverse effects when taken in excessive amounts
Nutrient intakes, when too little is provided over a time, can lead to
deficiency disorder
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Classes of Nutrients
Carbohydrates (CHO)
Protein (CHON)
Fats (or Lipids) (COOH)
Minerals
Vitamins
Water
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*Macro/micro nutrients
Carbohydrates
are plant-derived foods composed mainly of
sugars. Starchy foods (rice pasta, rootcrops,
and breads) and those concentrated in sugars
(candies, cookies, jam, and jellies) are
common sources. Fruits and vegetables
contain dietary fiber, also a complex form of
carbohydrates like starches. CHO are the
primary source of fuel for the brain and the
rest of the body.
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Proteins
are made of amino acids, w/c serves as the
building units of the body tissues; thus, they
are vital for growth, repair, and maintenance
of the body
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Fats or Lipids
is a family of water-insoluble substances that
include
triglycerides (fats and oils)
Phospholipids (lecithin)
Sterols (cholesterol and ergosterol)
Of the lipids in foods, 95% are fats and oils, and 5%
are other lipids. Fat is an important source of
energy in the body
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Minerals
are pure inorganic elements (they occur in the simplest
of chemical forms, as atom of a single element). The
are not metabolized, nor do they yield energy.





Minerals are indestructible and minerals in foods need
not to be handled w/ special care that vitamins require.
Major minerals
Sodium
Potassium
Calcium
Phosphorus
Chloride
Sulfur

Trace Elements
Magnesium
Iron
Zinc
Copper
Fluoride
Iodine
Selenium
Manganese
Molybdenum
Chromium
Cobalt
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Vitamins
are small organic molecules that must be taken in the
diet to maintain health.





Vitamins are vital helpers in many body processes. How
ever, they are vulnerable to destruction by heat, light,
and chemical agents. Thus, food must be handled
carefully to preserve them
Water soluble
Vitamin C
Thiamin (B1)
Riboflavin ( B2)
Niacin
Biotin

Pantothenic acid
Folic acid
Pyridoxine (B6)
Cobalamin (B12)
Fat soluble
Vitamin A Retinol, Beta-carotene
Vitamin D Ergocalciferol (D2),
cholecalciferol (D3), dihydroxy
vitamin D
Vitamin E tocopherol
Vitamin K phylloquinone (K1),
menaquinone (K2)
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Water
Is a food as well as a nutrient. It provides the environment
in w/c nearly all the bodys activities are conducted.
Water is an important micronutrient. It is precious fluid that
keeps the body functioning at an efficient and healthy level.
An appropriate amount of fluids must be present in the
body because it transports nutrients and carries away
waste. It maintains the structure of large molecules such as
CHON, and glycogen. Water provides the medium for
chemical reactions and carries medicines to the proper
places in the body. It acts as lubricant and cushion around
joints and inside the eyes, the spinal cord, and, in
pregnancy, the amniotic sac surrounding the fetus in the
womb. It also hydrates the skin, helps in the regulation of
body temperature and ensures proper blood volume.
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Nutrients According to its Chemical
Nature, Source, and Essentiality
Organic Nutrients contain carbon and include CHO, CHON, fat, and
vitamins whereas water and minerals are inorganic nutrients since they
do not contain carbon
Natural nutrients are obtain from plant and animal food while synthetic
nutrients are man made nutrients such as vitamin and mineral pills.
Dietary essential nutrients are those that the body cannot make in
sufficient quantity to meet its requirement; they must be made obtained
from the diet. Linoleic and linolenic acids are essential fatty acids while
histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine are some
essential amino acids
From the available materials in the body, non-dietary eesential nutrients
can be produced in enough amounts during normal conditions. Among
them are cholesterol and the amino acids alanine, aspartic acid,
asparginine, cytine, proline, and serine.
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Energy-giving Nutrient
Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat are energy nutrients as they yield
calories
Alcohol is also a potential source of energy but it is not a nutrient,
because it hinders the growth and repair in the body.
The energy content in foods is measured in kilocalories (kcal) or
kilojoules (kJ) a gram of CHO and CHON yields 4kcal and a gram of
fat provides more concentrated source of 9kcal.
Alcohol gives energy (1 gram = 7kcal/29kJ) when metabolized in
the liver
The amount of energy a food provides depends on how much CHO,
fat and CHON is in it. Thus, a sandwich having 23g CHO, 5g CHON,
and 5g fat per serving yields a total of 157kcals.

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Non-Nutrient Component in Foods
Food additives
Phytochemicals
Lycopene in tomatoes
Allylic sulfite in garlic
Lignans in wheat
Beta glucan in oats
Zoochemicals
Zexanthin and lutein in eggyolks
Omega-3 fatty acids in fish
Getting the most of
phytochemicals from food
Double your typical serving
of vegetables
Try a new fruit or vegetable
a week
Add vegetables to you
favorite dishes
Try dried fruits for dessert
Drink fruit or vegetable
juices instead of softdrinks
Eat a vegetarian meal
Choose whole grains
Sprinkle flaxseed to your
oatmeal
Dice up some tofu and add it
to your stir fry
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Health-Promoting Food and Beverage
Offered in the Market
Pharma-food or medical food a food or nutrient that claims medical or health benefits
related to prevention and treatment of disease
Functional foods contain biological active compounds that offer the potential of essential
health or reduced the risk of disease and thus these foods provide a health benefits beyond
their nutrient contributions.
Juice fortified w/ calcium - osteoporosis
Soy cancer, heart disease, and reduce menopausal symptoms
Oatmeal reduce blood cholesterol
Green and black tea reduce the risk of certain types of cancer
Cereal fortified w/folic acid reduce the risk of neural tube defects
Designer foods are processed food that are supplemented with food ingredients naturally
rich in disease-preventing substances. This may involve genetic engineering of food
Nutraceuticals are products (foods or dietary supplements) that utilize nutrients,
specialized food components (phytochemicals) or other naturally occurring chemicals as
ingredients intended to provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition.
Organic food as some farmers call, are products that are grown w/o manufactured
fertilizers and pesticides. Manure, compost and organic waste are typically used as fertilizers.
According to the ADA, there is no scientific evidence that organically grown products are
healthier, more nutritious or safer than conventionally grown crops (Food Facts Asia2000).
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FOSHU (foods for special health use)