Nutrition basics and

introduction
 Key Nutrition Concept #1

• Nutrition is the study of foods, their nutrients

and other chemical constituents, and the
effects of food constituents on health.

Key Nutrition Concept #2

• Nutrition is an interdisciplinary science.
 Key Nutrition Concept #3
• Nutrition recommendations for the public
change as new knowledge about nutrition and
health relationships is gained.

Key Nutrition Concept #4

• At the core of the science of nutrition are
principles that represent basic truths and serve
as the foundation of our understanding about
nutrition.
 Key Nutrition Concept #5
• Healthy individuals require the same nutrients
across the life cycle but in differing amounts.

Key Nutrition Concept #6

• Nutritional status during one stage of the life
cycle influences health status during
subsequent life-cycle stages.
Principles of Human Nutrition
 Nutrition Principle #1
• Food is a basic need of humans.
– Food security—having access at all times to
sufficient supply of safe, nutritious foods
– Food insecurity—limited or uncertain availability
of safe, nutritious foods
 Nutrition Principle #2
• Foods provide energy (calories), nutrients, and
other substances needed for growth & health.
– Calorie—a measure of the amount of energy
transferred from food to the body
– Nutrients—chemical substances in food that are
used by the body
Six Categories
of Nutrients
 Essential Nutrients
• Nutrients the body cannot manufacture are “essential”
in the diet. We must consume them. They include:
– Carbohydrates
– Certain amino acids—”building blocks” of proteins
– Essential fatty acids: linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic
acid
– Vitamins & minerals
– Water
 Nonessential Nutrients
• Present in foods, but not required in the diet
since we can make them
• Examples of nonessential nutrients:
cholesterol, creatine and glucose
Factors that Impact Nutrient Needs
• Illness
Age
• Body sizehabits
Lifestyle
• Gender
Medications
• Genetic traits
Pregnancy and lactation
• Growth
 Dietary Intake Standards
• Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)
– Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs)
– Adequate Intakes (AIs)
– Estimated Average Requirements (EARs)
– Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs)
 Dietary Intake Standards
• Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)
– General term
– Nutrient intake standards for healthy people
 Dietary Intake Standards
• Estimated Average Requirements (EARs)
– Estimated values to meet requirements of half of
the healthy individuals in a group
– EARs are used to assess adequacy of intakes of
population groups
 Dietary Intake Standards
• Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs)
– Levels of essential nutrients
– Adequate for most healthy people
– Decrease risk of certain chronic diseases
 RDA

Average daily dietary intake level that is

sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement
of nearly all (97-98%) healthy persons in a
particular life span and gender group
The process for setting the RDA depends on
being able to set an Estimated Average
Requirement (EAR).
That is, the RDA is derived from the nutrient
requirement so if an EAR cannot be set, no
RDA will be set.
The RDA is set at the EAR plus twice the
standard deviation (SD) if known (RDA =
EAR + 2 SD); if data about variability in
requirements are insufficient to calculate
an SD, a coefficient of variation for the
EAR of 10 percent is ordinarily assumed
(RDA = 1.2 x EAR).
The RDA for a nutrient is a value to be
used as a goal for dietary intake by
healthy individuals. The RDA is not
intended to be used to assess the diets
of either individuals or groups or to plan
diets for groups.
 Dietary Intake Standards
• Adequate Intakes (AIs)
– “Tentative” RDAs
– Used when scientific information is less
conclusive
 Dietary Intake Standards
• Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs)
– Upper limits of nutrients compatible with health
– These are the limits that should not be exceeded
Theoretical Framework Used in
DRI
 Standards of Nutrient Intake on
Nutrition Labels
• Daily Values
• (DVs) are standards for daily intakes of
nutrients used on nutrition label of foods.
 Nutrition Principle #3
• Health problems related to nutrition originate
within cells.
• Homeostasis—constancy of internal
environment.
 Nutrition Principle #4
• Poor nutrition can result from both inadequate
and excessive levels of nutrient intake.
– Prolonged inadequate intake results in obvious
deficiencies.
– Overdoses of nutrients (usually by supplements)
result in mild to severe alterations in functioning.
 Nutrient Function and
Consequences by Level of Intake
• Focus on variety, amount, and nutrition.
• Choose foods and beverages with less
saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.
• Start with small changes to build healthier
eating styles.
• Support healthy eating for everyone.
Steps in Development of Nutrient
Deficiencies and Toxicities
 Nutrition Principle #5
• Humans have adaptive mechanisms for
managing fluctuations in food intake.
– Nutrient storage
– Regulation of absorption
– Regulation of appetite
 Nutrition Principle #6
• Malnutrition can result from poor diets and
from disease states, genetic factors, or
combinations of these causes.
– Primary malnutrition—dietary in origin
– Secondary malnutrition—precipitated by a disease
state, surgical procedure, or medication
 Nutrition Principle #7
• Some groups of people are at higher risk of
becoming inadequately nourished than others
– Pregnant/breastfeeding women, infants, children,
people who are ill, frail elderly persons
 Nutrition Principle #8
• Poor nutrition can influence the development
of certain chronic diseases
– Heart disease, hypertension, cancer, stroke,
osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, obesity
 Nutrition Principle #9
• Adequacy and balance are key characteristics
of a healthy diet
– Variety
– Nutrient density
– “Empty-calorie” foods
 Nutrition Principle #10
• There are no “good” or “bad” foods
– As Hippocrates expressed it, “All things in
nutriment are good or bad relatively.”
• Nutrient-Dense Foods—contain high amounts
of nutrients to calories
• Empty-Calorie Foods—contain low amounts
of nutrients to calories
 Nutrition Labeling
• Nutrition Facts panel
– Must list fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol,
sodium, total carbohydrates, fiber, sugars, protein,
vitamins A and C, calcium and iron
– % Daily Values
• Nutrient content and health claims
• Ingredient label
Nutrition Facts Panel
 The Life-Course Approach to
Nutrition and Health
Healthy individuals require the same nutrients
throughout life.

Amounts of nutrients vary based on age,

growth and development.

Diets may be defined by cultures and religions.

 Meeting Nutritional Needs
• Dietary Considerations Based on Ethnicity
• Dietary Considerations Based on Religion
– Hindus
– Buddhists
– Sikhism
– Mormons
– Seventh-Day Adventists
– Jews
– Muslims
 Nutritional Assessment
• Community-level assessment
– Assessing a community’s “state of nutritional health”
– Uses statistics data, surveys, observations
• Individual-level assessment
– Nutrition assessment of individual
• Clinical/physical assessment
• Dietary assessment
• Anthropometric assessment
• Biochemical assessment data
 Individual Assessment
• Clinical/physical assessment
– Inspection for features that may be related to
malnutrition
• Dietary assessment
– 24-hour dietary recalls and records
– Dietary history
– Food frequency questionnaires
– Resources: instruments and computer software
 Individual Assessment
• Anthropometric assessment
– Measurements of body size and shape
• Biochemical assessment
– Nutrient and enzyme levels
– DNA characteristics
– Other biological markers