DIET 120:
Fundamentals of
Nutrition
What is nutrition?
1. The science that links food to health and
disease
2. Ingestion, digestion, absorption,
transport, and excretion of food substances
Nutrients come from food
. Essential
. Non Essential
Essential nutrients must satisfy three criteria:
a. Specific biological function of the
nutrient in the body
b. Omission of the nutrient leads to
decline in biological functions
c. Replacing the omitted nutrient
before permanent damage occurs
restores normal biological functions
Why study nutrition?
A. Poor diet and sedentary lifestyle contribute to 7 of
the 15 leading causes of death in the United States
B. Combination of poor diet and lack of physical
activity are the second leading cause of death in the
United States
Classes and sources of nutrients
[Link] by function
a. Provide calories to meet energy needs (i.e.,
energy-yielding nutrients; e.g., carbohydrates,
lipids, and proteins)
b. Promote growth, development, and
maintenance (e.g., water, some vitamins and
minerals, proteins, and lipids)
c. Keep body functions running smoothly (e.g.,
water, some vitamins and minerals, proteins,
and lipids)
Categorized by daily needs
a. Macronutrients (e.g.,
carbohydrates, proteins, lipids,
and water)
b. Micronutrients (e.g., vitamins
and minerals)
Carbohydrates
1. Composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
2. Simple sugars
3. Energy yield: 4 kilocalories/gram
a. Monosaccharides
b. Disaccharides
4. Complex carbohydrates (i.e., polysaccharides)
a. Starch (digestible)
b. Fiber (indigestible)
Lipids (i.e., fats, oils)
1. Composed of carbon, hydrogen,
and little oxygen
2. Energy yield: 9 kilocalories/gram
3. Triglycerides are the major form of
fat found in foods and stored in the
body
4. Triglycerides contain fatty acids
Saturated fatty acids
1) Contain no C-C double bonds
2) Solid at room temperature
3)Raise blood cholesterol
Unsaturated fatty acids
1) C-C double bonds produce “kink”
in carbon chain
2) Liquid at room temperature
Trans fatty acids
1) Commonly found in processed
foods
2) Contribute to health risks
Essential fatty acids
a. Not produced by body, must
be consumed in diet
b. Important for body functions
Proteins
1. Composed of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen
2. Building blocks of proteins: amino acids
a. Essential amino acids
b. Non-essential amino acids
3. Functions:
a. Structural components of muscle and bone
b. Blood components
c. Body cell structure
d. Enzymes
e. Immune factors
4. Energy yield: 4 kilocalories/gram (limited use for this
purpose)
5. Typical North American intake is 1.5 – 2 times need
Vitamins
[Link] of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus,
nitrogen, sulfur, and others
[Link] chemical reactions
[Link] yield: 0 kilocalories/gram
[Link] by solubility
[Link]-soluble (vitamins A, D, E, and K)
1)Not readily excreted, may become toxic
[Link]-soluble (vitamin C and B vitamins)
1)Destroyed by cooking
2)Readily excreted
Minerals
[Link] yield: 0 kilocalories/gram
[Link] – do not contain carbon
[Link] molecules, not compounds
[Link] destroyed by cooking, but can leach into cooking water
5.16 or more essential minerals
[Link] by body needs
[Link] minerals (needed in amounts greater than 100
milligrams)
[Link] minerals (needed in amounts less than 100 milligrams)
[Link] – minerals that conduct electricity (sodium,
potassium, and chloride)
Water
[Link] of hydrogen and oxygen
[Link] yield: 0 kilocalories/gram
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link] of nutrients and wastes
[Link] for chemical processes
[Link] body is 60% water
[Link] needs
[Link]: 13 cups/day
[Link]: 9 cups/day
[Link]
[Link] (not just plain water)
[Link]
[Link]-product of metabolism
Other important components in food
Phytochemicals
[Link] essential nutrients
[Link] variety of health
benefits
[Link] 1-5 lists common food
sources
Nutrient Composition of Diets and the Human
Body
* Percentages of specific nutrients in food differ
greatly from the percentage of those same
nutrients in the body
Energy Sources and Uses
[Link]
[Link]
[Link] (4 kilocalories/gram)
[Link] (9 kilocalories/gram)
[Link] (4 kilocalories/gram)
[Link] (7 kilocalories/gram; not
required)
2. Most foods provide more than one calorie
source
3. Uses
[Link] new compounds
[Link] muscles
[Link] nerve impulses
[Link] ion balance in cells
4. Energy is measured in kilocalories
a.1 calorie = heat energy needed to raise
the temperature of 1 gram of water 1°C
b.1 kilocalorie (Calorie) = 1000 calories =
heat energy needed to raise the
temperature of 1000 grams of water 1°C
Calculating calories
* Use the 4-9-4 estimates to
calculate calories from
carbohydrate, fat, and protein
Improving our diets
[Link] intake of saturated fat, trans fat, and
cholesterol
[Link] variety
[Link] with others more often
[Link] “good” versus “bad” food mentality;
instead focus on more nutrient dense choices
for a healthy overall diet
Why Am I So Hungry?
Overview of hunger, appetite, and satiety
[Link]: physical, biological drive to
eat
[Link]: psychological drive to eat
[Link]: temporary halt of the desire to
eat
The hypothalamus contributes to satiety
[Link] center and satiety center promote eating or
cessation of eating
[Link] centers are affected by macronutrients present in
the blood, chemicals, surgery, cancer, etc.
[Link] centers are a crisscrossed network of nerves
[Link] can override hunger cues
Meal size and composition affect satiety
[Link] of the gastrointestinal tract and
absorption of nutrients in the intestine
induce satiety
[Link] meals (high fiber and water) produce
greater satiety than concentrated sources of
calories
Hormones affect satiety
[Link] produce hunger
[Link]
[Link]
[Link] Y
[Link] produce satiety
[Link] (with insulin)
[Link]
[Link]
Does appetite affect what we eat?
[Link] factors
[Link] factors
[Link] customs
[Link] 1-4 and Table 1-8 depict many influences
on food behavior and food choices
Putting hunger and appetite into perspective
*When food supply is ample,
appetite usually triggers
eating
