Module One

What are amino acids?

are the building blocks that make up proteins.

What are antioxidants?

substances that combine with or otherwise neutralize free radicals, preventing oxidative damage to cells and tissues.

What is a calorie?

the general term for energy in food and is used synonymously with energy. On food labels, “calorie” usually refers to a kilocalorie.

What are carbohydrates?

are compounds including sugars, starches, and dietary fibers that are a major source of energy for body functions.

What is disease?

a particular quality, habit, or disposition regarded as adversely affecting a person or group of people.

What is the ecological model?

a framework showing how different levels of influence shape food and physical-activity decisions through interactive effects of factors that determine behavior.

What is energy?

the capacity to do work. The energy in food is chemical energy that the body converts to mechanical, electrical, or heat energy.

What are essential nutrients?

are nutrients necessary for health whose absence from the diet causes a specific change in health and whose addition back into the diet reverses the change. They must be obtained from the diet because the body cannot make them or cannot make adequate amounts.

What are food deserts?

are low-income areas where it is difficult to purchase food that is fresh, good quality, and affordable.

What are hormones?

chemical messengers secreted into the blood by one tissue that act on cells in another part of the body.

What does inorganic mean?

do not contain carbon. Minerals and water are inorganic.

What are lipids?

a class of nutrients that includes triglycerides, cholesterol, and phospholipids. They function as an energy source and have structural and regulatory functions.

What are macronutrients?

nutrients needed in larger amounts. They include carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins.

What are minerals?

inorganic compounds needed for growth and regulation of body processes.

What are macrominerals?

are major minerals required in the diet and present in the body in large amounts.

What are microminerals?

are minerals present in the body and required in the diet in relatively small amounts compared with major minerals. They are also known as trace minerals.

What is neophobia?

is a dislike for anything new or unfamiliar.

What are nonessential nutrients?

nutrients that can be made by the body in adequate amounts.

What are nutrients?

substances in food that the body can use to obtain energy, synthesize tissues, or regulate functions.

What is nutrition?

the science of foods and their components, including nutrients and other substances, their relationships to health and disease, processes within the body such as ingestion, digestion, absorption, transportation, functions, and disposal of end products, and the social, economic, cultural, and psychological implications of eating.

What is an obesogenic environment?

a circumstance in which a person lives, works, and plays in a way that promotes overconsumption of calories and discourages physical activity.

What does organic mean?

contain carbon, except carbon oxides, sulfides, and metal carbonates. Examples include carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and vitamins.

What are phytochemicals?

are substances in plants that may possess health-protective effects even though they are not essential for life.

What are proteins?

are nutrients made of amino acids that function as energy sources and have structural and regulatory functions.

What are triglycerides?

are fats composed of three fatty acid chains linked to a glycerol molecule. They are the major form of lipids in food and the body and the body's main storage form of energy.

What is the NIH definition of nutrition, and what does the expanded definition include?

The NIH definition states that nutrition is the field of study focused on foods and substances in foods that help people, animals, and plants grow and stay healthy. The expanded definition includes behaviors and social factors related to food choices, as well as the energy and nutrients we get from foods, such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water.

What factors influence the way we eat?

Personal preferences, sensory influences, emotional and cognitive influences, social factors, environmental influences, and the social-ecological model all influence the way we eat. Personal preferences include taste, cost, convenience, cultural and social pressures, genetics, physiological mechanisms, cognitive-affective factors, parenting style and early-life experiences, and age.

What are sensory, emotional/cognitive, social, and environmental influences on food choices?

-Sensory influences include taste, smell, and texture; flavor describes both taste and smell, and the five classic tastes are sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami.

-Emotional and cognitive influences include habits, comfort/discomfort foods, advertising and promotion, meals prepared outside the home, and food/diet trends.

-Social factors include knowledge of health and nutrition.

-Environmental influences include economics, lifestyle, food availability, cultural influences, and religion.

What is the social-ecological model and what are its levels of influence?

The social-ecological model explains how different levels of influence shape food and beverage intake and physical activity. Individual factors include demographics, psychosocial factors, knowledge and skills, gene-environment interactions, and other personal factors.

- Environmental settings include homes, schools, workplaces, recreational facilities, foodservice and retail establishments, and community settings.

-Sectors include government, public health and healthcare, agriculture, marketing/media, community design and safety, foundations/funders, and industry.

-Social and cultural norms and values include belief systems, heritage, religion, priorities, lifestyle, and body image.

What is the Standard American Diet?

The Standard American Diet has dietary imbalances. It contains too few vegetables, fruits, dairy, and oils and too much added sugar, saturated fat, sodium, and calories.

How can we focus on good nutrition while also being environmentally conscious?

Choose a variety of foods from different food groups, consider foods available locally and seasonally, reduce unnecessary food waste, consider how food production affects natural resources and the environment, and balance personal health needs with environmental considerations.

What are nutrients and why are they essential?

Nutrients are substances needed for health. Essential nutrients are necessary for health because their absence from the diet causes a specific change in health, and putting the nutrient back into the diet reverses the change.

How do essential and nonessential nutrients compare?

Essential nutrients must be obtained from the diet because the body cannot make them or cannot make enough of them. Examples include vitamins, minerals, certain amino acids, certain fatty acids, and water. Nonessential nutrients can be made by the body in adequate amounts. “Nonessential” does not mean unnecessary or unimportant; it means the body can produce them.

What are the three general functions of the six classes of nutrients?

Nutrients help provide energy, structure, and regulation.

-Macronutrients supply energy for muscle contractions and cellular functions.

-Lipids, proteins, minerals, and water help provide structure to bone, muscle, and other cells.

-Micronutrients, some lipids and proteins, and water help regulate body processes such as blood pressure, energy production, and temperature.

The six classes are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water.

How do macronutrients and micronutrients compare?

Macronutrients are needed in larger amounts and include carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. Micronutrients are needed in smaller amounts and include vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals do not provide calories but help regulate body processes.

How do organic and inorganic substances compare?

Organic substances contain carbon and include carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and vitamins. Inorganic substances do not contain carbon and include minerals and water.

What are the composition, classification, sources, energy, and purposes of the six core nutrients?

-Carbohydrates/fiber: sugars and starches, organic, sources include grains, vegetables, legumes, fruits, and dairy, 4 kcal/g, energy source.

-Fats/lipids: triglycerides, cholesterol, and phospholipids, organic, sources include fats/oils, meats, dairy, and some plants, 9 kcal/g, energy, structure, and regulation.

-Proteins: amino acids, organic, sources include meats, dairy, grains, legumes, and vegetables, 4 kcal/g, energy, structure, and regulation.

- Vitamins: organic compounds, found in all food groups, no calories, regulate body processes and help extract energy.

-Minerals: inorganic compounds, found in all food groups, no calories, structure and regulation.

-Water: H₂O, inorganic, sources include beverages and food, no calories, temperature control, lubrication, and transportation.

What are the two categories of vitamins?

Fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K. Water-soluble vitamins are the B vitamins and C.

What are calories and what is their relationship to energy?

A calorie is a unit used to measure energy in food. The calorie listed on food labels is technically a kilocalorie (kcal). One kcal equals 1,000 calories. Energy is the capacity to do work, and the body converts chemical energy from food into energy needed for muscle activity, cellular functions, metabolic work, and heat.

How do we get energy from food, what nutrients provide it, and how are they broken down?

Energy comes primarily from macronutrients.

-Carbohydrates are broken down into smaller sugars such as glucose and provide 4 kcal/g.

-Lipids are broken down into fatty acids and other components and provide 9 kcal/g.

-Proteins are broken down into amino acids and provide 4 kcal/g.

-Vitamins do not provide calories but help extract energy from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

-Alcohol provides 7 kcal/g.

How do you calculate energy from grams of nutrients?

-Carbohydrates: grams × 4 kcal/g.

-Protein: grams × 4 kcal/g. Fat/lipid: grams × 9 kcal/g.

-Alcohol: grams × 7 kcal/g.

-For example, 7 g fat = 63 kcal, 17 g carbohydrates = 68 kcal, and 2 g protein = 8 kcal, for a total of 139 kcal. Percent calories from fat = calories from fat ÷ total calories × 100, so 63 ÷ 139 × 100 = 45.3%.

What does it mean to be “healthy” according to the WHO, and how does nutrition factor into this definition?

The WHO defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Nutrition contributes to health by providing energy, essential nutrients, materials for growth and repair, and substances needed to regulate body processes. Good nutrition can improve health, reduce disease risk, and increase longevity.

What is nutrition’s relationship with disease?

Food choices can affect the risk of developing chronic diseases. Poor dietary patterns can increase disease risk, while healthier eating patterns can help reduce risk. The Standard American Diet tends to have too few vegetables, fruits, dairy, and oils and too much added sugars, saturated fats, sodium, and calories. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States according to the notes.

Why is physical activity important in children, adolescents, and adults?

Physical activity contributes to overall health and supports physical well-being. It is influenced by individual factors, homes, schools, workplaces, recreational facilities, community settings, government and public health, and social and cultural factors. Regular physical activity is important throughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.

What are the recommended physical activity guidelines for children, adolescents, and adults?

Children and adolescents should get 60 minutes or more of physical activity per day. Adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week OR 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week, plus muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days per week.