The science that links foods to health and disease.
Includes the processes by which the human organism ingests, digests, absorbs, transports, and excretes food substances.

Nutrients from Food:

Provide energy
Provide building blocks
Vital for growth and maintenance
Essential

Essential Nutrient Criteria:

Omission leads to decline
Regain normal function when restored to the diet
Has specific biological function
Cannot be made by the body and therefore must be consumed to maintain health

Why Study Nutrition?

Poor diet and sedentary lifestyle are risk factors for chronic diseases:
- Disease of the heart (24.6% of all deaths)
- Cancer (23.3%)
- Stroke (5.3%)
- Diabetes (2.8%)
- Accounts for ~2/3 of all deaths

Fifteen Leading Causes of Death in the United States:

Heart disease: 24.6%
Cancer: 23.3%
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 5.6%
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 5.3%
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 4.8%
Alzheimer's disease: 3.2%
Diabetes mellitus: 2.8%

Six Classes of Nutrients:

Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Vitamins
Minerals
Water

Nutrient Functional Categories:

Provide calories
For growth, development, and maintenance
Regulate body processes

Carbohydrates:

Major source of calories (~4 kcal/gm)
- \approx 4 \frac{kcal}{gm}
Simple sugars
- Monosaccharides (glucose, galactose, fructose)
- Disaccharides (sucrose [table sugar], maltose, lactose)
Complex carbohydrates
- Starches
Dietary fiber
- Soluble and insoluble
- Found in plant foods, not digested in stomach or small intestine

Lipids:

Fats and oils
Supply a concentrated form of fuel for the body
Do not dissolve in water
Energy yielding (~9 kcal/gm)
- \approx 9 \frac{kcal}{gm}
Animal fats (solid)
Plant oils (liquid)
Essential Fatty Acids

Proteins:

Structural material
Forms enzymes
Energy yielding (~4 kcal /gm)
- \approx 4 \frac{kcal}{gm}
Amino acids
Not a significant energy source
Most Americans consume excess protein

Vitamins:

Enable chemical processes in the body
Fat soluble
Water soluble
Subject to cooking losses
Yield no energy

Minerals:

Inorganic substances
Numerous functions in the body
Not destroyed during cooking
Major and trace minerals
Electrolytes
Yield no energy

Water:

Numerous vital functions in the body
Majority of our body weight (~60%)
- \approx 60\%
Recommended intake:
- 9-13 cups/day
Found in foods
Yields no energy

Macronutrients vs. Micronutrients:

Macronutrients: Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and water (needed in relatively large amounts)
Micronutrients: Vitamins and minerals (needed in small amounts)

Other Components in Food:

Phytochemicals
- A chemical found in plants
- Not considered essential nutrients
- May provide significant health benefits
- Found in fruits and vegetables
- May contribute to reduced risk of cancer or cardiovascular disease.

Healthy People 2020: Nutrition and Weight Status Objectives:

Category 1: Healthier Food Access
Category 2: Health Care and Worksite Settings
Category 3: Weight Status
Category 4: Food Insecurity
Category 5: Food and Nutrient Consumption
Category 6: Iron Deficiency

Transformation of Energy:

Carbohydrate: 4 kcal/gm
- \approx 4 \frac{kcal}{gm}
Protein: 4 kcal/gm
- \approx 4 \frac{kcal}{gm}
Fat: 9 kcal/gm
- \approx 9 \frac{kcal}{gm}
Alcohol: 7 kcal/gm
- \approx 7 \frac{kcal}{gm}
Energy sources:
- Build new compounds
- Muscular movement
- Nerve transmission
- Electrolyte balance

What is a Calorie?

Also called a kilocalorie
Measurement of energy
"The amount of heat it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius"
1,000 calories = 1 kcal = 1(food) Calorie

Sample Calculation of a Nutrition Label:

Per serving
- Carbohydrate: 15g x 4 kcal/g = 60 kcal
- Protein: 3g x 4 kcal/g = 12 kcal
- Fat: 1g x 9 kcal/g = 9 kcal
- Total: 81 kcal, rounded down to 80

Contribution to Total Kcal:

Example:
- One day’s intake = 1980 kcal
- 290 gm of carbohydrate (x 4 kcal/gm)
- 60 gm of fat (x 9 kcal/gm)
- 70 gm of protein (x 4 kcal/gm)
- % of kcal as carbohydrate = (290 x 4)/1980 = 0.59 or 59%
- \% \text{ of kcal as carbohydrate} = \frac{290 \times 4}{1980} = 0.59 \text{ or } 59\%
- % of kcal as Fat= (60 x 9)/1980 = 0.27 or 27%
- \% \text{ of kcal as Fat} = \frac{60 \times 9}{1980} = 0.27 \text{ or } 27\%
- % of kcal as PRO= (70 x 4)/1980 = 0.14 or 14%
- \% \text{ of kcal as PRO} = \frac{70 \times 4}{1980} = 0.14 \text{ or } 14\%

Obesity in America

The Typical American Diet:

16% of kcal as proteins
- (~66% from animal sources)
- 10-35% advised
50% of kcal as carbohydrate
- (~50% from simple sugars)
- 45-65% advised
33% of kcal as fat
- (~60 % from animal fats)
- 20-35% advised

Assessing Our Diets:

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
US Dept. of Health & Human Services

Healthy People 2020:

www.healthypeople.gov
Attain high-quality, longer lives free of preventable disease and death
Achieve health equity
Create social and physical environments that promote good health
Promote quality of life

Recommendations for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention:

Diet
- Consuming enough essential nutrients, including fiber, while moderating energy, solid fat, cholesterol, added sugar, and alcohol intake can result in:
- Increased bone mass during childhood and adolescence
- Prevention of some adult bone loss and osteoporosis, especially in older adults
- Fewer dental caries
- Prevention of digestive problems, such as constipation
- Decreased susceptibility to some cancers
- Decreased degradation of the retina (intake of green and orange vegetables, in particular)
- Lower risk of obesity and related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease
- Reduced risk for deficiency diseases, such as cretinism (lack of iodide), scurvy (lack of vitamin C), and anemia (lack of iron, folate, or other nutrients)
Physical Activity
- Adequate, regular physical activity (at least 30 minutes on most or all days) helps reduce the risk of:
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- Cardiovascular disease
- Some adult bone loss and loss of muscle tone
- Premature aging
- Certain cancers
Lifestyle
- Minimizing alcohol intake (no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink for both women and all adults age 65 years and older) helps prevent:
- Liver disease
- Accidents
- Not smoking cigarettes or cigars helps prevent:
- Lung cancer, other lung disease, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and degenerative eye diseases
- In addition, minimum use of medication, no illicit drug use, adequate sleep (7 to 8 hours), adequate water and related fluid intake (9 to 13 cups per day), and a reduction in stress (practice better time management, relax, listen to music, have a massage, and stay physically active) provide a more complete approach to good nutrition and health. Add to this maintaining close relationships with others and a positive outlook on life. Finally, consultation with health care professionals on a regular basis is important. This is because early diagnosis is especially useful for controlling the damaging effects of many diseases. Prevention of disease is an important investment of one's time, including during the college years.

Eating Well in College:

The “Freshman Fifteen”
- Stressful situations
- University environment
- Peer pressure
- Alcohol
- Lack of Exercise

Tips to Avoid the Freshman Fifteen:

Eat breakfast
Plan ahead
Limit liquid calories
Stock the fridge with healthy choices
Exercise regularly

Quick Guide to Food Choices & Nutrition:

What Affects What We Eat?
- Social Stuff: Hanging with friends? Influences food choices!
- Feelings: Stressed? Happy? Impacts eating.
- Easy Access: What's around? Gotta be quick!
- Ads: Marketing sneaky!
- Health Smart: Knowing what's good.
- Life: Busy? Lazy? Affects meals.
- Habits: Always the same foods?
- Money: Income affects choices.
- Culture: Traditions matter!
- Friends & Fam: Their habits rub off.
- Taste: Obvi!
American Food Hiccups:
- Time Crunch: Too little time to cook right.
Spending on Food:
- Money Flow: Less in recessions.
Real Hunger vs. "I Want It"
- Hunger: Body's "feed me!"
- Appetite: Brain's "feed me!"
Full Mode (Satiety):
- No more nom-noms.
- Brain's in charge: "Stop eating!"
Nutrition = Science:
- Food's link to health.
- How body uses food.
Food = Nutrients:
- Energy!
- Building blocks!
- Keep you going!
- Super important!
Nutrient Checklist:
- Miss it? = Problems.
- Add it back? = Fixed!
- Does something specific.
- Body can't make it. Must eat it!
Why Learn Nutrition?
- Bad diet + couch potato = sick!
- Heart, cancer, stroke, diabetes = bad news.
- Most deaths linked to this!
Top Death Causes:
- Heart 24.6%
- Cancer 23.3%
- Lungs 5.6%
- Stroke 5.3%
- Oopsies 4.8%
- Alzheimer's 3.2%
- Diabetes 2.8%
6 Nutrient Squad Members:
- Carbs
- Lipids
- Proteins
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Water
Nutrient Jobs:
- Energy.
- Build & fix.
- Keep body running smooth.
Carbs:
- Main energy (
- \approx 4 \frac{kcal}{gm}

)

Sugars: quick energy
Starches: complex
Fiber: good for gut!
- Lipids:
Fats & oils
Energy punch (
\approx 9 \frac{kcal}{gm}

)

Fats: solid
Oils: liquid
Need some to live!
- Proteins:
Build stuff
Make enzymes
Energy (
\approx 4 \frac{kcal}{gm}

)

Amino acids: the building blocks
Most get too much!
- Vitamins:
Help body work
Fat & water types
Cooking kills 'em!
No energy.
- Minerals:
Tough stuff
Do lots of jobs
Cooking? No prob!
Big & small types
Electrolytes
No energy.
- Water:
Super vital!
Most of you (
\approx 60\%

)

Drink 9-13 cups/day
In your food too!
No energy.
- Big vs. Small Nutrients:
Big: Carbs, protein, lipids, water
Small: Vitamins, minerals
- Bonus Food Parts:
Plant chemicals
Not essential, but helpful
Fight bad stuff like cancer.
- Goals for USA:
Healthier food for all!
- Energy Switch:
Carbs: 4 kcal/gm (
\approx 4 \frac{kcal}{gm}

)

Protein: 4 kcal/gm (
\approx 4 \frac{kcal}{gm}

)

Fat: 9 kcal/gm (
\approx 9 \frac{kcal}{gm}

)

Alcohol: 7 kcal/gm (
\approx 7 \frac{kcal}{gm}

)

Energy does stuff: builds, moves, sends signals.
- Calorie = Energy Unit:
Heat to raise 1 gram of water 1 degree.
1,000 calories = 1 Calorie (food label).
- Nutrition Label Math:
Carbs: 15g x 4 kcal/g = 60 kcal
Protein: 3g x 4 kcal/g = 12 kcal
Fat: 1g x 9 kcal/g = 9 kcal
Total: About 80 kcal
- Kcal Check:
Day's food = 1980 kcal
Carbs: 290g
Fat: 60g
Protein: 70g
Carb % = (290 x 4)/1980 = 59%
Fat % = (60 x 9)/1980 = 27%
Protein % = (70 x 4)/1980 = 14%
- America's Plate:
Protein: 16% (too much animal)
Carbs: 50% (too much sugar)
Fat: 33% (too much animal fat)
- Diet Check-Up:
Surveys to see what we eat.
- Health Goals:
Live longer & better
- Stay Healthy:
Eat right: nutrients, fiber, less fat/sugar.
Strong bones, good teeth, happy gut, less cancer risk!
- Move It!:
30 mins most days. Less fat, diabetes, heart

Vocabulary

Alcohol - Ethyl alcohol or ethanol is the compound in alcoholic beverages.

Appetite - the primarily psychological (external) influences that encourage us to find and eat food, often in the absence of obvious hunger.

Amino Acid - The building block for proteins containing a central carbon atom with nitrogen and other atoms attached.

Carbohydrate – An essential nutrient; sugars, starches, and dietary fiber are all carbohydrates.

Essential Nutrients – Substances the body must get from food because it cannot manufacture them at all or fast enough to meet its needs. These nutrients include protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water.

Fats/Lipids - A compound containing much carbon and hydrogen, little oxygen and sometimes other atoms. Lipids do not dissolve in water and include fats, oils and cholesterol.

Fiber – Substances in plant food not digested in the human stomach or small intestine. These add bulk to feces.

Glucose - A six-carbon sugar that exists in a ring form; found as such in blood and in table sugar bound to fructose; also known as dextrose, it is one of the simple sugars.

Hunger - the primarily physiological (internal) drive to find and eat food, mostly regulated by internal cues to eating.

Hypothesis - Tentative explanations by a scientist to explain a phenomenon.

Kilocalorie – A measure of energy content in food; 1 Kilocalorie represents the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 liter of water 1oC; commonly called a calorie.

Macronutrient - A nutrient needed in gram quantities in a diet.

Metabolism - Chemical processes in the body by which energy is provided in useful forms and vital activities are sustained.

Micronutrient - A nutrient needed in milligram or microgram quantities in a diet.

Minerals – Inorganic compounds needed in relatively small amounts for the regulation, growth, and maintenance of body tissues and functions.

Nutrients - Chemical substances in food that contribute to health, many of which are essential parts of diet.

Nutrition – The science of food and how the body uses it in health and disease.

Phytochemical – A naturally occurring substance found in plant foods that may help prevent and treat chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

Protein – An essential nutrient that forms important parts of the body’s main structures (muscles and bones) as well as blood, enzymes, hormones, and cell membranes; it also provides 4 calories of energy per gram.

Satiety - State in which there is no longer a desire to eat; a feeling of satisfaction.

Vitamins – Carbon-containing substances needed in small amounts to help promote and regulate chemical reactions and processes in the body.

Water - The universal solvent, chemically H2O. The body is composed of about 60% water.

Note