Week 10 Tutorial Notes: Water Soluble Vitamins and Fad Diets

Fad Diets and Nutritional Issues

  • Nutritional Issues with Fad Diets:

    • Consider specific vitamin and mineral deficiencies observed in the fad diet analyzed in week nine.
    • Note if the diet is low in dietary fiber or energy.

  • Feelings Associated with Fad Diets:

    • Reflect on personal experiences or those of others with fad diets.
    • Consider feelings of restriction, hunger, guilt, or failure to adhere to the diet.

  • Characteristics of Everyday Healthy Eating (Non-Diet Approach):

    • Contrast fad diets with the principles of everyday healthy eating as outlined in the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.
    • A non-diet approach focuses on health and well-being rather than solely on weight loss.
    • Key principle: Paying attention to the body's hunger and fullness cues.

Hunger Fullness Scale

  • Use the hunger fullness scale to gauge physical hunger versus eating for other reasons.
  • Scale ranges from 0 (extreme hunger) to 10 (uncomfortably full).
    • 0: Need to eat now, may have hunger pains or feel lightheaded.
    • 5: Feeling satisfied.
    • 8: Over full, stomach may stick out.
    • 10: Uncomfortably full, may feel physically sick.
  • Monitor hunger and fullness before and after meals.
  • Identify triggers for eating, such as emotions, social situations, or portion size.

Water Soluble Vitamins and Dietary Supplements

  • Water Soluble Vitamins:

    • Essential for various bodily functions.
    • Several B vitamins act as coenzymes, aiding in energy release.

  • Vitamin Supplements:

    • Many people use supplements as an "insurance policy" to ensure adequate vitamin and mineral intake.
    • Supplements should not replace a healthy diet.
    • A "food first" approach is generally recommended in nutrition.
    • Self-prescribed supplementation is discouraged due to the risk of toxicity.
    • Specific groups may benefit from supplements, including:
      • Individuals with nutritional deficiencies.
      • Those with very low energy intakes.
      • People with lactose intolerance (affecting vitamin/mineral absorption).
      • Infants.
      • Pregnant women.
      • People with diseases.

Short Answer Questions on Water Soluble Vitamins

  • Bioavailability of a Vitamin:

    • Define bioavailability and discuss factors that influence it.

  • Roles of Vitamin C:

    • Describe two key functions of vitamin C in the body.

  • Summary Table of Water Soluble Vitamins:

    • Create a table summarizing the functions, deficiency symptoms, toxicity symptoms, and major food sources for:
      • Thiamine (B1)
      • Riboflavin (B2)
      • Niacin (B3)
    • Use the lecture and textbook "Understanding Nutrition" as resources.

Academic Article on Dietary Supplements

  • Source the article "Problems and Public Health Regulation of Dietary Supplements" by Binz et al. through the ECU Library website using the Medline database.
  • Questions on the Article:
    • What was the expected global value of the supplement industry by 2020 (and 2024)?
    • What factors contribute to the increased use of dietary supplements?
    • What are the risks of supplement consumption?
    • Based on the section on future public health regulation, how could supplement regulation be improved?

Finding Academic Paper

  • Access the ECU Library homepage.
  • Click on "Databases."
  • Select "Medline."
  • Type in "supplement and regulation" and the author "Binz."
  • Click on the article and then click on "ECU library holdings".
  • Click "View Full Text".
  • Download the PDF.

Vitamin Summary Sheet

  • Complete the vitamin summary sheet provided in the week 10 tutorial worksheet.
  • Focus on water soluble vitamins this week.
  • Start with thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), and niacin (B3), building on completed activities.