PON Unit 1

Chapter 1: The Basics of Nutrition

Overview of Nutrition

  • Textbook Information:

    • Title: Nutrition for Healthy Living, Sixth Edition

    • Author: Kemar Bundy, MSc, MPH, PhD(c)

    • Co-authors: Wendy J. Schiff, Traci L. Keck

    • Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education

    • Academic Context: NUTR 1004, University of Technology, Jamaica 2020-2025

Housekeeping Information for the Course

  • Lectures: All lectures are ONLINE except for:

    • Face-to-Face (F2F) sessions on August 29, September 26, and October 31, 2023

  • Tutorials: ONLINE except for the week of:

    • October 9 and November 20, 2023

Module Assessment Breakdown:

  • Individual Assignment: 15% (Due September 29, 2023)

  • Mid-Semester Quiz (F2F): 20% (October 17, 2023)

  • Group Assignment (F2F): 15% (TBD)

  • Final Examination (F2F): 50% (TBD)

Learning Objectives

  • Understand the importance of food and nutrition.

  • Identify factors influencing personal food choices.

  • Recognize the six classes of nutrients and their functions.

  • Distinguish between phytochemicals and essential nutrients.

  • Discriminate between energy-dense and nutrient-dense foods.

  • Discuss foundational concepts in nutrition.

Major Health Concerns Related to Nutrition

Leading Causes of Death

  • Many leading causes of death are influenced by:

    • Poor diet

    • Excessive energy intake

    • Inadequate physical activity

  • Sources: CDC National Center for Health Statistics.

Trends in Diabetes Prevalence

  • Significant increase in diabetes prevalence in U.S. adults from 1999-2000 (9.8%) to 2017-2018 (14.3%), with a statistical significance (P for trend < .001).

  • Reference: Wang L, et al. JAMA, 2021.

Importance of Nutrition

  • Poor eating habits lead to:

    • Heart disease

    • Certain cancers

    • Stroke

    • Type 2 diabetes

  • Lifestyle changes, including healthy diets and regular exercise, can mitigate risks of chronic diseases.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Health and Nutrition

  • Healthy diets enhance immune responses, reducing susceptibility to diseases including COVID-19.

  • Groups at higher risk include:

    • Malnourished individuals

    • Older adults

    • Those with pre-existing conditions

  • Even healthy young individuals are at risk.

Influences on Eating Habits

  • Various factors affecting eating habits include:

    • Family and childhood experiences

    • Peers and ethnic background

    • Education and occupation

    • Income levels

    • Urban vs. rural residence

    • Food composition, convenience, and availability

    • Sensory characteristics (flavor, texture, appearance)

    • Religious and nutritional beliefs

    • Current health status and mood

    • Media and advertising

Key Terminology in Nutrition

  • Diet: The usual pattern of food choices.

  • Nutrients: Chemicals required for proper body functioning.

  • Nutrition: The scientific study of nutrients and their biological functions.

  • Metabolism: The entirety of all chemical processes in living cells.

  • Essential Nutrient: Nutrient that must be obtained from food.

  • Deficiency Disease: A health issue arising from a dietary deficiency of a nutrient.

Nutrients in the Human Body

Classes of Nutrients

  • Six classes of nutrients:

    1. Carbohydrates

    2. Lipids (fats)

    3. Proteins

    4. Vitamins

    5. Minerals

    6. Water

  • Note: Vitamins exist in very small quantities, not depicted in certain figures.

Macronutrients vs. Micronutrients

  • Macronutrients: Required in large amounts; includes carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

  • Micronutrients: Required in smaller quantities; includes vitamins and minerals.

Functions of Nutrients

Nutrient

Major Functions

Carbohydrates

Primary energy source

Lipids

Adipose tissue, energy storage, and cellular development

Proteins

Growth, repair, and enzymatic/chemical messenger functions

Vitamins

Regulatory functions in metabolism and immune response

Minerals

Structure and regulatory roles in bodily functions

Water

Temperature regulation and transport in biological processes

What is an Essential Nutrient?

  • An essential nutrient must be sourced through food.

Key Features of Essential Nutrients:

  1. Absence leads to deficiency diseases.

  2. Adding the nutrient corrects deficiency symptoms.

  3. Scientists can elucidate the cause of symptoms related to its absence.

Understanding Phytochemicals

  • Phytochemicals are non-nutrient compounds in plants that may benefit health.

Examples of Phytochemicals:

  • Carotenoids, Phenolics, Organosulfides, Alkaloids, Capsaicinoids, Fructooligosaccharides.

Dietary Supplements

  • The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) classifies supplements as foods.

  • Definition of a dietary supplement: Products (excluding tobacco) that contain a vitamin, mineral, herb, amino acids, or dietary compounds that augment total nutritional intake.

Factors Influencing Health and Lifestyle in Jamaicans

  • Lifestyle: An individual's overall living pattern.

  • Risk factors for chronic diseases include:

    • Poor diet practices

    • Lack of physical activity

    • Substance use (tobacco and alcohol)

    • Genetic predispositions

    • Environmental and psychological factors.

Healthy People 2030

  • A U.S. Department of Health initiative with health promotion and disease prevention goals.

Goals Include:

  1. Attain healthy lives free of preventable diseases or early death.

  2. Eliminate health disparities and promote health equity.

  3. Create environments conducive to health.

  4. Promote healthy development through all life stages.

  5. Engage various sectors in health improvement initiatives.

  6. Encourage healthy eating and accessibility to nutritious foods.

Nutrition-Related Objectives for Healthy People 2030:

  • Reduce obesity in adults and children.

  • Increase fruit and vegetable intake among all age groups.

  • Decrease added sugars and sodium intake for better health outcomes.

Metrics for Nutrition

Common Units of Measure:

  • Length: Meters (m)

  • Weight: Grams (g)

  • Volume: Liters (L)

Metric Prefixes:

  • kilo- (k) = 1000

  • deci- (d) = 0.1

  • centi- (c) = 0.01

  • milli- (m) = 0.001

  • micro- (mc or μ) = 0.000001

Metric Basics:

  • 1 inch = 2.54 cm

  • 1 ounce = 28 g

  • 1 pound = 454 g

  • 2.2 pounds = 1 kg

Understanding Calories

  • Kilocalorie or Calorie: Unit of measure for food energy.

    • Definition: The energy needed to raise 1 liter of water by 1 °C.

    • Equivalence: 1 kcal = 1 Cal = 1000 calories.

Macronutrients and Micronutrients Defined

Macronutrients:

  • Classes of nutrients needed in large amounts providing energy:

    • Carbohydrates

    • Fats

    • Proteins

Micronutrients:

  • Needed in small amounts, do not provide energy:

    • Vitamins

    • Minerals

Concepts Ensuring Nutritional Adequacy

  1. Natural Food Mixtures: Foods often comprise a mix of nutrients. Water is a common nutrient.

  2. Variety for Nutritional Adequacy: No single food is sufficient; variety ensures a balanced diet.

  3. No Good or Bad Foods: All foods offer nutritional value; focus should be on balance.

    • Empty calories refer to calories from unhealthy ingredients.

    • Nutrient-dense foods offer beneficial nutrients relative to calorie content.

Comparing Nutrient Densities of Foods

  • Fat-free milk vs. sugar-sweetened soft drinks.

    • Example: Fat-free milk (8 fluid ounces) contains beneficial nutrients vs. soft drinks containing added sugars.

  • Nutritional Density Comparison: Analyzing two different food items to determine their energy and nutrient contributions.

Energy in Food

Practical Food Energy Calculations:

  • Example of Hamburger Composition:

    • Carbohydrates: 39g x 4 = 156 kcal

    • Fat: 32g x 9 = 288 kcal

    • Protein: 30g x 4 = 120 kcal

    • Total: 564 kcal

Energy Density Explained

  • Defined as the energy value of food relative to weight.

  • Foods with high water content tend to be less energy-dense, while foods like nuts can be both nutrient and energy-dense.

Eating in Moderation

  • Moderation: Balancing nutrients and calorie intake with physical activity.

  • Encouragement to choose nutrient-dense foods and maintain portion sizes for energy-dense foods.

Safe Nutrient Intake Ranges

  • Physiological Dose: The optimal amount of nutrients.

  • Megadose: The excessive intake of a nutrient potentially leading to adverse health effects.

Food as the Primary Source of Nutrients

  • Emphasizes the importance of whole foods over supplements which can lack the variety of nutrients.

  • Processing can reduce beneficial nutrient content in foods.

Individualized Nutritional Planning

  • Each individual's dietary needs vary based on lifestyle and health.

  • Medical nutrition therapies cater to chronic health conditions, highlighting the need for personalized nutrition.

Nutritional Limitations of Foods

  • Nutrients are not miracle solutions; they don’t cure ailments beyond deficiencies.

  • Functional foods are formulated to enhance nutrient intake and address health issues.

Understanding Malnutrition

  • Malnutrition encompasses both undernutrition and overnutrition, indicating an improper nutrition state based on both deficiencies and excess.

  • Includes health risks associated with excessive energy intake, e.g., obesity.

Evolving Nature of Nutrition Science

  • Nutrition information continuously shifts with new scientific discoveries.

  • Importance of scrutinizing research and evidence in the evolving field of nutrition.

Food Labels

  • Required on most packaged foods to assist consumers in making informed choices.

    • Exemptions include raw foods or single-ingredient items unless health claims are made.

  • Purpose: Facilitate healthy consumer choices.

Elements of Food Labels:

  • Front of Package: Name of food, amount, manufacturer info, nutrition claims.

  • Information Panel: Ingredients list, nutrition facts, allergen disclosures.

  • Nutrition Facts Panel : Serves detailed nutrient content information, per serving.

Understanding Nutrition Facts Panel:

  • Lists essential nutrients, serving sizes, and caloric content per serving.

  • Daily Values (%DV) help gauge nutrient contributions relative to a daily intake of 2000 calories.

Summary of Key Concepts

  • Nutrition studies how nutrients function in the body.

  • A balanced diet plus exercise reduces chronic disease risks.

  • Six classes of nutrients: Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, Vitamins, Minerals, Water.

  • Nonnutritive phytochemicals contribute health benefits.

  • Macronutrients provide energy while micronutrients do not.

  • Nutritional adequacy can be achieved through variety and moderation in food choices.

Question to Ponder:

  • What strategies can be employed to enhance nutritional literacy and facilitate healthier eating behaviors?