Food Choices and Human Health Chapter 1

Learning Objectives Discuss how daily food choices can help or harm the body’s health over time. Describe the national Healthy People objective for the nation, and identify some nutrition-related objectives. Define the term nutrient and be able to list the six major nutrients.

Learning Objectives Summarize the five characteristics of a healthy diet and describe cultural or other influences on human food choices. Describe the major types of research studies and give reasons why national nutrition research is important for the health of the population. List the major steps in behavior change and devise a plan for making successful long-term changes in the diet.

Learning Objectives Define nutrient density and explain the advantages of choosing nutrient-dense foods. Identify misleading nutrition information in infomercials, advertorials, and other sources in the popular media.

Introduction Nutrition Science Studying nutrition Why care about nutrition? What are the nutrients in food? What constitutes a nutritious diet? How do we know what we know about nutrition? How do people go about making changes?

A Lifetime of Nourishment Chosen foods have a cumulative effect Good health and poor health Your body continuously renews itself Best foods Support your body’s growth & maintenance Malnutrition Deficiencies, imbalances, and excesses

The Diet and Health Connection Influential lifestyle habits Tobacco use, alcohol use, nutritional choices Chronic diseases Connection with poor diet

Genetics and Individuality Genetics and nutrition affect diseases to varying degrees Human genome DNA Genes

Other Lifestyle Choices Tobacco & alcohol use Substance abuse Physical activity Sleep Stress Environmental factors

Healthy People: Nutrition Objectives for the Nation U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Nutrition and food-safety objectives Progress toward HP 2010 objectives was mixed Blood cholesterol levels Fruit, vegetable, and whole grain intake Physical activity Chronic diseases

Healthy People 2020, Selected Objectives

Healthy People 2020, Selected Objectives

The Human Body and Its Food Your body uses energy Comes indirectly from the sun Six kinds of nutrients Four are organic Contain carbon Three provide energy

Elements in the Six Classes of Nutrients

Meet the Nutrients Human body & food Same materials Different arrangements

Meet the Nutrients Energy-yielding nutrients Vitamins and minerals Carbohydrates – 4 cal/g Fats – 9 cal/g Proteins – 4 cal/g Vitamins and minerals Provide no energy Some are essential Water Scientists calculate needs

Can I Live on Just Supplements? Elemental diets Administered to severely ill people “Real food” is superior to supplements Nutrient interactions Phytochemicals Physical contributions Psychological contributions

The Abundance of Foods to Choose From Whole foods Typical consumption Fruits Vegetables Types of foods Fast, processed, functional, staple

How, Exactly, Can I Recognize a Nutritious Diet? Five characteristics Adequacy Balance Calorie control Moderation Variety

Why People Choose Foods Eating is an intentional act Cultural and social meanings of food Traditional cuisines and foodways Cultural competence Vegetarian or omnivore

Why People Choose Foods Factors that drive food choice Taste and price Convenience Other factors Advertising, availability, emotional comfort Habit, preference, social pressure Values, weight, nutrition/health benefits

The Science of Nutrition Field of knowledge composed of organized facts Active, changing, and growing body of knowledge The scientific approach Systematic process to answer questions Scientific challenge Theories

The Scientific Method

Types of Studies Case study Epidemiological study Intervention study Examples Epidemiological study Correlation Intervention study Blind studies Laboratory study Example

Examples of Research Design

Can I Trust the Media to Deliver Nutrition News? Training of news media Sensationalism Be a trend watcher Read news with an educated eye Published in peer-reviewed journal Description of research methods & subjects Findings presented in context of previous research

National Nutrition Research National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) What people eat Recording of health status

Changing Behaviors Behavior change takes substantial effort Process of change Six stages Taking stock and setting goals Realistic goals Small and achievable Specific behaviors

The Stages of Behavior Change

Adequate Nutrients Without Excessive Calories Evaluate nutrient density Vegetables have high nutrient density Time for food preparation Options to save time Foods to avoid Combining foods into meals

A Way to Judge Which Foods Are Most Nutritious

Sorting the Imposters from the Real Nutrition Experts Controversy 1

Information Sources Quackery Sources of nutrition information Television and magazines Nutrition-related products and services Billions in customer dollars Identifying quackery

Earmarks of Nutrition Quackery

Information Sources Characteristics of scientific research Properly designed scientific experiments Inadequacy of anecdotal evidence Animal findings applied to humans Careful with generalizations Report of findings in scientific journals

Credible Source of Nutrition Information Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics National Center for Nutrition & Dietetics www.eatright.org/ncnd.html National Council Against Health Fraud www.ncahf.org Federal Trade Commission www.ftc.org

Nutrition on the Net Judging website credibility Who is responsible for the site? Do the names and credentials of information providers appear? Are links with other reliable information sites provided? Is the site updated regularly? Is the site selling a product or service? Does the site charge a fee to gain access?

Who Are the True Nutrition Experts? Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Registered dietitian (RD) Certified diabetes educator Public health nutritionist Dietetic technician Dietetic technician registered

Detecting Fake Credentials Accredited institution Licensing