NFSC 100 Basic Nutrition D. Bellis McCafferty Introduction

“Normal eating is being able to eat when you are hungry and continue eating until you are satisfied. It is being able to choose food you like and eat it and truly get enough of it – not just stop eating because you think you should. Normal eating is being able to use some moderate constraint on your food selection to get the right food, but not being so restrictive that you miss out on pleasurable foods. Normal eating is giving yourself permission to eat sometimes because you are happy, sad, or bored, or just because it feels good.

Normal eating is three meals a day, or it can be choosing to munch along. It is leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow, or it is eating more now because they taste so wonderful when they are fresh. Normal eating is overeating at times; feeling stuffed and uncomfortable. It is also under-eating at times and wishing you had more. Normal eating is trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating. Normal eating takes up some of your time and attention, but keeps its place as only one important area of your life. Source: Satter, Ellen: How to Get Your Kid to Eat… But Not Too Much. Bell Publishing Co., 1987

“In short, normal eating is flexible. It varies in response to your emotions, your schedule, your hunger and your proximity to food.”

Choices §Why do we choose the foods we do? Economic, cultural, taste, health, convenience, habit, emotional, environmental, etc.

Choices §What about fitness choices? l (what is fitness?) §The solution to changing food and fitness habits is complex! l “Knowledge is power?” l Self-awareness l Addressing all factors that affect food and fitness choices

The most commonly recommended behaviors to achieve health: §Healthy diet §Regular physical activity Why is a healthy lifestyle so important ?

Beneficial effects on virtually all major chronic diseases §HEART DISEASE §Hypertension §diabetes §obesity §some cancers §osteoporosis §chronic liver disease

“Absence of a healthy diet and regular exercise together are one of the 3 key causes of death in the U.S.”

Major factors affecting health status: §Genetics l Genetic predisposition l Promoted or inhibited by lifestyle! Can diet & exercise influence your genes? §Lifestyle l Diet l Physical Activity l Other factors

First: The Science of Nutrition §Changing, growing body of knowledge §Contradictions  confusion §Research Design §Preliminary research §Replication

Research Design §Case Study §Epidemiological Research §Experimental Research l Importance of a Control/Placebo group §Meta-analysis

l “May” does not mean “will.” l “In some people” does not mean “in all people.” l “Indicates” or “suggests” does not mean “proves.” l “Contributes to,” “is linked to,” or “is associated with” does not mean “causes.” l “Proves”: scientific studies gather evidence in a systematic way, but one study, taken alone, seldom proves anything l “Breakthrough”: extremely rare, as in the discovery of penicillin or the polio vaccine l “Doubles the risk”: may or may not be meaningful. Do you know what the risk was in the first place? If the risk was 1 in a million and you double it, it’s still only 1 in 500,000.

Definitions §Diet §Health

§Nutrition l All processes involved with the ingestion, digestion, absorption, metabolism and excretion of food. l Food Behaviors l Psychological, social, and economic factors

Malnutrition §Overnutrition l l §Undernutrition l l

§GI Tract: (not G.I. track) l Gastrointestinal tract: tube which begins w/mouth and ends w/anus. l Considered to be the “outside” of the body.

§ingestion: §digestion l mechanical l chemical §absorption = l transfer of nutrients from GI tract into the circulation §metabolism: §excretion: elimination of waste by-products.

Nutrients §Substances required by the body to provide energy, building materials, and regulatory factors. §Six Classes l l l l l l

Micronutrients: Vitamins and Minerals §Required in small amounts l § §Necessary for l growth and maintenance of tissues l regulation of body processes

Macronutrients: Protein, Carbohydrate, and Fat §Required in large amounts (grams… 1000mg = 1g) §Provide calories (kcals, cals) l Protein l Carbohydrate l Fat

§Kcalorie: unit of energy in food… equal to the amount of heat (energy) required to raise the temperature of one kg of water by one degree C. §The word “calorie” actually represents one thousands calories or a kcalorie.

A Brief Overview of Carbohydrates: Sugar, Starch & Fiber § §Basic unit: l Glucose

§Starch: long chains of glucose l §Fiber: also long glucose chains l Found in plant cell walls; ________________________ l Binds to water – bulky – exercises intestinal muscles. §Glycogen:

fiber CARBS:

A Brief Overview of Protein: §Basic unit: l Contains §Based on your genetic code, amino acids are used to build tissues, enzymes antibodies, horomones, etc. §We do not store amino acids in the body. We use what we need, and then dismantle them and excrete the excess N in the urine.

A Brief Overview of Fat: §Basic unit: l Glycerol and three Fatty Acids

§Water l No kcals, but needed in large amounts l Required for Energy (E) production Solvent for nutrients and waste products §Alcohol l l

§“ Essential ” = Essential that you EAT it. l Body either does not make it or doesn’t make enough of it. l Must be obtained through the diet §Phytochemicals l Bioactive substances in plants which appear to have disease prevention properties.

Before we move on... §Review §Calculate the kcalories in a food: l One serving provides: l 4g fat l 9g CHO l 1g protein

Another example: §How many kcals in a serving of this food? It provides: §Fat 7g §CHO 18g §Protein 2g

Regarding portions… §8 fluid oz = 1cup§WEIGHT!!! § LIQUIDS DRY MEASURES 12 fluid oz. = 1.5 cups