NUTRITION, WEIGHT MANAGEMENT AND STRESS | MODULE 4

NUTRITION
Nutrition can be defined as the science of the action of food, beverages, and their
components in biological systems. A nutrient is a compound that provides a needed
function in the body.
Nutrients can be further classified based on the amount needed in the body.
Macronutrients are the nutrients the body needs in larger amounts. Micronutrients
are also important nutrients, but ones the body needs in smaller amounts.

Macronutrients
• Carbohydrates
The word carbohydrate literally means hydrated carbon or carbon with water. Thus, it is
no surprise that carbohydrates are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Sucrose
(table sugar) is an example of a commonly consumed carbohydrate. Some dietary
examples of carbohydrates are whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, rice, sugary snacks/drinks,
and pasta.
• Proteins
Like carbohydrates, proteins are comprised of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, but they
also contain nitrogen. Several dietary sources of proteins include nuts, beans/legumes,
skim milk, egg whites, and meat.
• Lipids
It consists of fatty acids, triglycerides, phospholipids, and sterols(cholesterol). Lipids are
also composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Some dietary sources of lipids
include, oils, butter, and egg yolks.
• Water
It is made up of hydrogen and oxygen and is the only macronutrient that provides no
energy.
Micronutrients
• Vitamins
These compounds are essential for normal physiologic processes in the body.
• Minerals
Are the elements (think periodic table) that are essential for normal physiologic
processes in the body.
Food Energy
Food energy is measured in kilocalories (kcals), commonly referred to as calories.
Although technically incorrect, this terminology is so familiar that it will be used
throughout this course. To help provide guidelines regarding the types and quantities of
food that should be eaten every day, the USDA has updated their food guidelines from
MyPyramid to MyPlate. They have put the recommended elements of a healthy meal
into the context.
They have put the recommended elements of a healthy meal into the context:
Nutrient Energy(kcal/g) :
Carbohydrate 4,Protein 4,Lipids 9,Water 0,Vitamins 0,Minerals 0.

My Plate
 The guidelines recommend to “Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.”
The other half is grains and protein, with a slightly higher quantity of grains
than protein. Dairy products are represented by a drink, but the quantity can
be applied to other dairy products as well.

On average, a person needs 1500 to 2000 calories per day to sustain (or carry out) daily
activities. The total number of calories needed by one person is dependent on their body
mass, age, height, gender, activity level, and the amount of exercise per day. If exercise
Irregular part of one’s day, more calories are required.
As a rule, people underestimate the number of calories ingested and overestimate the
amount they burn through exercise. This can lead to ingestion of too many calories per day.
The accumulation of an extra 3500 calorie adds one pound of weight. If an excess of 200
calories per day is ingested, one extra pound of body weight will be gained every 18 days. At
that rate, an extra 20 pounds can be gained over the course of a year.
Of course, this increase in calories could be offset by increased exercise. Running or jogging
one mile burns almost 100 calories. The type of food ingested also affects the body’s
metabolic rate.
Processing of carbohydrates requires less energy than processing of proteins. In fact, the
breakdown of carbohydrates requires the least amount of energy, whereas the processing of
proteins demands the most energy. In general, the number of calories ingested and the
number of calories burned determines the overall weight.
To lose weight, the number of calories burned per day must exceed the number ingested.
Calories are in almost everything you ingest, so when considering calorie intake, beverages
must also be considered of a place setting of food.
MyPlate categorizes food into the standard six food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains,
protein foods, dairy, and oils.
HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
Food manufacturers are always searching for cheaper ways to produce their products.
One extremely popular method for reducing costs is the use of high-fructose
corn syrup as an alternative to sucrose. High-fructose corn syrup is approximately
50% glucose and 50% fructose, which is the same as sucrose. Nevertheless, because
increased consumption of high-fructose corn syrup has coincided with increased
obesity in the United States, a lot of controversy surrounds its use.
Alternative sweeteners are simply alternatives to sucrose and other mono- and
disaccharides that provide sweetness.

PROTEIN
Protein is another major macronutrient that, like carbohydrates, consists of
small repeating units. But instead of sugars, proteins are made up of amino acids.
Proteins can be classified as either complete or incomplete. Complete proteins
provide adequate amounts of all nine essential amino acids. Animal proteins, such as
meat, fish, milk, and eggs, are good examples of complete proteins. Incomplete
proteins do not contain adequate amounts of one or more of the essential amino acids.
For example, if a protein does not provide enough of the essential amino acid leucine it
would be considered incomplete. Leucine would be referred to as the limiting amino
acid because there is not enough of it for the protein to be complete. Most plant foods
are incomplete proteins, with a few exceptions, such as soy.
FAT
There is neither bad nor good cholesterol, despite the common use of these
descriptions in reference to LDL and HDL, respectively. Cholesterol is cholesterol. HDL
and LDL contain cholesterol but are actually lipoproteins that will be described later. It
is not necessary to include cholesterol in your diet because our bodies have the ability
to synthesize the required amounts.

FIBER
The simplest definition of fiber is indigestible matter. Indigestible means that it survives
digestion in the small intestine and reaches the large intestine. There are the three
major fiber classifications:
Dietary fiber This type of fiber contains both nondigestible carbohydrates and lignin
and is always intrinsic and intact in plants.Functional fiber This type of fiber contains
nondigestible carbohydrate only and can be isolated, extracted, or synthesized.
Functional fiber can be from plants or animals and produces beneficial physiological
effects in humans. Total Fiber. Fiber that contains both dietary fiber and functional fiber.

VITAMINS
Vitamins are organic compounds found in foods and are a necessary part of the
biochemical reactions in the body. They are involved in a number of processes,
including mineral and bone metabolism, and cell and tissue growth, and they act as
cofactors for energy metabolism. The B vitamins play the largest role of any vitamins in
metabolism (Table and Table).You get most of your vitamins through your diet, although
some can be formed from the precursors absorbed during digestion. For example, the
body synthesizes vitamin A from the βcarotene in orange vegetables like carrots and
sweet potatoes. Vitamins are either fat-soluble or water-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins A,
D, E, and K are absorbed through the intestinal tract with lipids in chylomicrons. Vitamin
D is also synthesized in the skin through exposure to sunlight. Because they are carried
in lipids, fat-soluble vitamins can accumulate in the lipids stored in the body. If excess
vitamins are retained in the lipid stores in the body, hypervitaminosis can result. Water-
soluble vitamins, including the eight B vitamins and vitamin C, are absorbed with water
in the gastrointestinal tract. These vitamins move easily through bodily fluids, which are
water based, so they are not stored in the body. Excess water-soluble vitamins are
excreted in the urine. Therefore, hypervitaminosis of water-soluble vitamins rarely
occurs, except with an excess of vitamin supplements.
MINERALS
Minerals in food are inorganic compounds that work with other nutrients to ensure the
body functions properly. Minerals cannot be made in the body; they come from the diet.
The amount of minerals in the body is small—only 4 percent of the total body mass—
and most of that consists of the minerals that the body requires in moderate quantities:
potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and chloride. The most common
minerals in the body are calcium and phosphorous, both of which are stored in the
skeleton and necessary for the hardening of bones. Most minerals are ionized, and their
ionic forms are used in physiological processes throughout the body. Sodium and
chloride ions are electrolytes in the blood and extracellular tissues, and iron ions are
critical to the formation of hemoglobin. There are additional trace minerals that are still
important to the body’s functions, but their required quantities are much lower. Like
vitamins, minerals can be consumed in toxic quantities (although it is rare). A healthy
diet includes most of the minerals your body requires, so supplements and processed
foods can add potentially toxic levels of minerals.