Nutrition Recap

• Good nutrition


  An adequate, well-balanced diet combined with regular physical activity, which is a cornerstone of good health
• Food Groups

  • Foods from animals, legumes, cereals
  • Staples, vegetables, fruits, sugars
  • Fats & Oils
  • Legumes, cereals, vegetables, food from animals
  • Fruits and Vegetables, Cereals, legumes
  • Fruits and Vegetables
• Diet


  The foods and beverages a person usually eats and drinks
• Nutritious diet


  Made up of a variety of basic food groups in adequate amounts, used in moderation and balance, providing a good balance of nutrients, phytochemicals, and calorie control
• Nutrition

  The intake and digestion of food, considered in relation to the body's dietary needs
• Specific Minerals

  • Iron
  • Calcium
  • Phosphorous
  • Potassium
  • Sodium
  • Zinc
  • Selenium
  • Magnesium
  • Fluoride
  • Chloride
  • Chromium
  • Manganese
  • Molybdenum
• Fats provide 9 kcal per gram
• Protein provides 4 kcal per gram
• Specific Vitamins

  • Vitamin A (Retinol)
  • Vitamin D
  • Vitamin E (Tocopherol)
  • Vitamin K
  • Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)
  • Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
  • Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
  • Vitamin B6
  • Vitamin B12
  • Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
• Carbohydrates provide 4 kcal per gram
• Examples of Phytochemicals

  • Fiber or roughage from cereals, fruits, legumes, & vegetables
  • Colorful pigments like carotenes in carrots & lycopene in tomatoes
  • Health-producing compounds like flavonoids in soy
  • Aromatic & other compounds in spices and herbs
• Phytochemicals


  Non-nutrient compounds in plant-derived foods that have biological and health functions in the body
• Water balance is essential to prevent dehydration or water intoxication
• Water participates in many chemical reactions in the body and is present in various bodily fluids and tissues
• Uses of Water in the Body

  • Blood, Transport, Chemical structure of cells, tissues, organs, participation in chemical reactions, synovial fluid, amniotic fluid, excretion through urine, feces, respiration, mucus, sweat, tears, intracellular & extracellular fluid, intraocular fluid or aqueous humor
• Water constitutes approximately 60% of an adult's body weight and is essential for various bodily functions and structures
• Body fluids

  • Amniotic fluid
  • Excretion
  • Urine
  • Feces
  • Respiration
  • Mucus
  • Sweat
  • Tears
  • Intracellular & Extracellular fluid
  • Intraocular fluid or aqueous humor
• Body's water content varies by pounds at a time, especially in women who retain water during menstruation; high-salt meals lead to water retention
• Caffeine acts as a diuretic, promoting the excretion of water
• Sweating increases water needs, with individuals losing significant amounts of fluid during physical work or athletic training
• Dehydration symptoms progress from thirst to weakness to exhaustion and delirium to death
• Water intoxication results from dangerous dilution of body fluids due to excessive water ingestion, leading to symptoms like headache, muscular weakness, lack of concentration, poor memory, and loss of appetite
• Fluctuation in water weight does not reflect gain or loss of body fat
• Men should consume 13 cups of fluid from beverages and drinking water, while women should consume 9 cups; remaining water needs are met from consumed foods
• Water intake needs to equal water loss to maintain water balance, otherwise dehydration or water intoxication can occur
• Body Organs

  • Lungs
  • Intestine
  • Liver
  • Kidneys
• Lungs release carbon dioxide for excretion and pick up fresh oxygen for tissues; Intestine aids in digestion and nutrient absorption; Liver processes materials and filters the blood; Kidneys filter wastes from the blood and make urine
• Nervous System

  • Cortex
  • Hypothalamus
  • Fight-or-flight reaction
  • Neurotransmitters
• Insulin sends glucose from the blood into cells for energy when glucose levels are high; Glucagon causes the liver to release stored glucose when glucose levels are low; Pancreas has endocrine and exocrine functions
• Hormonal System

  • Hormones
  • Insulin
  • Glucagon
  • Pancreas
• Immune System

  • Defense against infections
  • Many linings and membranes serve in this capacity
  • Antigens
• Hypothalamus monitors body conditions including food and water availability; Fight-or-flight reaction involves release of epinephrine and nor-epinephrine, speeding up metabolism and shutting down the digestive system
• Chemical digestion

  1. Enzymes: Break down food

  2. Mouth: Saliva – contains enzyme for starch digestion

  3. Stomach: gastric juice contains HCL acid and enzymes for protein

  4. pH scale: 0 (extremely acid) – 7 (neutral) – 14 (very basic)

  5. Mucus: slippery coating of digestive tract lining (protects from digestive juices)

  6. Small Intestine: Pancreatic juice contains sodium bicarbonate (base for neutralizing), and enzymes for CHO, protein, fat

  7. Bile: made by liver, stored in gallbladder, emulsifies fats/oils

  8. Emulsifier: has a water-soluble and fat-soluble portion
• Immune System

  1. Defense against infections

  2. Many linings and membranes serve in this capacity

  3. Deficiency of vitamins and other nutrients damage these linings
• Mechanical digestion

  1. Chewing, swallowing: small, moist, soft particles leave mouth

  2. Peristalsis: wavelike muscular squeezing of the esophagus, stomach, & small intestine, pushing food along

  3. Chyme: acid fluid resulting from mixed food in the stomach

  4. Cardiac sphincter: prevents backflow of food from stomach

  5. Pyloric sphincter: controls release of chyme to small intestines

  6. Elimination: of waste (fiber & undigested matter) or feces from colon through rectum
• Phagocytes


  White blood cells that can ingest & destroy antigens
• Lymphocytes


  • White blood cells of the immune system
  • B-cells: lymphocytes which produce antibodies which inactivate specific antigens (*immunization example)
  • T-cells: lymphocytes which attack antigens (*HIV opposite)
• Antigens


  • A microbe or substance that is foreign to the body
  • Microbe (bacteria, virus, or other organism invisible to the eye) which can cause diseases
• Absorption

  1. Definition: the taking up of nutrients into the intestinal cells

  2. In Small intestine: Weighs 4-5 Lb & can cover 1/3 of a football field

  3. Villi – fingerlike projections that make greater surface area for absorption

  4. Microvilli: tiny hair-like projections that trap nutrients and send them into the cells of the villi

  5. After passing through the cells of the villi, the blood and lymph transport nutrients to the body’s cells

  6. In Colon: Absorbs water and minerals, sends waste to rectum
• Excretion

  1. Waste: Carbon dioxide from cells travel in the blood and is eliminated by the lungs

  2. Bile and other wastes eliminated by the liver and leave the body (anus) as feces

  3. Urine filtered out from the blood by the nephrons (blood vessels & tubules) of the kidney and sent to the bladder for elimination