Chapter 1 & 3: Nutrition

• Nutrition


  How an organism acquires food and uses food to support all processes required for its existence
• Human Nutrition


  The study of the nutrients and supplements of food and the body's handling of them
• Human Nutrition is a young science
• Nutritional Genomics


  The science of how nutrients affect gene expression
• Food

  An amalgam of nutrients
• Examples of food that really isn't considered food

  • Poptarts
  • Protein shakes
• Essential nutrient


  One that is supplied by the diet because the body cannot synthesize them
• A person eats food to receive adequate amount of nutrients to receive optimal health and if we lack this, diseases like scurvy and death can come
• Too much can lead to chronic disease (so more is not better) ex; cardiovascular disease or death due to overdosing on supplements
• Energy Yielding Nutrients


  • Lipids
  • Proteins
  • Carbohydrates
• Non-Energy Yielding Nutrients


  • Vitamins
  • Water
  • Minerals
• Food doesn't only supply essential nutrients but also things called non-nutrients
• Examples of non-nutrients


  • Fiber
  • Phytochemicals
• Fiber


  Promotes bowel health, food is quickly eliminated to reduce the risks of colon cancer
• Phytochemicals


  Function as antioxidants to reduce the risk of chronic dietary diseases
• There are plants that are being studied for their curative powers, for example: Flavonoids which is found in tea and blueberries which is found to decrease some risks of some forms of cancer and perhaps could also improve memory
• We know whole foods are better however we still pick the processed ones because of convenience, emotional comfort, social network, and advertisement
• In comparison to whole foods, processed foods are chosen due to a person's cooking skills and cooking hardware
• We all believe and know that eating healthy is beneficial but we go against this because you can't cook but this can change with cooking skills and equipment
• Solution

  1. Learn about nutrition (cognitive fix)

  2. Learn how to cook (a non-cognitive fix because it rests on cookware)
• Cooking is what makes us human but it is leaving our society because of big company food corporations telling us that these processed foods are better
• What cooking can teach us

  • How to be organized
  • How to love
  • How to socialize
  • Food chemistry
• Adopting a few rules to guarantee the love of cooking

  • Food safety
  • Discipline (meal plans and planning meals per day)
  • Not to waste money on kitchen gadgets
• Textbook categories


  • Carbohydrates (Energy Yielding Macronutrients)
  • Lipids (Energy Yielding Macronutrients)
  • Protein (Energy Yielding Macronutrients)
  • Vitamins (Non-Energy Yielding Micronutrients)
  • Minerals (Non-Energy Yielding Micronutrients)
  • Water (Non-Energy Yielding Nutrient, That is needed in large amounts)
• Both carbohydrates and protein can be transformed as a lipid and stored as fuel for later on
• Alpha-Linolenic and Linoleic acids


  "Omega-3 and Fatty acids" - something we need from our diet because our body doesn't produce this on its own
• Amino Acids


  The building block of protein - the essential amino-acids are like unique pieces of a lego set, without them you can't build your lego and if you lose them they must be ordered from the lego company
• Types of grains


  • Whole Grain (contains the germ, endosperm, and bran)
  • Enriched Grain (has riboflavin, thiamin, niacin and folic acid added)
  • Refined Grain (has been highly processed)
• Matter


  Anything that takes up space, including the air that surrounds us
• Atom


  Smallest unit of matter
• The human body is composed of matter (23+ elements and trillions of atoms)
• Planet earth has 92 elements but a near infinite amount of matter
• Water


  Composed of 2 elements and 3 atoms
• Glucose


  Made up of 3 elements and 24 atoms
• Molecule


  Atoms come together to form chemical bonds
• Compound


  A molecule with two or more different elements (e.g. carbon dioxide, water, glucose)
• Subatomic particles of an atom

  • Protons
  • Neutrons
  • Electrons
• Atomic nucleus


  Made up of positively charged protons and neutrons (that carry no charge)
• Electrons


  Negatively charged particles that orbit the nucleus
• An atom has an equally number of electrons and protons to maintain a neutral charge