Nutrition

• Nutrition: The food we eat and the nutrients they contain
• Malnutrition: a deficiency in the consumption of food, vitamins and minerals
• We need a balance of different nutrients

  • macronutrients: need in large amounts like carbohydrates, lipids and proteins
  • micronutrients: need in small amounts like vitamins and minerals
  • essential nutrients: what we cannot make and need to obtain through diet (eg: lysine, vitamin A, calcium)
• Slight differences per individual due to differences in environment and lifestyle
• Proper balance of nutrients is required for maintaining homeostasis and health of organism
• Around half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables, one quarter protein and one quarter grains
• Vitamins are organic molecules needed in small quantities for normal metabolism. They are micronutrients and can attach to enzymes and coenzymes that are molecule carriers
• Vitamin E: antioxidant that prevents free radicals to damage DNA and other molecules
• Vitamin A: detecting light in the sensory cells of the retina (rods and cones). Vitamin A deficiency is the cause of night blindness.
• Serious health problem for vitamin deficiency:

  • vitamin D: rickets and skeletal deformity
  • vitamin C: scurvy (loss of teeth)
• Minerals are inorganic elements or salts. Examples of minerals are sodium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium
• Sodium and calcium are required for nerve conduction
• Calcium, phosphorus and magnesium are needed to build up the skeleton
• Recommended amounts of mineral intake can change over the life span. Women’s calcium intake increases in childhood and should remain high in adulthood to decrease the risk of osteoporosis.
• Osteoporosis occurs with the low intake of calcium at an older age. It causes weakness and compression of the bones as well as an increased rate of fracture