Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences

Public Health Department

Nutrition for health

Dr. Azhari A. Nour

Topics to be Covered

Contact
List of Topics No. of Weeks
hours
Introduction to Nutrition 1 2
Types of nutrients 1 2
Carbohydrates and health 2 4
1 2
Fats in health and disease
1 2
Proteins and health
Vitamins and their importance 1 2
Vitamins and minerals in health and disease 1 2
Dietary reference intakes 1 2
Standards for healthy diets 1 2
Nutritional guidelines 1 2
Food guide pyramids 1 2
Nutritional needs of women 1 2
Vegetarian diets 1 2
Diets for special population groups 1 2

Total 30
Main objectives of course :
The course examines basis for and quality of current
nutritional requirements, standards and guidelines.
Analyzes personal dietary practices and examination of the
relationship between nutrition and health.
 Lecture 1 & 2

Introduction & type nutrients

Dr . Azhari A. Mohamed Nour

 Introduction
Definitions
Nutrition
May be defined as the science of food and its relationship to
health.
Dietetics
Is the practical application of the principles of nutrition; it
includes the planning of meals for the well and the sick.
Good nutrition
means “maintaining a nutritional status that enables us to
grow well and enjoy good health.”
 Foods are products derived from plants or animals .

Can be taken into the body to yield energy and nutrients

for maintenance of life ,for growth and repair tissues.

Food is that nourishes the body.

Food is a prerequisite of nutrition.

 Food

Nutrients Other

1-Macronutrients
compounds
2-Micronutrients -fibers
-phytochemicals
-pigments
-additives
-alcohols
-and others
 What is a Nutrient
A nutrient is a chemical substance in
food that helps maintain the body.
Some provide energy. All help build
cells and tissues, regulate bodily
processes such as breathing.
No single food supplies all the
nutrients the body needs to function.
Chemical body composition adult
male (70 kg)
 Water = 60% (42kg(
 Protein = 17% ( 12kg)
 Fat = 17% (12kg)
 Carbohydrate = 1% ( less than 1 kg)
 Minerals = 5% (3-4kg)
 Alternative nutrition

Based on rejection of traditional agricultural

methods.
Two categories of alternative food are found:
Reform (improved) foods
Are not refined and contained no additives e.g
(crude cane and brown rice)

Biological or Ecological foods ( organic foods)

Are cultivated without of the synthetic
fertilizers and pesticides.
 Stimulants
Caffeine
 Alcohol
 Tea
Caffeine:
Are alkaloids of the Ethylxanthine group,
and is the most active and acts as stimulant in
human nutrition . The substance can be found
in coffee, tea, cola, chocolate , milk …..etc
The caffeine is metabolized in the liver
 Health aspects of coffee
Taste.
 Fatigue prevention.
Stimulation of fatty acids
metabolism
Strong diuretic effect.
No clear relationship with colon ,
pancreas and stomach cancer.
High caffeine intakes( more than
300mg/day) may reduce birth weight.
Habitation but not addictive
 Health aspects of Alcohols
Muscle weakness
Increased heat rate (overheating)
Moderate alcohol intakes show inverse
relationship with cardiovascular disease
(CVD)
Malabsorption of nutrient ( folate ,
vitaminB1), diarrhea.
Promotion of water loss by kidneys
(Dehydration).
Liver effect , brain damage and
addictiveness in alcoholics.
 Health aspects of Tea
various tea ingredients gave protective
effect on chemical carcinogens an
transplantation tumors in animals (mice
and rat)
 Definitions of functional foods

Functional foods are foods or food ingredients that

have additional health or physiological benefits over
and above the normal nutritional value they provide.
 A natural foods
 A food to which a positive component has been
added, or from which a deleterious (harmful or toxic)
component has been removed.
 A food where the nature or the bioavailability of
one or more components has been modified.
 Any combination of these possibilities.
 Functional Foods

CATEGORY SELECTED EXAMPLES

Conventional foods Mushrooms ,Green tea, Tomatoes

(whole foods)

Modified foods, fortified Omega-3 fatty acids in eggs and

margarines

Synthesized foods ingredient s Oligosaccharides

Selected Functional Foods, Bioactive Components, and Reported
Health Benefits
FUNCTIONAL FOOD Bioactive component , functional REPORTED HEALTH BENEFIT
foods under study

Apples, tea, onions Flavonoids Prevention of cardiovascular

disease
Green Tea Polyphenols Inhibition of cancer initiation
and
blockage of cancer progression

Oats Beta-glucan Reduction of blood cholesterol

(soluble fiber) levels
Soy product Isoflavones Reduction in incidence of
related hormone
Cancers
vegetables Isothiocyanates Reduction of prostate cancer
risk
 Healthy diet
A healthy diet supports energy needs and
provides for human nutrition without exposure
to toxicity or excessive weight gain from
consuming excessive amounts.
 CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS

Classification by origin:
- Foods of animal origin
- Foods of vegetable origin

Classification by chemical composition:

Proteins
Fats
Carbohydrates
Vitamins
Minerals
 Vitamins
 Minerals
 Water
 Protein Sugars
Carbohydrates Starches
Fats  Cellulose
CLASSIFICATION BY PREDOMINANT FUNCTION

 Body building foods:

 -meat, milk, poultry, fish, eggs, pulses etc
 Energy giving foods:
 -cereals, sugars, fats, oils etc.
 Protective foods:
 -vegetables, fruits, milk, etc

NUTRIENTS
Organic and inorganic complexes
 contained in food are called nutrients.
They are broadly divided in to:
 Macronutrients:
 -proteins
 -fats
 -carbohydrates
 Micronutrients:
 -vitamins
 -minerals
 Nutrients that have Calories:
 Proteins
 Carbohydrates
 Fats
Definition of a Calorie:

A unit of measure for energy in food

 Calories per gram:

Protein 1 Gram = 4 calories

Carbohydrates 1 Gram = 4 calories
Fat 1 Gram = 9 calories
Variables which affect nutrient needs:
1. Age
2. Gender
3. Activity Level
4. Climate
5. Health
6. State of nutrition