Human Nutrition

Dr. Sally Salah

 LECTURES PLAN
Week 10 : Principles of a healthy diet.
Week 11: Estimation of requirements and
food groups.
Week 12: How to plan a diet.
Week 13: Practical illustrations.
Week 14: Revision
 Aim of the lecture
• Definition of Nutrients.

• Healthy diet Objectives.

• Principles of a Healthy diet.

 The Nutrients
• A chemical substance obtained from food
and needed by the body for performing one
or more of these functions:

• Provides energy.

• Promotes maintenance.

• Regulate body processes.

 The Nutrients
• Energy-Yielding Nutrients: Carbohydrate, Fat
and Protein

 Macro- vs. micronutrients

• Carbohydrate, fat, and protein are

macronutrients because the body needs them
in large quantities.

• Water, vitamins, and minerals do not provide

energy and are known as micronutrients
because the body needs them in smaller
quantities.
 The Nutrients

Energy is measured in Calories (calories,

kilocalories, kcalories, kcal).

Energy from food differs in energy

density. Carbohydrate yields 4

kcalories per gram, protein 4 kcalories

per gram, and fat 9 kcalories per gram.

 The Nutrients
 Activity in the body is fueled by food as energy is
released from bonds within carbohydrate, fat, and
protein as they are broken down. The processes
by which food is broken down to yield energy
are called metabolism.

 Excess energy is stored in the body as compounds

such as body fat.

 Other roles of energy-yielding nutrients include

building body tissues and regulating body
processes.
 Healthy diet

A healthy diet has to fulfill two

objectives:

1. Provide sufficient energy and nutrients to

maintain normal physiological functions
and permit growth and repair.

2. Offer the best protection against the risk

diseases.
The principles of healthy diet
1. Adequacy.

2. Balance.

3. Energy control.

4. Nutrient density.

5. Moderation.

6. Variety.
 The principles of healthy diet
1. Adequacy:
 It reflects a diet that provides sufficient
energy and nutrients to maintain normal
physiological functions and permit growth
and repair.
 The adequacy of food offers the best
protection against the risk of disease.
 Example: iron-----if diet fails to
provide adequate iron ----anemia
 The principles of healthy diet
2. Balance:
 Consuming enough-but not too much of different
types of foods in proportion to one another
 Balance in the diet helps to ensure adequacy.
 To ensure an adequate and balanced diet, eat a
variety of foods daily, choosing different foods
from each groups.
 Ex :Meat is rich in iron but poor in calcium,
conversely milk is rich in calcium but poor in
iron.
 The principles of healthy diet
3. -Kcalorie (energy) control:
 The amount of energy coming into the body from
foods should balance with the amount of energy
being used by the body to sustain its metabolic
and physical activities.
 Upsetting this balance leads to gains or losses in
body weight.
 Nutrient density: A ratio of nutrient content to
the total energy content
 Choose foods of high nutrient density.
 The nutrient density
High nutrient-dense foods are those foods
the provide substantial amounts of vitamins
and minerals and relatively few calories.

Fruit and vegetables are high nutrient

dense foods while the products containing
added sugar are empty calories.(empty
calories foods which denote energy but
lack protein, vitamins and minerals)
Lower energy density Higher energy density

This 450-gram breakfast This 144-gram breakfast

delivers 500 kcal, for an delivers 500 kcal, for an
energy density of 1.1 energy density of 3.5
(500 kcal/450 g = 1.1 (500 kcal/144 g = 3.5
kcal/g) kcal/g)
 The principles of healthy diet
Nutrient density:
 A measure of the nutrients a food provides relative to
the energy it provides.
 The more nutrients and the fewer kcalories, the
higher the nutrient density.
 Ex: foods containing calcium, you can get about
300mg of calcium from either 1½ ounces of
cheddar cheese or 1 cup of fat free milk, but
cheese delivers about twice as much food
energy (kcalories) as the milk.
Nutrient density
 The principles of healthy diet
5. Moderation (dietary):
 Foods rich in fat and sugar provide enjoyment and
energy but relatively few nutrients.
 a person practicing moderation eats such foods only
on occasion and regularly selects foods low in solid
fats.
which typically contain saturated and trans fats
than most oil and added sugars, that
automatically improves nutrient density
 The principles of healthy diet
6. Variety:
People should select foods from each of the food groups
daily and vary their choices within each food group
from day to day.
Ex, among the fruits , strawberries are especially
rich in vitamin C while apricots are rich in vitamin
A.
 Summary
 A well- planned diet delivers adequate
nutrients, a balanced array of nutrients,
and an appropriate amount of energy.
 It is based on nutrient dense foods,
moderate in substances that can be bad
for our health.