WEEK 1

Nutrition in Nursing
Learning objectives:

1. Identify new terms in nutrition.

2. Mention Factors Affecting Nutrition.
3. Compare nutrition screening and nutrition
assessment.
4. List the needed nutrients by the body.
 Definitions
▶ Nutrition: The study of foods, their nutrients and other chemical
constituents, their actions within the body (including ingestion,
digestion, absorption, transport, metabolism, and excretion)
and the effects that food constituents have on health.
The Science of Nutrition: Nutrition is an interdisciplinary science
▶ Behavioral and social sciences
▶ Biological, chemical, physiology
▶ Quantitative sciences (mathematics, statistics)
Diet:
▶ The foods and beverages a person eats and drinks
▶ Food c hoices vary widely among different cultures and
societies
▶ Preference is learned, Not Instinctive -Food choices are not
driven by a need for nutrients or a well-balanced diet
▶ Humansare born with mechanisms that help determine when
and how much to eat – and a few taste preferences
▶ Newborn Tastes
▶ We c hoose foods that, based on our learning experiences,
give us pleasure
▶ We
reject foods that bring us discomfort, guilt, or unpleasant
memories
▶How Do Food ▶ Food choices often change
Choices with knowledge about good
Change? nutrition, diet, and health
▶ When Knowledge Isn’t Enough.
Changing food choices isn’t
always easy
 ▪ Age

▪ Lifestyle

Factors ▪ Ethnicity, Culture

Affecting ▪ Religious Practices

Nutrition ▪ Economics

▪ Gender

▪ Medication
The 10 Signs of Good
Nutrition
1. Appropriate Height & Weight
2. Strong Bones
3. Healthy Skin
4. Good Vision
5. Muscle Development
6. Strong Teeth
7. Shiny Hair
8. Healthy Nails
9. Sleeping Soundly
10.Being Active & Alert
Nutrional screening
A brief evaluation to identify a subset of people
at high risk.
Malnutrition risk screening
• Identifying nutritional status,
• Identify the need for nutritional intervention.
• Identifying those at risk of adverse outcomes, such as
infections, prolonged healing, or death, due to their
nutrition status
Nutrional assessment
More complex process applied to this subset to
delineate further their nutrition status.
Nutrional assessment
A nutritional assessment will acquire sufficient
information about nutrition impact symptoms (NIS),
body composition and function, stress metabolism,
psychological and psychosocial parameters, as well as
nutrition requirements to inform nutritional
diagnosis(es), goal setting, and care planning.
Nutrional assessment
Continuous assessment is also used to monitor the
effectiveness of nutrition interventions. The
components of a nutritional assessment include
anthropometric measures, biochemical parameters,
clinical evaluation and dietary history.
 Nutrients
▶ It is the
chemical substances found in
& obtained from foods, and used in
the body

Uses in body:
▶ Provide energy & structural materials
▶ Promote growth, maintain and repair
body tissues
 Types of nutrients
Food does much more that satisfy your appetite. It provides nutrients that the body
uses for growth and health.

There are six types of nutrients that fall into two broad categories:

➢Macronutrients and micronutrients.

➢Macronutrients, which are required in large amounts, include
carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
➢In contrast, micronutrients are required in
small amounts and include vitamins and
minerals. A sixth category includes water, which is essential to
life.
 ✓Carbohydrates (CHO)
✓Fats (lipids)
They are divided into six ✓Proteins
classes: ✓Vitamins
✓Minerals
✓Water
Why do we
eat what we
eat?
❖ Each nutrient is important, but none works alone. For example, carbohydrates,

proteins, and fats are necessary for energy, but to provide it, they need the

help of vitamins, minerals, and water.

❖ Proteins are essential for building and repairing body tissue, but without vitamins,

minerals, and water, they are ineffective.

❖ Foods that contain substantial amounts of nutrients are described as nutritious or

nourishing.

❖ Nourishing: food that containing substances necessary for growth, health, and good

condition.
Give examples
for source for
each type of
nutrients?
There are several ways to classify the nutrients.

❖ Essential or nonessential
❖ Organic or inorganic
❖ Macronutrient or micronutrient
❖ Energy yielding or not
 NONESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS

▪Substances required for

▪Substances required by
normal growth and health
that the body the body that the body
cannot produce (or
▪can manufacture in produce in sufficient
sufficient amounts from
other sources in the diet amounts) and must be
obtained in the diet
▪Do not require a dietary
source
•The presence or
absence of carbon is
what differentiates
organic nutrients from
inorganic nutrients.
Carbohydrates, lipids,
proteins and vitamins
have carbon in their
structure, making them
organic. Water and
minerals do not, so they
are inorganic.
Organic vs. Inorganic Nutrients
•Macronutrients:
need in relatively large
amounts
Carbohydrates, lipids,
proteins

•Micronutrients:
need in relatively
small amounts
All other nutrient
Energy-Yielding Nutrients

▶Carbohydrates 4 kcal/g
▶ Calorie(kilocalorie
▶ Fat 9 kcal/g
or large Calorie)
▶ Protein 4 kcal/g
Unit of measure of
the amount of
energy supplied by
food
▶Vitamins:Facilitate the release of energy from
other sources and have other functions
▶Minerals Also act as a catalyst for release of
energy, and have other roles
▶Water—transport medium For all bodily
processes
 Other Substances in Food

Food also contains other chemicals such as phytochemicals.

Phytochemicals (phytonutrients)
▪Chemical substances in plants that perform important functions in the
human body
▪Give plants color and flavor Enable plants to grow and protect
themselves against insects and disease
▪ Some are antioxidants
Antioxidants
- Chemical substances that prevent or repair cell
damage caused by oxidizing agents such as
environmental pollutants, smoke, ozone and oxygen
- It Includes pigments such as lycopene,
anthocyanins, and beta-arotene
Good Sources of Phytochemicals
- It protects cardiac disease, cancer,…
THANK YOU