Module Objectives:

1. Determine the different basic food groups and how they affect
the body’s chemical and physical processes.
2. Identify the role of food and fluids in providing energy and
nutrients necessary for daily activities.

Key Concepts
Basic Nutritional Terms:
• Nutrition: The study of how food interacts with the body,
focusing on the nutrients that food provides and their roles in
maintaining health, preventing disease, and supporting growth
and repair.
• Food: Any substance consumed to provide nutritional support
for the body. Food typically contains essential nutrients such as
carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals.
• Nutrient: Chemical components in food necessary for energy,
growth, repair, and regulation of bodily functions. Nutrients
include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and
water.
• Digestion: The breakdown of food into smaller components,
both mechanically (chewing) and chemically (enzymes), so the
body can absorb nutrients.
• Absorption: The process through which nutrients from digested
food pass into the bloodstream, primarily occurring in the small
intestine.
• Metabolism: A set of life-sustaining chemical reactions that
convert food into energy and building blocks for growth, repair,
and maintenance.
• Calorie: A unit of energy. In food, calories measure the amount
of energy the food provides when consumed.
• Malnutrition: A condition that results from a lack or excess of
nutrients, leading to an imbalance that negatively affects health.
 This can include undernutrition (e.g., lack of vitamins) or
overnutrition (e.g., obesity).
TOPIC: THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
1. Mouth:
o Digestion begins with chewing (mechanical digestion) and
mixing food with saliva (chemical digestion). Saliva
contains the enzyme amylase, which breaks down starch
into smaller sugar molecules like maltose.
2. Pharynx and Esophagus:
o The pharynx (throat) acts as a pathway for food to move
from the mouth to the esophagus. The esophagus uses
peristalsis (wave-like muscle contractions) to move food
down to the stomach.
3. Stomach:
o In the stomach, food is mixed with gastric juices
(hydrochloric acid and enzymes like pepsin) to form a
semi-liquid mixture called chyme. This continues the
breakdown of proteins and prepares food for absorption in
the small intestine.
4. Small Intestine:
o The main site for nutrient absorption. The small intestine
is divided into three parts:
▪ Duodenum: Where most chemical digestion
occurs.
▪ Jejunum and Ileum: Where most nutrients
(carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals)
are absorbed into the bloodstream via villi.
5. Large Intestine:
o Absorbs water and forms waste (feces). Beneficial
bacteria in the colon produce vitamins and help digest
certain foods.

TOPIC: NUTRIENTS OF THE FOOD THAT WE EAT

 Carbohydrates

- are the body’s main source of energy, providing 4 calories per

gram. They are crucial for brain function and physical activity.

Classification of Carbohydrates

A. Simple Carbohydrates (sugar) - Consist of one or two sugar

molecules.
1. Monosaccharide — it is the simplest sugar. Glucose,
fructose and maltose are some examples of monosaccharide.

A. Glucose
- major sugar in the blood
- It is found in fruits, honey, corn syrup, and some
vegetables.
- It also exists as the repeating glucose units in starch,
cellulose and glycogen.
- Refined glucose, also as called dextrose in the food
industry, is used in the production of candies, beverages,
baked goods, canned fruits, and alcoholic beverages.
- major ingredient of corn syrup

B. Fructose
 - also known as fruit sugar or laevulose, is primarily found
in fruits as well as honey.
- is the sweetest of all sugars, but it is rarely used in
cooking.
- High-fructose corn syrup is the preferred and dominant
sweetening agent in soft drinks.

C. Galactose
Galactose is not found in free foods. Galactose is part of
lactose, the sugar found in milk and dairy products.
Lactose is a disaccharide containing a molecule of
galactose and glucose. Galactose is produced when the
lactose breakdown.

2. Disaccharide - is the sugar formed when two monosaccharides

(simple sugars) are joined by a chemical bond. Like
monosaccharides, disaccharides are soluble in water.

A. Sucrose
- table sugar, the product most people think of when they
use the word sugar.
- sucrose is one glucose molecule and one fructose
molecule linked together.

B. Lactose
- a sugar that is naturally found in milk and milk products,
like cheese or ice cream. About 5 percent of fluid milk is
lactose, or milk sugar.
- consists of a glucose molecule bound to a galactose
molecule.

C. Maltose
- malt sugar, is formed when two glucose molecules are linked
together.
- primarily used in the manufacture of beer and breakfast cereals,
as well as in some other products.

B. Complex Carbohydrates - Made of long chains of sugar

molecules (polysaccharides). Found in whole grains, legumes,
and vegetables (starches and fibers).

1. Starch (digestible complex carbohydrate)

- is a large number of glucose units linked together in long chain.
Grains, such as wheat, rice, corn, and oats are the richest
source of starches. Other sources include legumes (dry beans
and peas) and starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, yams, and
corn. We refer to these foods as “starchy” food. Starchy foods
are very important because they contain a variety of nutrients,
including vitamins, minerals, water, and fiber. Starch consists of
a mixture of amylose (straight chain) and amylopectin (branched
chain).

2. Fiber (indigestible complex carbohydrates)

- Dietary fiber consists of two types necessary for good health:
soluble and insoluble fiber.

1. Soluble fiber - attracts water and turns to gel during

digestion. This slows digestion. Soluble fiber is found in
oats, citrus fruits, apples, barley, psyllium, flax seeds, and
beans. This type of fiber absorbs the most water, which
helps to soften stools. Below are some of the health benefits
of soluble fiber.
✓ Lowering cholesterol
✓ Stabilizing blood sugar (glucose) levels
✓ Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease
✓ Feeding healthy gut bacteria

2. Insoluble fiber - is found in whole grains and whole grain

flours, wheat bran, nuts, and vegetables. It adds bulk to the
 stool and appears to help food pass more quickly through
the stomach and intestines.
✓ Preventing constipation
✓ Lowering the risk of diverticular disease

Proteins

- Proteins get their name from the Greek word proteos, which
means "prime importance." The body can produce most of the
carbohydrates (except fiber) and lipids (except a few essential
fatty acids).
- One way to differentiate protein from carbohydrates and fat is
that proteins contain nitrogen atoms. These nitrogen atoms
give the amino acids the name "amino," which means
"containing nitrogen."
- Proteins are made of amino acids and are essential for building
and repairing tissues, supporting immune function, and
regulating bodily processes. Proteins provide 4 calories per
gram.

Types of Amino Acids

1. Essential amino acids—these are amino acids not produced in
the human body and must instead be obtained from food.
 2. Nonessential amino acids— these are amino acids that are
synthesized by our own body

Complete Protein vs Incomplete Protein

1. Complete Proteins: Contain all nine essential amino acids.
Found in animal products such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy.
2. Incomplete Proteins: Lack one or more essential amino acids.
Found in plant-based foods like legumes, nuts, and grains.

Fats (Lipids)

- Fats provide 9 calories per gram and are essential for absorbing
fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), protecting organs, and
maintaining body temperature.
- Fat is not a bad thing. In fact, our bodies need fat to survive.
However, eating too much fat increases our risk of developing
heart disease and becoming obese. The fats and oils found in
foods are classified as lipids. Let's look at how fat differs from oil.

1. Fats—are solid at room temperature except for fish oil

which remains liquid at room temperature and are typically
derived from animals.
2. Oil— are liquid and are primarily derived from plants
except for coconut oil and palm which can become solid
at cooler temperature
Types of Fats:
1. Saturated Fats: Solid at room temperature; found in animal
products (butter, cheese). Excess consumption can raise
cholesterol levels.
2. Unsaturated Fats: Liquid at room temperature; found in plant
oils, nuts, and fish (e.g., olive oil, avocados, salmon). These
fats help reduce cholesterol levels.
3. Trans Fats: Artificial fats that increase bad cholesterol and are
harmful to heart health. Found in processed foods.
Fatty acids based on the degree of saturation
1. Saturated fatty acids—Saturated fatty acids (SFA) contain no
double bond.
2. Monounsaturated fatty acid - contains one double bond.
3. Polyunsaturated fatty acids - have two or more double
bonds in the carbon chain

Vitamins

- Vitamins are organic compounds that the body needs in small

amounts to function properly.
• Fat-Soluble Vitamins (A, D, E, K): Stored in the body's fatty
tissues; excess can lead to toxicity.
• Water-Soluble Vitamins (B-complex, C): Not stored in the
body; excess is excreted in urine, so regular intake is
necessary.
• Functions: Support immune function, maintain skin and
vision, and promote bone health.

Enrichment and Fortification:

• Enrichment: The process of adding back nutrients that were lost
during food processing (e.g., adding B vitamins back to refined
flour).
• Fortification: Adding nutrients to foods that were not originally
present (e.g., adding iodine to salt or vitamin D to milk).

Minerals

- Minerals are involved in numerous chemical reactions, and they

do not contribute calories to the diet. But, unlike vitamins,
minerals aren’t destroyed by heat; thus, cooking doesn’t affect
the mineral content of a food.
1. Major Minerals: Needed in larger amounts greater than
100mg/day. (e.g., calcium, potassium, sodium).

2. Trace Minerals: Needed in smaller amounts less than

100mg/day. (e.g., iron, zinc, iodine).
 Water

- Water is the most essential nutrient, making up about 60% of the

human body. It plays a crucial role in digestion, nutrient
transportation, waste removal, and temperature regulation.
- Recommended Intake: 8 glasses per day, though more is
required for physically active individuals.

Below are some important functions of water in our body

1. Composition of body fluids — Water is the main component of
fluids such as blood, saliva, urine, gastric juices in the stomach,
and amniotic fluid in pregnant women.
2. Lubrication – Water helps lubricate joints and moisten eyes and
mucous membranes.
3. Regulation of body temperature — Thanks to water, the
human body can maintain a fairly constant temperature of about
98.6ºF. When your body needs to get rid of excess heat, you lose
water in the form of sweat, like the water in your car’s radiator.
So, in hot, humid weather, or when you exercise vigorously, you
perspire to cool down. To make sure you do not overheat, you
need to drink plenty of water.
4. Removal of waste products — Most waste products and
unwanted substances in our bodies are water-soluble. Water
carries these substances out of the body via the urine.