NUTRITION IS THE SCIENCE OF FOOD…

Nutrition- is the study of food in relation to health of an

individual, community or society and the process
through which food is used to sustain life and growth.
- is the science of food, the nutrients and other
substances therein their action, interaction and balance
in relation to health and disease and the processes by
which an organism ingests, digests, absorbs, transports,
utilizes and excretes food substances.
- the combination of processes by which a living
organism receives and utilizes materials or substances
needed for the maintenance of its functions and
growth and renewal of its component
Food- is any substance, organic or
inorganic, when ingested or eaten,
nourishes the body by building and
repairing tissues, supplying heat and
energy, and regulating bodily processes. It
sustain life, second to oxygen.
AS FOOD ENTERS THE BODY IT UNDERGOES A
LOT OF PROCESSES…
 Food Quality
Ideally, food must have the following qualities.
1. It is safe to eat. It is prepared under sanitary conditions,
aesthetically and scientifically.
2. It is nourishing or nutritious.
3. Its palatability factors (color, aroma, flavor and texture)
satisfy the consumer.
4. It has a satiety value.
5. It offers variety and planned within the socio-economic
context, within the budget and suitable to the lifestyle of
the person, including cultural, religious practices and
other aspects.
6. It is free from toxic agents or does not contain substances
deemed deleterious to health.
FOODS MUST BE NUTRITIOUS,CLEAN
AND PLAN WITHIN THE BUDGET
IT OFFERS VARIETY…
Nutrient- is a chemical component needed by
the body for one or more of these three general
functions:
-to provide energy, to build and repair tissues and
to regulate life processes. Nutrients are found
chiefly in foods and normal nutrition necessitates
the ingestion of nutrients from natural food
sources.
Some nutrients are manufactured in the body ( a
process called biosynthesis) while some are made
in the laboratory.
 NUTRIENT CLASSIFICATION
1. Nutrients may be classified according to
function, chemical properties, essentially
or concentration.
MAN-MADE OR SYNTHETIC VITAMINS
1. According to function- maybe body-building,
regulatory and furnish energy.
a. Body building nutrients includes water (2/3 of the
body weight), protein (1/5 or 20%), fat,
carbohydrates (1/3 or 1%), and minerals (4%).
b. Regulatory Nutrients includes all the six groups
of the nutrients. They maintain homeostasis of body
fluids and expedite metabolic processes.
c. Furnish energy are carbohydrates, fat and protein.
They are sometimes referred to as the “fuel
nutrients”. Water, minerals and vitamins do not yield
or are non-caloric nutrients.
FOODS THAT BUILD AND REPAIR
TISSUES
REGULATES BODY
PROCESSES
FOODS THAT FURNISH / PROVIDES ENERGY
2. According to chemical nature, nutrients are either
organic or inorganic.
a. Organic substances are those carbon containing
compounds with the exception of carbonate and
cyanide. Organic nutrients are: protein, fat,
carbohydrate and vitamins.
b. Inorganic compounds are minerals and water.
3. According to essentiality, the six major nutrients are
groups of individual nutrients each of which are
important physiological role in the body. A nutrients
that performs one function is equally as essential as
another nutrients with all three functions.
ALL NUTRIENTS ARE ESSENTIAL
4. According to concentration, nutrients may be termed
macronutrients or micronutrients. Water, protein, fat, and
carbohydrate are macronutrients since they are present in
relatively large amount I n the body. Micronutrients
include all the vitamins and the trace minerals, which are
measured in milligrams or fraction thereof. Major minerals
are also macronutrients. To be classified as a
macronutrient, the concentration in the body should be
above 50 parts per million or above 0.005% of body
weight.
The amounts vary according to factors like age, sex,
body size, physical activity, stay of health and specific
physiological conditions.
Enzymes- are organic catalysts that are protein in nature
and produced by living cells. A catalyst hastens
chemical reactions without itself undergoing change.
Biocatalysts like enzymes are responsible for most
chemical reactions in the body. Most enzymes are
recognized by the ending ase, like maltase, lipase and
transaminase.

Hormones- are organic substances produced by special

cells of the body which are discharged into the blood to
be circulated and brought t o a specific organs or tissues
that are remote from the source or point of manufacture.
They regulate vital processes which are highly specific.
Nutritional Status (Nutriture)
-is the condition of the body resulting from the utilization of
essential nutrients. One may be classified as having good,
fair, or poor nutriture depending upon the primary or
secondary factors.
Optimum or Good Nutrition means that the body has
adequate supply of essential nutrients that are
efficiently utilized such that growth and good health
are maintained at the highest possible level.
Malnutrition-is the opposite of good nutrition (mal-
meaning “bad”). It is a condition of the body resulting
from a lack of one or more essential nutrients (nutritional
deficiency) or it may be due to an excessive nutrient
supply to the point of creating toxic or harmful effects
(ex. Over nutrition and hypervitaminosis).
Nutritional deficiencies may be caused by primary factor or
secondary factors. Primary factor refers to a faulty diet, ex.
nutrient intake is lacking in quality and/or quantity for a given
individual. Main factors that bring about faulty diet as follows:
poverty, ignorance, poor food habits, limited food supply due to
overpopulation or low food production, poor distribution of food,
cultural taboos, and many other factors causing nutrient intake to
be less than what is needed.
The secondary factors are multiple, include all conditions
within the body that reduces the ultimate supply of nutrients
to the cells after the food goes beyond the mouth. Factors
that interfere with normal digestion are: gastrointestinal
disorder, lack of appetite
 Factors that affect metabolism and utilization in the
cells are: liver diseases, malignancy, some drugs,
alcoholism, toxins, diabetes mellitus etc. Factors that
increase excretion and result in nutrient loss are: polyuria,
excessive perspiration, certain drugs, etc.
Level of nutrition considered normal for a person could be
insufficient under a physiological or pathological condition
and may lead to nutritional deficiency unless intake in
increased or adjusted. Ex. Pregnancy, lactation, high fever,
hyperthyroidism, convalescence from illness or surgery
will require increased nutrient levels.
Environmental factors also affect nutrient needs. For
example, an extremely hot climate coupled with a
very active athlete’s physical activity demand liberal
nutrient needs, ex. A heavy smoker needs more
vitamin C than a non-smoker.
Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI-DOST)
recommends the following guidelines to
encourage proper food and nutrition practices to ensure
adequate and balanced diets to Filipinos.

1. Eat a variety of foods.

2. Breast-feed infants exclusively from birth to 4-6
months, and then give appropriate foods while
continuing breast-feed.
3. Maintain children’s normal growth
through proper diet and monitor their
growth regularly.
Monitor Children’s Growth
4. Consume fish, lean meat, poultry and
dried beans.
Dried Beans
5. Eat more vegetables, fruits and root crops.
6. Eat foods cooked in edible/cooking oil daily.
7. Consume milk, milk products and other
calcium-rich foods, such as small fish and ark
green leafy vegetables everyday.
8. Use iodized salt, nut avoid excessive intake of
salty foods.
9. Eat clean and safe foods.
10. For a healthy lifestyle and good nutrition,
exercise regularly, do not smoke and avoid
drinking alcoholic beverages.
 FOOD GUIDES: THE FOOD PYRAMID
A Qualitative tool in planning nutritious
diets for the masses. Foods containing high levels
of certain nutrients are grouped together and the
serving portions are stated in household measures
for the layman to understand.
Three main groups are:
Body-building foods, energy foods and
regulating foods.
The Body Building Foods supply good quality
proteins, some vitamins and minerals.
The Regulating Foods composed of fruits and
vegetables provide vitamins and minerals,
particularly ascorbic acid and pro-vitamin A.
The Energy Foods, composed mostly of
rice and other cereals, starches, sugars
and fats, contribute the bulk of calories.
Some fat or oil supply also essential fatty
acids and fat-soluble vitamins.
 Nutritional Guidelines are intended to:

1. Provide the general public with recommendations

about proper diet and wholesome practices to
promote god health for themselves and their family.

2. Provide those concerned with nutrition information

and education with a handy reference for their
counselling and educational services.
NUTRITIONAL LABELING

Food labels are the primary means of

communication between the producer or the
manufacturer and the purchaser or consumer.

Nutrition labelling is a description intended to

inform the consumer of nutritional properties. It
consists of two components: nutrient declaration
and supplementary nutrition information.
Purposes of Nutrition Labelling
To ensure that the nutrition labelling is effective,
the following guidelines are as follows:
1. Consumer to make a wise choice by reading the
label.
2. Manufacturer of producer to convey the nutrient
content or information on the label.
3. Manufacturer not to mislead or deceive
consumers and that, no nutrition claims are
made without approval by appropriate
authorities.
Nutrient Labelling in the Philippines
The Bureau of Food and Drug of the
Department of Health is responsible for
nutrition labelling.

Consumers should not buy packaged goods

not properly labelled, unless one assumes the
risk or responsibility of any future hazard of
eating the food. The label must include an
address of the manufacturer or distributor in
case this information is needed later on.