CHAPTER 1

THE BASICS OF
UNDERSTANDING
NUTRITION
 What is Nutrition?
•Nutrition
• The sum of all processes involved in how
organisms obtain nutrients, metabolize
them, and use them to support all of life’s
processes
•Health
• A state of complete physical, mental and
social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease.
 What is Nutrition?
• Health Promotion
• Activities and habits (physical activity, healthy sleep habits, and a
healthy diet) that can assist in the promotion of health
• Disease Prevention
Nutrients in Foods
• Classes of nutrients
• Carbohydrates
• Fats
• Proteins
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Water

• Essential nutrients
• Must be obtained from food
 Nutrients in foods

• Energy-yielding nutrients
• Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats
• Vitamins and minerals
• Do NOT yield energy
• Regulate the release of energy and other
aspects of metabolism
• Water-soluble vitamins: B vitamins and
vitamin C
• Fat-soluble vitamins: vitamins A, D, E, and K
• Water: medium for the body’s processes
Caloric values of carbohydrates,
proteins, fats and alcohol
Vitamins
Vitamins
Water-soluble Fat-soluble
B vitamins Vitamin A
Thiamin Vitamin D

Riboflavin Vitamin E
Niacin Vitamin K
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12
Folate
Biotin
Pantothenic acid
Vitamin C
Minerals
Minerals
Major minerals Trace minerals
Calcium Chromium
Chloride Copper
Magnesium Fluoride
Phosphorus Iodine
Potassium Iron
Sodium Manganese
Sulfur Molybdenum
Selenium
Zinc
 Nutrition and health promotion
• Malnutrition
• Forms of
dietary
excess and
imbalance
• Diet-related
diseases: heart
disease, cancer,
stroke, diabetes,
and hypertension

Overnutrition
• Contributes to obesity and dental disease
• Leads to increased deaths, hospitalization, disability,
and poor quality of life
Diet significantly influences risk for 5 of
the top 10 leading causes of death
in the United States
 Nutrition and health promotion
• Degenerative disease: chronic disease
characterized by deterioration of body organs as a
result of misuse and neglect

• Contributing factors: poor eating habits, smoking,

lack of exercise, and other lifestyle habits
• Examples: heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis,
and diabetes
Healthy Aging
 Eating to Beat the Odds
Dietary Recommendation To Help Reduce the Risk of . . .
Fat
• Reduce total fat intake to 20%–35% of
total calories, but derived mostly from
oils. Some types of cancer, obesity, heart
• Keep trans fat intake as low as possible. disease, and possibly gallbladder
• Reduce saturated fat intake to less than disease.
10% of calories and consume as little
cholesterol as possible (300 mg daily)
while consuming a healthy eating
pattern.
Weight: Diabetes, high blood pressure,
• Achieve and maintain a healthy weight. stroke, cancers (especially breast
• Balance caloric intake with physical and uterine), osteoarthritis, and
activity to manage weight. gallbladder disease.
Carbohydrates and Fiber:
• Increase consumption of fruits,
vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Diabetes, heart disease, and some
• Increase whole-grain intake by replacing types of cancer.
refined grains with whole grains.
 Eating to Beat the Odds
Dietary Recommendation To Help Reduce the Risk of . . .
Sodium and Potassium:
• Limit daily intake of salt. High blood pressure and stroke.
• Increase food sources of potassium
such as fresh fruits and vegetables.

Alcohol: Heart disease, high blood pressure,

liver disease, stroke, some forms of
Avoid completely or drink only in cancer, and malformations in babies
moderation. born to mothers who drink alcohol
during pregnancy.

Sugar:
• Choose and prepare foods and
beverages with little added sugars or Tooth decay and gum disease.
caloric sweeteners.
• Aim for less than 10% of total calories
from sugars.

Calcium and Vitamin D: Maintain Osteoporosis (adult bone loss) and

adequate calcium and vitamin D intakes. d bone fractures.
 Nutrition and Health Promotion
• Lifestyle elements for optimal quality of life and
longevity

• Avoiding excess alcohol

• Not smoking
• Maintaining a healthful weight
• Exercising regularly
• Sleeping seven to eight hours
a night
• Eating breakfast
• Eating nutritious, regular meals
 National Agenda for Improving
Nutrition and Health
• Lifestyle behaviors
• Based on personal choices, habits, and customs:
shaped by social forces
• Health promotion
• Focuses on changing human behavior: eat healthful
diets, be active, get regular rest, etc.
• Healthy People 2020
• National health agenda
• Priorities for maintaining good health
 Goals of Healthy People 2020
1. Help all Americans live high-quality, longer
lives free of disease.
2. Eliminate health disparities.
3. Create environments that promote good health.
4. Promote health behaviors across all ages.

Objectives set to help achieve these four goals for

nutrition and weight, activity, and food safety.

Are they working?

 How are we doing in meeting
Healthy People 2020 objectives?
• Half of Americans have one or more lifestyle-
related disease.
• More than two-thirds of adults are overweight
or obese and one-third of children and teens.
• Current diet:
–LOW in vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.
–HIGH in sodium, calories, unhealthy fats, and added
sugars.
• One-third of adults get no regular physical
activity.
 National Agenda for Improving
Nutrition and Health
Changes since Healthy People 2010
(published in 2000)

Life expectancy Increased from 76 to 78.7 years

Death rates for heart disease, stroke, Have declined

and certain types of cancer

Obesity Has increased: more than one-third of

the population

Physical activity Lower: 36 % engage in no leisure-time

physical activity

Consumption of fruits, vegetables, and No improvement

whole grains
Prevalence¶ of Self-Reported Obesity Among U.S. Adults by State
and Territory, BRFSS, 2015

*Sample size <50 or the relative standard error (dividing the standard error by the prevalence) ≥ 30%.

¶
Prevalence estimates reflect BRFSS methodological changes started in 2011. These estimates should not be
compared to prevalence estimates before 2011.
Prevalence¶ of Self-Reported Obesity Among U.S. Adults by
State and Territory, BRFSS, 2016

*Sample size <50 or the relative standard error (dividing the standard error by the prevalence) ≥ 30%.
¶
Prevalence estimates reflect BRFSS methodological changes started in 2011. These estimates should not be
compared to prevalence estimates before 2011.
Prevalence¶ of Self-Reported Obesity Among U.S. Adults by
State and Territory, BRFSS, 2017

¶
Prevalence estimates reflect BRFSS methodological changes started in 2011. These estimates should not be
compared to prevalence estimates before 2011.

*Sample size <50 or the relative standard error (dividing the standard error by the prevalence) ≥ 30%.
 Understanding Our Food Choices
• Hunger: the
physiological need for
food.
• Appetite: the
psychological desire
to eat, which is often
but not always
accompanied by
hunger.
Understanding Our Food Choices
• Availability
• Income, food prices, and convenience
• Low income households at risk for undernutrition
• Most convenience foods are more expensive than
healthful foods, e.g., fruits and vegetables
• Consumer’s perception plays a role in his or her food
choices
 Understanding Our Food Choices
• Barriers to healthful eating
• Healthful foods are not always
available from fast-food
restaurants
• It costs more to eat healthful
foods
• I’m too busy to eat healthfully
• I hear too much conflicting
information
• Healthful foods don’t taste as
good
• The people I eat with do no
eat healthful foods
 Understanding Our Food Choices
• Advertising and the
media
• Powerful role in influencing
food choices
• Aimed at selling products
not at promoting healthful
eating
• Television: #1 source of
nutrition information
• Social and cultural
factors
• Influence of family, friends,
and coworkers
• Importance of religious
customs
 Consumer Sources
of Nutrition Information
 How Do You Tell If It’s Nutrition Fact
or Nutrition Fiction?
• Ask these questions
– Where is the study published?
– How recent is the study?
– What research methods were employed?
• Epidemiological study
• Intervention study
• Correlations
• Control group
• Placebo
 Nutrition Fact or Nutrition Fiction?

• What was the size of the study?

• Who were the subjects?
• Does a consensus of published studies support the
results reported in the news?
 Nutrition Fact or Nutrition Fiction?

• Use the CARS checklist to determine

reliability/quality
– Credibility
– Accuracy
– Reasonableness
– Support
• Seek the advice of a registered dietitian
– Check for diploma earned from an accredited
institution