NUTRITION

Nutrition is the science that studies

nutrients- (chemical) substances
found in food that nourish the body by
functions such as
Promoting growth
Maintenance and repair of the body
Facilitating body functions such as
digestion and metabolism
Providing energy
Categories of nutrients
Carbohydrates
Lipids (fats and cholesterol)
Proteins
Vitamins
Minerals
Water
 Macronutrients
The essential nutrients that provide calories
or energy and they are needed in larger
quantities than other nutrients
(carbohydrates, lipids and proteins)
Calorie (kcal) is the way to describe the
amount of energy in the food
Calorimeter is the device called to
measure the number of calories in the food,
which burns the food and measures the
heat of the food gives off; and estimate how
food would be burned in the body is
calculated
The result of the calculation are the
calorie designations assigned to the
energy nutrients but numbers are only
estimates (1 gram pure fat-9 kcal)
The calorie content of a food may not be
easily determined because most of the
foods are combination of carbohydrates,
proteins and fats; unless we know how
much of each nutrient the food contains
We have to rely on the scientific
measurement of calorimeter to determine
the calories in a food or serving dish
 Micronutrients
These are essential nutrients that must
be provided through the diet because
the body cannot manufacture them in
adequate quantities to ensure good
health
They are only needed in small quantities
(vitamins and minerals)
Provide no calories but are important to
the body in generating the energy from
the foods we eat.
I. Carbohydrates
Made up of molecules of carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen and are found
exclusively in a plant foods
One exception – the sugar in milk
(lactose) is also a carbohydrate
Classified as simple carbohydrates
and complex carbohydrates
Simple Carbohydrates (sugars)
Monosaccharide – single sugars such
as glucose, fructose, and maltose
Disaccharide – double sugars such as
sucrose, galactose and lactose
These carbohydrates are found in the
naturally occurring sugars in fruit,
vegetables and milk, as well as
sweeteners such as honey, corn syrup
and table sugar
 Sugars
MONOSACAHARIDES DISACCHARIDES
Glucose (blood sugar) Lactose ( milk sugar

Fructose (fruit sugar) composed of

glucose and
Galactose (parts of milk galactose)
sugar) Maltose (malt sugar
composed of
two glucose
molecules)
Sucrose (table sugar
composed of
glucose and
 Complex Carbohydrates
(Polysaccharides)
Composed of long chains of
monosaccharide glucose. (fiber and
starch)
These are found in fruit, vegetables and
cereal grains such as wheat, barley and
oats.
The body digests (breaks down) the
sugars and starches into the single
sugar glucose (an important source
of energy in the body)
Starch
The chief food reserve of plants and is
converted as required (by the plant) into
sugar (evident in fruit ripening)
Stored in stem as in sago palm, in tubers as
in potatoes and cassava, in fruits as in
banana and in seeds as in rice
Cellulose
The chief structural carbohydrate of plants
Found in all foods of vegetable origin
Responsible for the rigid structure of
vegetable and the crisp texture of salads
Pectin
Complex carbohydrate present in fruits
Found in fruits like papaya, apple, guava
and citrus in high quantities
Present in fruits that are rare ripe to ripe
Overripe fruits lose the pectin because
of the conversion to pectic acid
When boiled with sugar and at the right
acidity, it becomes a jelly
Fiber
Generally comes from the seeds and cell walls
of fruits, vegetables and cereal grains and is not
digested
Types of fiber are the soluble (starch) and
insoluble (cellulose)
Fiber-containing foods are usually composed of
both kinds with one kind predominating
It passes through the digestive tract running
smoothly
Insoluble fiber (whole wheat) increases fecal
bulk, which encourages proper elimination
of waste products from the large intestines
Insoluble fiber may prevent colon
cancer by reducing the time that
potentially dangerous carcinogens stay
in contact with the walls of the
intestines
Soluble fiber, which forms a gel-type
substance in the digestive tract, helps
reduce serum cholesterol by helping to
remove the cholesterol from the
body, which lessens the risk for
heart disease
 Carbohydrates in Food
Carbohydrate Food Source Quality Imparted to
Food
Glucose Honey, grain, corn Sweetness
Fructose Honey, fruits Sweetness, prevent
crystallization
Sucrose Jams, candies Sweetness
Starch Flour, pudding Thickness, body
Cellulose Salad, vegetables Bulk, crispness
Pectin Fruit Jelly formation
Edible gum Various plants Thickening,
emulsifying
Caramel Heated sugar Color and flavor
Fiber Cereal vegetables Bulk
II. Lipids
Composed of carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen
Differs from carbohydrates in the
number of arrangement of the
carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms
Fats are lipid and found in both
animal and plant foods though fruit
contains very little fat
Fats provide calories, help carry
fat-soluble vitamins and give food a
creamy, pleasant mouth feel
A healthy diet contains moderate
amount of fat and some forms of fat
are considered essential
Cholesterol is found only in foods of
animal origin
It is not considered as essential
nutrient nor does it contribute calories
An important component of many
regulatory substances in the body
as well as a component of structural
parts
It has indispensable functions in the
body
 Classification of Fats
Saturated fat
If saturated fat is the most abundant kind of
fats (as in the fat surrounding muscle
meats), the food is classified as high in
saturated fat even though it contains a
mixture of all the three kinds
Found mainly in animal products such as
milk, eggs and meats, as well as in coconut
and palm oil
Another source are butter, lard and other
animal fats
Monounsaturated fats
Come primarily from plants and plant
foods such as avocados and olives
and the oils made from them
Vegetable oils and olive oils are high in
this kind of fat
Polyunsaturated fats
Found in plants (soy and corn) and fish
Cottonseed, sunflower, corn and
safflower oils are high in this kind of fat
III. Proteins
Found in both animal and plant foods
Differ from carbohydrates and lipids in that
they contain nitrogen as well as carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen
The chains consist of amino acids, the
building blocks of protein
There are 20 amino acids, 9 of which are
essential for healthy adults
Specific combination of amino acids gives
each protein its unique characteristics and
properties
Necessary for manufacturing,
maintaining and repairing body
tissues
Essential for the periodic replacement of
the outer layer of skin as well as for
blood clotting and scar tissue formation
Hair and nails, which provide a protective
cover of the body, are composed of
proteins
Regulate the balance of water, acids
and bases, and moves nutrients in
and out of cells
Produce antibodies, which are
necessary for combating diseases
Form the enzymes that act as
catalyst for body functions and the
hormones that help direct body
processes
 IV. Vitamins
These are dietary substances needed
for regulation of metabolism and for
normal growth and body functions
Essential and noncaloric and are
needed in the body in small amounts
There are 13 vitamins, essential for
functions in the human body
Vitamin Function Source

Vitamin Keeps skin healthy; Deep yellow and

A protects mouth and orange vegetables;
nose linings; green vegetables;
supports immune deep orange fruits;
functioning egg yolks, liver,
fortified milk
Vitamin Helps body absorb Fortified milk,
D calcium; regulates butter, some fish,
calcium and oils, egg yolks
phosphorous in the (exposure to
bones; assists bone sunlight)
neutralization
Vitamin E Antioxidant; Vegetable oils,
protects whole grains, dark
membranes and leafy vegetables,
cell walls wheat germ, nuts,
seeds, whole grains
Vitamin K Assists blood- Liver, dark green
clotting proteins leafy vegetables
(bacteria in the
Vitamin C Supports immune intestinal tract also
(Ascorbic system produce vitamin K)
Acid) functioning; repairs Citrus fruits, green
connective tissues, vegetables,
promotes healing; strawberries,
assists amino acid tomatoes, broccoli,
metabolism potatoes
Thiamin Assists energy Meats (especially
(Vitamin metabolism; pork), legumes,
B1) supports nervous whole grains
system functioning

Riboflavin Assist energy Milk, cheese, yogurt,

(Vitamin metabolism fish, enriched grain
B2) breads and cereals,
dark green leafy
vegetables
Meats, poultry, fish,
Niacin Promotes normal
dark green
(Vitamin digestion, supports vegetables, whole-
B3) nervous system grain or enriched
functioning; assists breads and cereals,
energy metabolism nuts
Vitamin Necessary for Meats, fish,
B6 protein metabolism poultry, shellfish,
and red blood cell whole grains,
formation dark green
vegetables,
potatoes and liver
Helps produce red Animal foods
Vitamin blood cells, assists only, particularly
B12 metabolism milk, eggs,
poultry and fish
 Folate Necessary for Orange juice,
protein metabolism dark green
leafy
vegetables,
organ meats,
legume, seeds
Biotin Coenzyme in Widespread in
energy foods
metabolism,
glycogen synthesis
and fat metabolism
Pantothenic Coenzyme in Widespread in
Acid energy metabolism foods
 Two categories of Vitamins
Fat-soluble
Vitamin A, D, E, and K (found in foods containing
fats)
Excess supplies of these vitamins may be stored
in fatty tissues and the liver
Water-soluble
Vitamin C and B complex vitamins (B1 B2 B3 B12
B6) Pantothenic acid, biotin and folate
Not stored and the excess may be excreted in
the urine
Deficiencies develop more rapidly when intake is
not sufficient
 V. Minerals
Cannot be manufactured by the body
Obtained through eating plants that have
drawn minerals from the ground or the flesh of
animals that have eaten such plants
A critical component in hard and soft
tissues (Calcium, magnesium, phosphorous
in bones and teeth)
Regulates necessary body functions (nerve
impulses through an exchange of sodium and
potassium ions in the nerve cells)
Categories of Minerals
Trace minerals
Needed in only very small amounts
Example is Iron
Major minerals
Needed in relatively larger quantities
Example is Calcium
 Major Functions Sources
Minerals
Calcium Helps build bones Dairy products,
and teeth, helps canned
blood clot, promotes sardines,
muscle and nerve broccoli, tofu,
functions turnips
Magnesium Muscle contraction, Green leafy
assists energy vegetables,
metabolism, bone whole grains,
formation legumes, fish,
shellfish, cocoa
Phosphorus Helps build bones All animal
and teeth, assists in tissues, milk,
energy metabolism, legumes and
formation of DNA nuts
Potassium Maintains electrolyte Meats, poultry,
and fluid balance, fish, fruits
promotes normal (bananas,
body functions, oranges),
assists protein legumes,
metabolism vegetables
Sodium Maintains normal Salt, soy sauce,
fluid balance, meats, milk,
necessary for nerve processed
impulse transmission foods, MSG
Chloride With sodium, involved in Salt, soy sauce,
fluid balance, a meats, milk,
component of stomach processed foods
acid
Sulfur Component of some All-protein
proteins, insulin, and the containing foods
vitamins biotin and
thiamin
Trace Function Sources
Minerals
Iron Part of hemoglobin, Liver, meats,
prevents anemia shellfish, enriched
breads and
cereals and
legumes
Zinc Component of Protein foods,
insulin, enhances whole-grain
healing, component breads and
of many enzymes, cereals, fish,
involved in taste shellfish, poultry,
perception, bone vegetables
formation
Selenium Antioxidant Fish, shellfish,
meats, eggs,
grains
Iodine Component of Iodized salt, fish,
thyroid hormone shellfish, bread
Copper Facilitates iron Meats, fish, shellfish,
absorption, part of nuts and seeds
enzymes
Fluoride For bone and teeth Fluoridated drinking
formation, helps teeth water, fish, shellfish
resist tooth decay
Chromium Insulin cofactor Liver, whole grains,
brewer’s yeast, nuts,
oils,
Molybde-num Cofactor in Legumes, cereals
metabolism
Manganese Cofactor in Whole grains, nuts,
metabolism organ meats
Cobalt Component of Vitamin Liver, shellfish, lean,
B12 beef, seafood, eggs,
dairy, poultry,
fermented soybeans
 VI. Water
Necessary for transporting nutrients and
wastes throughout the body
Cushions the cells, lubricates the joints,
maintains stable body temperatures and
assists waste elimination
Promotes the functioning of the nervous
system and muscles
Predominant nutrient by weight in most foods
(tomatoes, oranges, watermelon and lettuce)
Dried fruits, nuts and seeds are lower in
water content
Chicken and bread also provide some
water
Body produces water when other nutrients
are metabolized for energy
Adult living in temperate climate should
consume at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a
day
People who exercise, those who live in
warm climate and elderly should drink even
more to replace body water lost through
sweat
References:
Hause, Alan M. and Labensky, Sarah
R. On Cooking. 4th ed. Prentice Hall
De Leon, Sonia Y., Claudio, Virginia S.,
Chavez, Libia L. and Guzman, Matilde
P. 1999. Basic Foods for Filipinos. 3rd
ed. Merriam & Webster Bookstore Inc.