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Chapter 1: An Overview of Nutrition

Food Choices:

Humans are omnivores.

Significance of choices:

Humans can use a wide variety of fuels, or in other words, humans can function on a wide variety
of foods.

There are long-term consequences of poor eating choices.

Six classes of nutrients:

Nutrients chemical substances obtained from food and used in the body to provide
energy, structural material (building blocks), and regulating agents that support growth,
maintenance, and repair of the body's tissues

Nutrients may also reduce the risk of some diseases.

The six classes of nutrients are:

Carbohydrates energy yielding; calculate grams * 4 = kcal
lipids (fats) energy yielding; calculate grams * 9 = kcal
proteins energy yielding; calculate grams * 4 = kcal
vitamins
minerals
water

The first 4 are organic materials, the last 2 are inorganic materials.

Essential nutrients = foods provide them, the body cant make them

What about oxygen? Of all the things humans need (food, water, etc.), nothing brings death
quicker than O2 deprivation.

Why O2 is important: a key reactant in energy-releasing metabolic reactions:

food + O2 waste products (CO2, H2O, urea, etc.) + ENERGY

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This energy is then used for all the energy-requiring activities of animals - forming new materials,
carrying out metabolic and physical processes, motion, etc.

Oxygen Bars - An example of nutrition and health gone awry! For example, check out:
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2002/602_air.html

Energy-Yielding Nutrients:

Carbohydrates, lipids, and protein

Energy is measured in calories:

1 calorie amount of heat needed to raise 1 gram of water 1 degree centigrade (from 15.5 to
16.5 C [from 59.9 F to 61.7 F]).

kilocalorie (kcal) = 1,000 calories (heat to raise 1 liter of water 1 C).

Food calories (capital "C" Calories = kilocalories).

Book uses term "kcal"; popular press uses term
"Calorie" for "kcal".

Energy from foods (Table 1-2):

Carbohydrate provides 4 kcal/g
Fat provides 9 kcal/g
Protein provides 4 kcal/g
Alcohol provides 7 kcal/g.

454 g = 1 pound (lb), so 1 lb carbohydrate or 1 lb protein = 1,800 kcal; 1 lb fat = 4,100 kcal, 1
ounce 100-proof (50%) ethyl alcohol (contains about 15 g of alcohol) = 100 kcal.

Average daily caloric requirement 2,500 kcal/day

(2,200/day for females; 2,900/day for males).

Think metric!