Role

 of  Carbohydrates  in  Good  Nutri5on  

The  word  "carbohydrate"  means  "carbon  plus  water."    
Plants  use  sunlight  (photosynthesis)  to  convert  water  and  carbon  dioxide  into  carbohydrates  and  oxygen.  
Key  Func)ons  
•  When  your  body  needs  energy,  it  looks  for  carbohydrates  first.    
•  Carbohydrates  also  protect  your  muscles  and  help  regulate  the  amount  of  sugar  circula5ng  in  your  blood  
so  that  all  the  cells  get  the  energy  they  need.    
 
How  body  uses  Carbohydrates  
•  All  diges5ble  carbohydrates  are  turned  into  glucose  in  your  body.  This  blood  sugar  is  carried  by  the  blood  
to  every  cell  in  your  body.  
•  Glucose  is  oxidized  in  your  body  to  produce  energy,  carbon  dioxide  and  water.  ß  Oxida5on  
•  If  you  have  more  glucose  than  your  body  needs  it  is  converted  to  glycogen.  
•  When  the  body  needs  more  energy  it  is  changed  back  into  glucose.  ß  Respira5on    
•  If  you  have  more  glucose  and  all  the  glycogen  sites  are  filled,  the  extra  glucose  is  stored  into  fat  

Requirement    
Carbohydrates  typically  consist  of  40  -­‐  60%  of  your  total  caloric  intake.  
Research  suggests  that  adult  individuals  should  consume  a  minimum  of  120  -­‐  125  grams  of  carbohydrates  per  
day  to  sa5sfy  basic  needs.    

 
 Types  of  Carbohydrates  
Types  of  Carbohydrates  
There  are  2  groups  of  carbohydrates  –  simple  and  complex  

Carbohydrates  

Simple  (Saccharides)   Complex  (Polysaccharides)  

Monosaccharides  (single  
sugar  molecule)   Disaccharides  (double  sugar  
molecule)  
Fruit  sugar  (fructose),   Starches   Dietary  fiber  (not  a  nutrient)  
glucose  (blood  sugar)  and   Sucrose  (table  sugar),  
Lactose  (milk  sugar),  Maltose  
galactose  (found  in  milk  
products)   (found  in  sprouted  grain)  

Soluble  (pec5n)   Insoluble  (cellulose)  

 Role  of  Fats  in  Good  Nutri)on  
Fats  are  essen5al  for  good  health.    
Key  Func)ons  
•  Fats  are  needed  as  stored  energy,    
•  to  transport  some  vitamins,    
•  to  keep  your  skin  healthy,    
•  to  insulate  your  body  from  cold  and    
•  to  cushion  your  body  from  injury  

Fat  Facts  
•   Fats  are  made  of  2  kinds  of  chemicals  FaZy  acids  and  glycerol.  Again  they  are  made  of  Carbon,  Hydrogen  
and  Oxygen.    
•  Fats  are  called  Triglycerides  because  they  are  a  combina5on  of  3  faAy  acid  molecules  plus  1  glycerol  
•  Even  though  fats  are  good  for  you,  not  all  fats  are  good  for  you.  Some  FaZy  Acids    are  essen5al  (which  
means  that  body  cannot  make  them).  The  more  unsaturated  the  fat  is,  the  healthier  it  is.  Our  bodies  can  
produce  both  monounsaturated  and  saturated  fats.  Polyunsaturated  fats,  or  essen5al  faZy  acids,  cannot  be  
produced  in  the  body  and  must  come  from  the  diet    
 
 
Requirement  
•  Keep  total  fat  intake  between  20  and  35  percent  of  calories,  with  most  fats  coming  from  sources  of  
polyunsaturated  and  monounsaturated  faZy  acids,  such  as  fish,  nuts,  and  vegetable  oils.    
•  Consume  less  than  10  percent  of  calories  from  saturated  fats.    
•  Consume  less  than  300  mg/day  of  cholesterol.    
•  Keep  trans  faZy  acid  consump5on  as  low  as  possible.  Any  packaged  goods  containing  "par5ally-­‐hydrogenated  
vegetable  oils,"  "hydrogenated  vegetable  oils,"  or  "shortening"  most  likely  contain  trans  fats.  
 Types  of  fats   In  addi5on  there  are  unnatural  
compounds  produced  when  oils  are  
hydrogenated  to  increase  shelf  life  
and  decrease  refrigera5on  
requirements.  These  are  called  Trans-­‐
Fats  or  Par5ally  hydrogenated  oils  or  
Fats   shortening.  These  are  the  worst  kinds  
of  fat  and  are  found  in  margarines,  
fast  food,  snack  food,  fried  food  and  
bakery  goods.    

Unsaturated  
(double  bonds)  

Saturated  (no  
double  bonds)  
Animal  Fats   Plant  fats  

Animal  Fats   Plant  Fats  

Polyunsaturated   Monounsaturated   Polyunsaturated  

BuZer,  cream,  
eggs,  lard,  cheese,   Coconut,  palm  oil,  
fat  in  meats  or   chocolate   Walnuts,  corn  oil,  
poultry   Olive  oil,  peanut   safflower  oil,  
fish   oil,  canola  oil   soybean  oil,  
sunflower  oil  
 Role  of  Protein  in  Good  Nutri)on  
•  Protein  is  an  essen5al  nutrient  whose  name  comes  from  the  Greek  word  "protos,"  which  
means  "first  
•  A  large    amount  of  your  skin,  nails,  hair,  blood  and  muscles  is  made  of  protein.  
•  Protein  is  made  of  small  building  blocks  called  amino  acids  hooked  end-­‐to-­‐end  like  beads  on  a  
necklace.  There  are  20  standard  amino-­‐acids  (+2  other  ones).  Each  with  its  own  shape,  size  
and  proper5es.    There  are  9  essen5al  amino  acids  that  cannot  be  made  by  your  body.  
•  To  become  ac5ve  these  chains,  folder  and  twist  into  different  forms.  Some  proteins  are  made  
out  of  100s  of  amino  acids  and  some  with  1000s  of  amino  acids.  
•  Proteins  can  be  complete  or  incomplete.    
•  Complete  protein  contains  all  9  of  the  essen5al  amino  acids  in  the  right  amounts  needed  by  the  body  
eg:  Poultry,  fish,  eggs,  meat,  dairy  products  from  cow’s  milk  such  as  buZer,  cream,  cheese  and  
yoghurt.  
•  Incomplete  proteins  lack  some  essen5al  amino  acids  eg.  Vegetables  and  legumes  such  as  peas,  beans,  
peanuts.    
•  Vegetarian  is  someone  who  does  not  eat  meat  but  they  eat  animal  products  such  as  milk,  
cheese,  gela5n  etc.  Vegans  do  not  eat  or  use  any  animal  products,  such  as  dairy,  eggs  or  wear  
wool,  silk,  down  etc.  
•  Vegetarians  cannot  get  complete  proteins  since  these  are  only  provided  by  animal  products.  So  they  need  to  eat  
complementary  proteins.  Combina5on  of  incomplete  proteins  that  provide  all  amino  acids.  
•  Eg:  rice  and  beans,  whole  wheat  bread  and  peanut  buZer  are  complementary  proteins.  
 
 
 Role  of  Protein  in  Good  Nutri)on  
Food  Sources  
Meat,  poultry,  fish,  eggs,  cheese,  nuts,  legumes,  and  soy    
 
Key  Func)ons  
The  body  uses  protein  to  build  new  cells,  maintain  5ssues  and  
regulate  cell  func5on.  
About  half  of  the  protein  consumed  daily  is  converted  into  
enzymes,  the  specialized  "worker  proteins"  that  regulate  the  
speed  of  biological  reac5ons  in  your  body  and  permit  it  to  
perform  func5ons  such  as  diges5ng  food  and  assembling  or  
dividing  molecules  to  make  new  cells  and  chemical  
substances.  To  perform  these  func5ons,  enzymes  oken  need  
specific  vitamins  and  minerals.    
 

Requirements:  
It  is  possible  to  consume  too  much  protein.    The  amount  of  protein  needed  for  good  health  varies.    Since  body  
cannot  store  unused  protein  or  amino  acids,  you  need  a  daily  supply  of  proteins  in  your  diet.  
Generally  children  need  about  1  gm  per  1  kg  of  their  weight.    (0.035  ounces  per  2.2  pounds)  
Adults  need  0.8  gm  per  1  kg  of  their  weight.  (0.028  ounces  per  2.2  pounds)  
As  you  grow  older,  new  proteins  are  synthesized  less  efficiently,  and  muscle  mass  (protein  5ssue)  diminishes  
while  fat  content  stays  the  same  or  rises.  This  is  why  muscle  seems  to  "turn  to  fat"  in  old  age.    
Infants,  adolescents,  pregnant  women,  individuals  with  injuries,  and  athletes  may  oken  require  more  protein  
on  a  daily  basis.    
 
 Proteins    
•  Are  worker  molecules  that  are  necessary  for  virtually  every  ac5vity  in  your  body  
 Vitamins  
•  Vitamins  are  organic  substances  that  your  body  needs  for  normal  growth  and  metabolism  
–  (organic    =  containing  carbon)  
–  (metabolism  =  the  chemical  processes  going  on  in  your  body)  
•  Important  vitamins  –  A,  eight  different  B’s  (B1,  B12  etc),  C,  D,  E,  K      
•  Of  these  only  D  and  K  can  be  made  in  your  body.  All  the  others  you  have  to  eat  foods  that  
have  these  essen5al  vitamins.  

Vit Helps   Source   Deficiency  

ami
n  
A     Supports  vision,  skin,  bone   mango,  broccoli,  buZernut  squash,  
and  tooth  growth,   carrots,  tomato  juice,  sweet  
immunity  and  reproduc5on     potatoes,  pumpkin,  beef  liver  
B12   New  cell  synthesis,  Breaking  down   Meats,  poultry,  fish,  shellfish,  milk,  eggs    
faAy  acids  /  amino  acids,  nerve  
cell  maintenance  

D   Makes  bones  hard   Sun,  egg  yolk,  fish   Rickets  (bones  bend  
easily)  
K   Helps  blood  clot,  regulates   Spinach  and  green  leafy  vegetables,    
blood  calcium  
 Vitamins  
Vitamin Function Source
mango, broccoli, butternut
A Supports vision, skin, bone and
squash, carrots, tomato
tooth growth, immunity and
Retinol juice, sweet potatoes,
reproduction
pumpkin, beef liver
Fruits and vegetables
C Collagen synthesis, amino acid
metabolism, helps iron
Ascorbic Acid
absorption, antioxidant
Self-synthesis milk, egg
D Promotes bone mineralization
yolk, liver, fatty fish
Meats, poultry, fish,
B12 New cell synthesis, Breaking
shellfish, milk, eggs
down fatty acids / amino acids,
nerve cell maintenance
E Antioxidant, regulation of Shrimp, cod, wheat
oxidation reactions, supports cell germ, tofu,
membrane stabilization polyunsaturated
vegetable oils, sweet
potatoes,
Major  Func5ons  of  Nutrients  
 in  the  Body