Basics of Human Nutrition Flashcards
1
Q
What are the nutrients needed for proper human nutrition?
A
1) Fuel to power all nutritional needs
2) Organic molecules to build the animal’s own molecules
3) Essential nutrients
2
Q
What does your body need its nutrients for?
A
- Cells can oxidize smaller/broken down molecules for energy or assemble them into their own complex molecules
- 4 macromolecules needed to build and maintain cell structure and function
- Cells usually use carbs and fats as fuel sources (use protein if short in supply)
3
Q
What are the essential nutrients? (technical)
A
- Materials that must be obtained in preassembled form because the animal’s cells cannot make them from any raw material
- Fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, minerals
4
Q
Undernourishment
A
- Condition resulting from a diet that is chronically deficient in calories
- Only common during war, drought, eating disorder, etc
5
Q
How can vegetarians get all 8 essential amino acids?
A
- Variety of plant foods that together supply sufficient quantities of all the essential amino acids
- Ex: combination of beans and corn
6
Q
What are vitamins? (ex)
A
- An organic nutrient that we must obtain from out diet, required in minute amounts
- Water-soluble: vitamin B, C (excess eliminated in urine)
- Fat-soluble: vitamin A, D, E, K (excess build up in body fat)
7
Q
What are minerals? (ex)
A
- Simple inorganic nutrients, usually requires in small amounts
- Many minerals are components of various enzymes
- Humans requires large amounts of calcium and phosphorus to construct out main skeleton
- Iron, iodine, sodium, potassium, chloride
- Most people ingest more salt (sodium chloride) than they need
8
Q
Why is an excess of fat-soluble vitamins more dangerous than an excess of water-soluble vitamins?
A
-Excess fat-soluble vitamins build up in body fat
9
Q
Malnourishment
A
- Long term absence from the diet of one or more essential nutrients
- Common in humans
