Exam 1 Study Guide Flashcards
What are the six classes of nutrients?
Macros:
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Fats
Micros:
Vitamins
Minerals
Water
How many calories per gram?
Carbohydrate = 4 kcal/gram
Protein = 4 kcal/gram
Fat = 9 kcal/gram
Be able to calculate using the above values
Example:
5g CHO (5x4) = 20 kcal
5g Fat (5x9) = 45 kcal
5g Protein (5x4) = 20 kcal
What is the RDA?
Recommended Dietary Allowance. Goal for 98% of the total population. Varies by age, gender, health, etc.
What does “energy dense” mean? Give an example
Foods that are high in energy (kcal) relative to their weight
E.g. starbursts, cinnamon rolls, etc.
What does “nutrient density” mean? Give an example
Foods that are high in nutritional content relative to their weight
E.g. bananas, spinach, etc.
What are the 4 stages of the digestive process?
Ingestion - intake of food
Digestion - breakdown of food into molecules small enough for absorption (mechanical digestion, chemical digestion)
Absorption - transport of nutrients into blood
Elimination - defecation of undigested waste
Be familiar with the general absorption model:
Stomach, small intestine (villi), liver, gallbladder, pancreas, colon
What is blood sugar?
Glucose, which serves as the essential energy source for all the body’s activities
A part of every disaccharide
What is glycogen?
Storage form of energy in the body, stored in the liver and muscles
(long chains of glucose)
What disaccharide is table sugar?
Sucrose (glucose + fructose)
What are probiotics vs. prebiotics?
Probiotic = food that contains bacteria (fermented, cultured)
Prebiotic = fibrous foods (fruits and vegetables) that feeds microbiome
What the 3 types of lipids? What doe we eat and store?
Triglycerides (fats and oils)
Phospholipids (cell membranes)
Sterols (cholesterol)
Triglycerides are found in the foods we eat and are also how we store fat in our bodies
What is the difference between oil and fat?
Fat = solid at room temperature (butter)
Oil = liquid at room temperature (olive oil)
What is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids?
Fatty fish (salmon, sardines, anchovies), Flaxseed, Chia seed
Cholesterol–where does it come from?
A compound that the body makes and uses. Endogenous cholesterol = made in the body.
The liver makes 800-1500mg of cholesterol per day
Cholesterol is only found in animal products, but consumption of cholesterol from food sources does not affect total cholesterol in the body.
Omega 6 / Omega 3 fatty acid ratio
Omega 6 = Linoleic acid (seed oils)
Omega 3 = Linolenic acid
Ideal ratio is 1:1, processed food results in 15:1 ratio for the typical American diet
Omega 6 = inflammatory
Omega 3 = anti-inflammatory
Gut microbiome
Majority is contained within the large intestine (colon)
Critical to numerous aspects of health: immune system, breakdown of undigested fiber, vitamin conversion, gut/brain access (neurotransmitters), mental health, metabolism
Trans fats
An unsaturated fat that has been lab-altered (PHO) to make it more shelf-stable
Have been banned by the FDA from the food supply due to links to heart disease
Food Politics–why is the message of “eat less” a problem for the food industry?
Overall lower consumption of food does not fit into a profit-driven model. The food industry needs people to eat more food than is necessary in order to grow revenues YOY.
What is Diabetes - Type 1?
An autoimmune-disease wherein the pancreas fails to produce insulin. Individuals must inject insulin in order to maintain body function. Affects ~5% of the diagnosed population.
What is Diabetes - Type 2?
A lifestyle and diet disease. Insulin delivery and/or resistance is dysregulated and their effectiveness is disrupted. Affects ~95% of the diagnosed population.
What is Insulin?
A hormone which enables glucose intake into our cells
