Lecture 1, Introduction to Nutrition

Question 1

Why is Nutrition Important?

Answer 1

• meet macronutrient/mineral/vitamin needs
• bone health
• bowel health
• dental health
• cardiovascular health
• disease prevention
• cognitive health
• maintaining energy balance (ex. body weight)
• and many many more….

Question 2

Nutrition (7)

Answer 2

• the study of how food supplies nutrients to the body and affects health and life
• science of nutrition involves the processes of
  1. consumption or ingestion - anything from taking in food to when it exits you body

2. digestion - digestion begins in our mouth
3. absorption - absorb at gut and tissue level
4. metabolism - involves a lot of metabolism (biochemical reactions in our body)
5. transport - transport of nutrients throughout our body (into bloodstream, into cells, between cells and intercellular components)
6. storage - storage of macro and micronutrients (glycogen that is stored in the muscle, liver (carbohydrate energy) and in visceral and subcutaneous fats that are stored as triglycerides (lipids)
7. elimination - excretion of feces and urine
   - all of these processes involve multiple cellular processes

Question 3

Nutrients

Answer 3

any component of food that is important for our underlying biology
- substances that elicit a biological or physiological function in the body
- functions
1. promotion of growth and development - it is important for repair and recovery
2. provision of energy
3. regulation of metabolism (intercellular signalling, growth)
- two categories of nutrients: macronutrients and micronutrients

Question 4

Macronutrients

Answer 4

carbohydrate, protein, fats and water
- to create energy (ATP), provide calories, by mass (need to consume more by sheer bulk)

Question 4

Micronutrients

Answer 4

vitamins and minerals
- for miconutrients we need them in small amounts (equal role just do not need to consume as much), does not create energy

Question 5

Carbohydrate

Answer 5

• glucose is preferred fuel source
• carbohydrate can be stored in the body as an energy reserve (ex. liver and muscle glycogen)
• good sources of carbohydrate include rice, wheat products, grains, beans, legumes, fruits, vegetable nad milk

my notes:
- our body uses a lot of glucose (brain, body during physical activity uses glucose)
- glycogenesis is the process of making glucose from non-carbohydrates
- glucose is very important

Question 6

Protein

Answer 6

• supports cell and growth, maintenance and repair
• unlike carbohydrate and fat, protein is not stored in reserve in the body
• good sources of protein include seafood, meat, milk products, soy products, egg whites, beans, and some plant foods

my notes:
- amino acids which some of our body can make but some need to be obtained from what we eat
- all of our enzymes are made up of proteins
- generally we do not used stored protein because we do not have specific sites for them
- we prefer carbs and fats

Question 7

Fat

Answer 7

• fat can be stored in near “limitless” quantities in the body as an energy reserve
• good sources of fat include fish, lean animal products, nuts, seeds, oils with unsaturated fat (ex. olive, canola), avocado and egg yolks
  we store a lot of fat for our energy needs (the access accumulation of fat can result in disease state) - it is not necessarily limitless

Question 8

Vitamins and Minerals

Answer 8

• do not supply energy but are involved in releasing energy from food eg. thiamine (BI) and for structural components (ex. calcium and bone)
• support body growth, development, maintenance and the operation of many essential functions
• macrominerals and microminerals/trace minerals (< 100mgs daily)

Question 9

Water

Answer 9

• it plays a role in the regulation of nerve impulses, muscle contraction, nutrient transport, waste removal and regulation of body temperature
• an individual’s water needs depend on their health status and physical activity (more water lost through sweat = greater needs)
• require a lot of it so it can classified as a macronutrient
• the more water we lose the more water we need to consume