Nutrition Flashcards
What is nutrition?
How NUTRIENTS and other substances in food affect our health and growth
What do organisms use nutrients for?
To SURVIVE and GROW
What happens once nutrients are in the body?
They are BROKEN DOWN into simpler molecules used as “BUILDING BLOCKS”
Why do we need nutrients?
To GROW, BUILD TISSUES, and to produce ENERGY
What is Organic vs Inorganic?
Organic CONTAINS carbon (protein, fats, vitamins), inorganic DOES NOT (water, minerals)
What are Macronutrients?
Food that must be consumed a lot per day
What can be used as a source of energy?
Carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins
What does not provide energy?
Water and nucleic acids
What are Carbohydrates?
They are the MAIN SOURCE of energy for the human body. It always contains Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen
What are the 3 types of Carbohydrates?
Monosaccharides, Disaccharides, Polysaccharides
What are Monosaccharides?
(type of carbohydrate) one sugar
What are Disaccharides?
(type of carbohydrate) sugars (sucrose, maltose, and lactose)
What are Polysaccharides?
(type of carbohydrate) many sugars (starch, cellulose, glycogen)
What are complex and simple carbs?
Complex are HEALTHY foods (bread, lettuce, berries) and simple are JUNK food (pop, donuts, fries)
What do lipids do?
Lipids STORE large amounts of ENERGY, help absorb vitamins, insulate the body, and protect organs
What are saturated and unsaturated fats?
Saturated fats are butter, bacon, burgers, and unsaturated fats are almonds, oil, avocados
What are Proteins?
Proteins are made of LONG CHAINS of AMINO ACIDS (there are 20 different amino acids needed, our bodies can make 12, the other 8 are OBTAINED from food)
What are the functions of proteins?
COMPONENT OF CELL MEMBRANE, act as MESSENGERS, provide STRUCTURE, help MAKE ANTIBODIES, act as enzymes, store metal ions or amino acids, etc.
What do nucleic acids do?
STORE and TRANSMIT hereditary information
What are vitamins?
An ORGANIC MOLECULE that the body requires in SMALL amounts as an essential NUTRIENT
How are vitamins classified?
Fat soluble (can be stored in fatty tissue) and water soluble (cannot be stored in body-urine)
What are minerals?
Naturally occurring ELEMENTS that the body uses to carry out METABOLIC PROCESSES and to build or repair tissue
