Nutrition I Flashcards
Learning Outcomes:
- What good nutrition is
- Macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, proteins
- Micronutrients: vitamins and minerals
- Digestive function and supporting digestion
- Food combining
- Food quality and packaging
Naturopathic nutrition (Hippocrates quotes)
Hippocrates (468–377 BC)
* “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food”
* Food is the primary source of medicine for health and healing
* ‘food is the primary source of medicine, health and healing. First use food, then herbs, finally intervention’.
* Nature is the ‘physician of the man’
Food
- Food: any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth
Whole Foods
- Whole foods: Foods that have not been processed or refined, and are free from additives or other artificial substances
The purpose of food
- The purpose of food: feed and nourish cells, maintain bodily functions
Food is compromised of
- Food is compromised of: a variety of vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fibre, fats, phytochemicals, pre-biotics, probiotics, enzymes and water
Naturopathic Nutritionist
- A naturopathic nutritionist recognizes that every person is an individual and requires a personalized nutritional approach to health
- Naturopathic nutrition focuses on:
o The use of whole and organic food as medicine
o The importance of detoxification and cleansing
o Looking at the Constitution of a patient
o Finding the cause of disease and not just treating the symptom
Junk food
Junk food are chemically altered food substances that provide no nutrients and are therefore, not able to maintain health growth. They are:
* Highly processed and generally contained GM ingredients, artificial colouring, sweeteners, pesticides and other chemical additives
* High in calories, sugar, salt, refined carb/trans fats
* Low in fibre and nutrients
* Designed to make one over eat because of the unique combination of chemicals they contain, increasing the desire to eat. Often much cheaper which often justifies its consumption
Junk food; Harm / damage
Highly processed junk foods are detrimental to health as they:
* Increased free radicals, whale depleting the body of antioxidants (leading to oxidative damage)
* Deplete cells of nutrients – impairing physiology
* Increase the risk of developing insulin resistance, obesity and comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease and Type II diabetes (more people than ever being diagnosed with diabetes, including 10.5% of the US population)
* Accelerate the ageing process (high free radicals)
* Impair cell-to-cell communication (and the flow of Vital Force)
Lead to addiction: overeating, malnutrition, disease, early death
Junk food: associated diseases
Implicated in a wide range of diseases and disruption of physiological processes/pathways, including:
* Atopic conditions; asthma, eczema
* Hormonal disturbances; type II diabetes, PCOS, PMS, infertility, menopause
* Skeletal disorders; osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis
* Cardiovascular disease; atherosclerosis (creating endothelial damage) = strokes, angina etc
* Neurological diseases; migraines, Parkinsons, Alzheimer’s
* Contribution to cancer pathogenesis
Overeating / eating too much
When eating often and too much, digestive enzymes are used. Not all food can then be digested, resulting in malnutrition and bodily dysfunctions.
* Eating junk food leads to the craving of nutrients. The body is hungry. Adding more junk food worsens the situation.
* By over eating, organs such as the pancreas and stomach are placed under stress. They are constantly under demand to produce digestive juices, potentially depleting their capacity. Furthermore, energy is directed away from healing/repair, increasing the risk of disease
What is the correct nutrition?
All essential nutrients supplies:
* Food is whole and organic
* Food is free of GMO and toxins
* Food is not processed and not cooked using a microwave
* Food is correctly combined to achieve optimum nutrition of the body
This is essential to allow: optimal energy and activity levels, normal body growth and repair, reproductive function, resistance to infection and disease, optimum physical and mental health
Essential nutrients and functions
- Carbohydrates: provide energy and heat
- Proteins: provide heat and energy. Build and repair body tissues
- Fats: provide heat and energy
- Vitamins: regulate body functions
- Minerals: regulate body functions
- Water: regulates body functions
- Phytonutrients: support human physiology
- Enzymes: catalysts for biochemical reactions
