Nutrition (lesson one) Flashcards
how do we obtain raw materials?
We obtain all the raw materials for the growth and maintenance of our body from nutrients in our food
what is a nutrient?
A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs in order to grow, build, and repair tissues and produce energy
what are nutrients broken down to?
Nutrients are usually broken down into simpler molecules and are used to build and replace cells
what else do nutrients also provide?
-Nutrients also provide the energy that fuels all of our biological processes.
- Cells in the body use chemical energy to fuel their activities
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Types of Nutrients
- Carbohydrates
- Proteins
- Vitamins and Minerals
- Lipids
what are Carbohydrates
- Carbohydrates are the main source of energy in the human body
- ## These molecules are made up mostly of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
What are the 3 main types of carbohydrates?
- Monosaccharides
- Disaccharides
- Polysaccharides
Monosaccharides
are ring-shaped structures consisting of a single sugar molecule
Disaccharides
are made of 2 simple sugar rings joined together
Polysaccharides
are made of many simple sugar rings joined together to make large complex chains
Carbohydrates in Your Diet
It is recommended that 55% of a healthy diet should get energy from carbs
- This includes sources like grains, fruits, and veggies
- These sources provide us with cellulose, which we cannot digest, but is a source of important fibre
Storing Carbohydrates
complex carbohydrates first must be broken down into simple sugars before the body can use them or store them in the liver or muscle tissue at glycogen.
what is glycogen?
When energy is needed the glycogen can be converted back into glucose for energy
what happens if carbohydrates can’t be stored as glycogen?
excess carbohydrates that can’t be stored as glycogen will be converted into lipids and stored as body fat
Proteins
Proteins are the key building blocks of the cell
- they’re important structural molecules that are involved in important biological processes
what are the most complex nutrients?
Proteins are the most complex nutrients made up of long chains of amino acids
how many amino acids are in proteins?
There are 20 types of amino acids that make up all proteins
- 12 of the amino acids your body can produce
- 8 amino acids, which are called essential amino acids, you must get from your food
Protein in Your Diet
sources of protein can be found in plants or animals; like meat, eggs, fish, cheese, lentils
- It is recommended that 10-20% of your energy intake comes from protein
protein in plants
Plants have less concentrated protein and may be lacking in some essential amino acids so those who do not consume animal protein should make sure their diet is meeting their protein needs
Vitamins
A vitamin is a compound that an organism needs as a nutrient only in a small amount
- Can be either fat (A,D,E,K) or water-soluble (B,C)
- These vitamins can be obtained from our food or produced in our body
Minerals
Minerals are naturally occurring elements that the body uses to carry out metabolic processes and to build/repair tissues
Lipids
Lipids provide a very concentrated source of chemical energy to the body
what do lipids help with?
- They help in the absorption of vitamins,
- are a main component in cell membranes,
- serve as insulation,
- and may act as hormones
- example of lipids is fat and oils
Types of Lipids
- These molecules are made up of triglycerides
- They can be saturated or unsaturated
Unsaturated lipids
-Unsaturated lipids are the “good fats”
- and are liquid at room temperature
- and have room for hydrogen to bond
saturated lipids
-Saturated lipids are the “bad fats”
- are solid at room temperature
- and have no room for hydrogen to bond
Lipids in Your Diet
- There are also essential fatty acids like Omega-3
- fatty acids which can be obtained from foods like oily fish, nuts, seeds, etc.
- Lipids should not make up for than 30% of your energy intake
what happens if you have too much lipid intake
Too much lipid intake can lead to serious health impacts like heart disease and obesity
