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Food & Nutrition > Unit One > Flashcards

Unit One Flashcards

1
Q

What are nutrients?

A
  • Nutrients provide our bodies with what they need for healthy growth and development.
  • Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, water, vitamins, minerals, water and phytochemical are the major nutrient categories.
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2
Q

Macronutrients

A
  • Carbohydrates
  • Proteins
  • Fats
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3
Q

Micronutrients

A
  • Vitamins
  • Minerals
  • Phytochemicals
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4
Q

Carbohydrates

A
  • 1g = 4 calories
  • Carbohydrates are the most important source of energy for our bodies.
  • Prevent the body from using protein (muscle tissue) as a source of energy.
  • Help regulate the sugar circulating inner blood, ensuring the cells of the body get the energy they need.
  • Provide nutrients for bacteria in our intestines that help in food digestion.
  • Assists the body’s absorption of calcium.
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5
Q

Complex & Simple Carbohydrates

A
  • Complex carbohydrates are also known as polysaccharides. They are chains of three or more simple sugars and take more time to break down, leaving you feeling more full.
  • Starches (whole grains, beans, potatoes, and other plants), and glycogen (the form of glucose that our body stores) and fibre.
  • Simple carbohydrates are the simple sugars or monosaccharides and disaccharides.
  • They are easily broken down for a quick source of energy, but may leave you feeling hungry shortly after eating them. The three main monosaccharides are glucose, fructose and galactose.
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6
Q

Fibre

A
  • Fibre is an essential component to our digestive health.
  • It is composed of carbohydrates that our bodies cannot break down or digest.
  • Aids in the absorption of other nutrients and helps to maintain a healthy body weight.
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7
Q

Fats

A
  • 1g = 9 calories
  • Fats are an essential part of our diets and provide more than twice the amount of energy then either carbohydrates or proteins
  • Fats aid with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.
  • They give shape to your body, promote healthy skin, and insulate against extreme temperatures.
  • They also protect our internal organs, fight off bacteria, and form parts of hormones and other biochemicals.
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8
Q

Proteins

A
  • 1g = 4 calories
  • Proteins are the building blocks of the tissues in our bodies and are found in every single living cell
  • Proteins are divided into two categories: complete and incomplete proteins.
  • In our bodies, there are 20 amino acids (building blocks of chain proteins).
  • Our body can make or manufacture 11 of these animo acids, however, 9 amino acids must be ingested from our food and are called essential animo acids.
  • Complete proteins are found in animal sources like beef, poultry, fish, and dairy products.
  • Incomplete proteins are found in all plant products except for soy and quinoa. This means that they are missing at least one of the essential animo acids.
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9
Q

Carbohydrate Toxicity

A
  • Carbohydrates are our primary source of energy and our body will store extra glucose as glycogen in our muscles and liver.
  • When these stores are full, we store the excess as fat in adipose tissue (stored fat cells).

-This can lead to weight gain and increased risk of heart disease and type II diabetes.

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10
Q

Fibre (Toxicity + Deficiency)

A
  • Too little fibre can lead to a sluggish digestive system resulting in constipation and increased risk of colon cancer.
  • Too much fibre can lead to indigestions, diarrhea and excessive gas. Without consuming enough liquids to soften the fibre, it can obstruct your intestines.
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11
Q

Protein (Toxicity + Deficiency)

A
  • Extra protein gets covered to glycogen in the liver. The remaining protein gets filtered by the kidneys.
  • Too much protein can lead to tissue damage in both the liver and kidneys.
  • Signs of protein deficiency are muscle weakness and an inability to fight off illness.
  • A severe lack of protein can lead to a disease called “kwashiorkor” which appears as a swollen belly due to liquid being collected beneath the skin.
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12
Q

Lipids (Toxicity + Deficiency)

A
  • A deficiency in lipids can lead to a deficiency in the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.
  • As well as a deficiency in some fatty acids. Because of this, hormone production can be compromised.
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13
Q

Water (Toxicity + Deficiency)

A
  • It can cause a condition known as edema. The result can lead to confusion, convulsions and in rare cases, death.
  • Too little water results in dehydration.
  • Other signs are headache, dry mouth and lips, dizziness, dark yellow urine, low blood pressure and heart rate.
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14
Q

Food Labelling

A
  • Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) allows for 20% variance from what is in the food package to what is on the food label.
  • On a food label, you should be able to find the following:
  • The common name for the food
  • The net quantity
  • The name and address of the manufacturer
  • Ingredients: these are always listed from the greatest to least in quantity of mass.
  • Best before date.
  • The nutrition facts label
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15
Q

Vitamins

A
  • Essential for regulating various bodily functions.
  • Some vitamins have antioxidant properties, which help to reduce the number of free radicals in our body.
  • They counter the effects of oxidation in our body.
  • Two groups of vitamins: water soluble and fat soluble
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16
Q

Water Soluble Vitamins

A
  • Soluble or dissolve in water
  • Watery parts of food and body tissue
  • Include: B1 (Thiamine), B3 (Niacin), C, B6, B9 (Folic acid), B7 (Biotin), B2 (Riboflavin), B12.
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17
Q

Fat Soluble Vitamins

A
  • Include vitamins A, D, E, and K.
  • These vitamins are soluble or dissolve in the fatty parts of plant and animal tissue.
  • They are stored in the fat tissue, so too much of them can result in toxicity.
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18
Q

Minerals

A
  • Some body processes require several minerals to work together; in some cases, they will compete with each other for absorption and interact with other nutrients.
  • This affects their bioavailability.
  • Minerals can be divided into three groups:
  • major minerals
  • electrolytes
  • trace minerals
  • Major minerals include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and sulphur.
  • Calcium and phosphorus play important structural roles in building bones and maintaining bone strength.
  • Calcium prevents osteoporosis, and helps regulate blood clotting, nerve activity, and other body processes like muscle contractions.
  • Magnesium helps build bones and manufacture proteins, and helps nerves and muscles function normally.
  • Sulphur helps the body to digest carbohydrates, fats and some vitamins.
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19
Q

Electrolytes

A
  • Electrolytes work together to maintain the body’s fluid balance.
  • Includes potassium, sodium, and chloride.
20
Q

Trace Minerals

A
  • Include iron, copper, zinc, iodine and selenium.
  • Important component of the hemoglobin in red blood cells that transports oxygen to the body’s tissues.
  • Iron deficiency can cause anemia and is usually due to blood loss, infections, diets low in iron or diets high in iron inhibitors.
21
Q

Phytochemicals

A
  • Give plants their colour, flavour and odour and provide us with benefits beyond basic nutrients.
  • Over a thousand phytochemicals including lycopene in tomatoes, allicin in garlic, and isoflavones in soybeans.
  • Reduce inflammation, preventing infection and curbing cancer.
22
Q

Food Guideline - Why was it created?

A
  • First created in 1942 to help Canadians to make healthy food choices in light of the food rations that were put in place.
  • This was during the Second World War and as a result, there were food shortages that created the potential for nutrient deficiencies.
23
Q

Food Guideline Timeline

A
  • 1942: First “Official Food Rules” created and included 6 food groups: milk; fruit; vegetables; cereals and breads; meat and fish; and eggs. Each group had a minimum number of servings recommended.
  • 1944: First revision. Eggs and cheese were now moved and included in the meat and fish group.
  • 1949: Second revision. Recommendation to take vitamin D supplement made more specific. But wording was adjusted to explain more was not always better.
  • 1961: Third revision. Canada’s Food Guide was first “developed” and meat and alternatives group was created. This included eggs and legumes.
  • 1977: Canada’s Food Guide was published with the four familiar food groups: milk and milk products; meat and alternatives; fruit and vegetables; and bread and cereals.
  • Serving sizes were not included to help people determine how large a serving is.
  • 1982: Major change made was recommending Canadian’s limit fat, sugar, salt and alcohol intake and to balance energy intake with exercise or activity levels.
  • 1992: Canada’s Food Guide was renamed to Health Eating.
  • Instead of a wheel, a rainbow was used to represent the food groups. The longest band of colour represented foods we should have more of and the shortest band, the food we should have less of.
  • 2007: Renamed the guide “Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide”.
  • This revision saw a rearrangement of the importance of the food groups with fruit and vegetables being moved to the top and grains and breads being moved down. Also the ‘other’ food group was removed.
24
Q

Adapting & Revising Recipes

A
  • Recipes can be easily adapted to better fit the recommendations of Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide.
  • Reduce the fat
  • Reduce sodium (salt)
  • Reduce sugar
  • Increase fibre
  • Decrease the caloric value
25
Q

Canada vs. the World (Foodguide)

A

Canada

  • Government in Nunavut has created its own food guide that is specific to its own territory.
  • The serving sizes are determined more so by using hands or handfuls of the various groups.
  • In some more remote locations in Northern Canada, access to perishable food can be limited. Many families hunt to get their meat.
  • In other programs such as Nutrition North Canada, food is provided at a subsidized cost making it easier for families to get food.

Around the World

  • Some differences include the foods that are emphasized tend to be traditional to that country.
  • All guides use symbols and graphics to represent and communicate nutritional information in a user friendly way.
  • They promote healthy eating habits to ensure consumption of the essential nutrients and to protect against disease.
  • Most will also emphasize the importance of exercise along with diet.
26
Q

Energy Dense vs. Nutrient Dense

A
  • Energy dense foods are foods that contain some nutrients, but are loaded with calories with respect to the size or amount of the food (e.g. fats and refined grains).
  • Nutrient dense foods are foods that provide a large amount of nutrients (e.g. whole fruits instead of fruit juices and whole grains instead of refined grains).
27
Q

National Messages found in Food Guides

A
  • Nutrients found in specific foods.
  • Choices for health foods.
  • Appropriate or healthy amounts of food.
  • No single food group can provide all the necessary nutrients we need, therefore, it is essential to eat a variety of foods everyday.
28
Q

Hunger

A
  • Low blood-glucose levels causes us to get hungry.
  • Appetite and hunger are different.
  • Appetite can be caused by various stimuli such as seeing or smelling food, being in social settings, or even boredom.
29
Q

Ingestion

A
  • This is the simple process of putting food into our bodies. We ingest food when we put food into our mouths.
  • After ingesting food, it will take about 20 minutes for our brain to realize that we are no longer hungry.
30
Q

Digestion

A
  • We have to break down our food or digest it.
  • Digestion happens mechanically and chemically and occurs in our GI (gastrointestinal) tract.
  • Most of the digestion of food will take place in the stomach and small intestine.
  • The stomach will churn or mix our ingested food with hydrochloric acid and pepsinogen to liquify it. But the stomach actually only plays a very small role in digestion.
31
Q

Absorption

A
  • As the stomach releases the liquified food (5mL to 15mL at a time), the small intestine completes the breakdown of the larger molecules (carbs, proteins, and lipids).
  • As the larger molecules are broken down, they then can be absorbed from the small intestine into the blood.
32
Q

Elimination

A
  • Chyme, the liquified food passing from our stomach to the intestines, will eventually get to the large intestine.
  • By this time, all or most nutrients have been absorbed. Water will be reabsorbed in the large intestine before exerting any remaining solid mass.
33
Q

Catabolism

A
  • The breakdown of nutrients in food
34
Q

Anabolism

A
  • The building and restoring of body cells
35
Q

How are carbohydrates stored?

A
  • Get broken down into simple sugars.

- These simple sugars are converted into glycogen by the liver and store for later use or converted into fat tissue.

36
Q

How are fatty acids stored?

A
  • Created by invested fats, are used for energy as well, but excess will be stored as adipose tissue, usually in the abdomen, buttocks, and just below the skin.
37
Q

How are amino acids stored?

A
  • Derived from proteins, can be used for energy when needed, but excess will be metabolized to glycogen and then to fat to be stored for later use.
38
Q

Risks of too much Adipose Tissue

A
  • Coronary heart disease
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Some cancers (breast, colon etc.)
  • High levels of cholesterol
  • Liver and gallbladder disease
  • Gynaecological problems for women
39
Q

How do we determine a healthy body size?

A
  • Many factors including genetic factors come into play when trying to determine healthy body sizes.
  • Some of the tools used by medical professionals are:
  • Growth charts
  • Body mass index (BMI)
  • Waist circumference
  • Waist to hip ratio (WHR)
40
Q

Strategies to Maintaining Body Weight

A
  • Follow the recommendations in Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide (limit trans and saturated fats + emphasis on food containing iron + calcium)
  • Plan ahead.
  • Make smart choices when you eat out by applying the principles of Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide.
  • Choose healthy snacks (nutrient dense foods + incorporate protein as it takes longer to digest).
  • Be active (aiming for 60 minutes a day).
41
Q

Strategies to Maintaining Healthy Habits

A
  • Develop supportive environments that make healthy choices (finding a network of people who can give you reliable food and nutrition info.)
  • Make breakfast a regular habit (helps jumpstart your metabolism after a long period w/o food and is linked with having a healthy body weight).
  • Don’t rely on fast food (limit intake of empty-calorie foods + make at least one meal a day a home-prepared meal).
  • Eat regular meals and a small snack if you are hungry. Eating more frequently keeps the body from moving into starvation mode which lowers metabolism + activates fat-storing enzymes to conserve energy.
42
Q

Strategies to Gain Weight

A
  • Eating more frequently (incorporating more snacks that are nutrient dense).
  • Adding extra calories to foods (replacing water with juice or milk, these nutrient dense foods will add calories and also maintain a balanced diet.
  • Choosing energy dense foods (provide additional calories as well as nutrients to maintain good health.
  • Including regular exercise, especially strength training (promotes muscle growth).
43
Q

Why may someone need to gain weight?

A
  • Have had a serious illness resulting in lost weight.
  • They are very thin and want to look and feel better.
  • They are athletes who want to build strength and muscle to perform better.
  • They are older adults who have unintentionally lost weight due to reduced muscle mass, decreased appetite, or other causes.
44
Q

Using Energy

A
  • The amount of energy a person sues depends on several factors, including their age, body size, gender, and activity level.
  • The amount of energy used in a day is a combination of the basal metabolism (the energy used by physical activities, and the energy used by the thermic effect of food).
  • The amount of energy used for basal metabolism is often expressed as the basal metabolic rate (BMR).
45
Q

Factors that Increase Basal Metabolism

A
  • High percent of body mass is muscle (takes more energy to maintain muscle tissue than fat)
  • Good physical condition
  • Being male (typically have a higher percent of muscle)
  • Hyperthyroidism (oversecretion if the thyroid hormone can significantly increase the BMR)
  • Pregnancy
  • Puberty
  • Extremes of environmental temperature
46
Q

Factors that Decrease Basal Metabolism

A
  • High percent of body mass is fat (takes less energy to maintain fat tissue than muscle)
  • Poor physical condition
  • Being female (typically have less percent of muscle)
  • Sleep
  • Hypothyroidism (undersecretion of the thyroid hormone can significantly decrease the BMR)
  • Aging (older people tend to lose muscle mass as they age)
  • Undernutrition

Food & Nutrition (2 decks)

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