Wellness and Preventative Health Care Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved.

Why are we learning this?

Health care providers must have an understanding of nutrition as it relates to community and self in order to provide quality care.

Opening Questions “What can I do to control my own health?” “What changes can I make to take responsibility for my own health?”

Nutrition Basics Carbohydrates Starches and sugars found in foods Body’s main preferred source of energy Simple and complex Simple: fruit, dairy

Nutrition Basics Calories Energy the body gets from foods The body requires a minimum number of set calories each day Take in fewer calories than burned: lose weight Take in more calories than burned: gain weight

Fiber Found in the tough, stringy part of vegetables and fruits A special form of complex carbohydrate that cannot be digested Plays an important role in removing waste

Nutrition Basics Proteins Help build strong and healthy bones, muscles, tissue, and teeth Help make new blood cells, and protect important organs, such as heart, brain, lungs, and skin

Nutrition Basics Fats Most concentrated form of energy; very thick substances; do not dissolve in water Fats in beef, pork, egg yolks, and dairy foods higher in saturated fat than in fish or chicken Unsaturated fat is liquid fat, proven to reduce heart disease

Nutrition Basics Cholesterol A fat-like substance produced in the liver of all animals, and found only in animals Not used as energy Structural basis of steroid hormones, Vitamin D and is a major building block of plasma Membranes 15% comes from diet, the rest is made by the liver

Role of Lipoproteins Important role in fat and cholesterol transport Low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) transport cholesterol and other lipids to body cells High-density lipoproteins (HDLs) transport cholesterol from tissue cells or arteries to the liver for disposal in bile Both are good and necessary Their relative ratio in the blood determines whether or not potentially lethal cholesterol is laid down in the artery walls, initiating arteriosclerosis

Nutrition Basics Vitamins Compounds that help regulate digestion, and metabolism Needed in small amounts, so they are called micronutrients Have no calories, but some do give you energy MICRONUTRIENTS

Nutrition Basics Minerals Inorganic substances that the body cannot manufacture Act like workers regulating many important body functions One important mineral in the body is calcium which helps develop strong bones, build strong teeth and is also important in the contraction of muscles