© 2008 Thomson - Wadsworth Chapter 1 Nutrition: Food for Health

How Healthy is the Typical American Diet? 50% of the population does not consume sufficient amounts of foods that provide necessary nutrients.

Diet and Health Chronic Diseases Four of ten leading causes of death have a relationship with diet (heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes) Many leading causes of death have a relationship with obesity. Poor dietary habits are considered a risk factor for many diseases

Food Choices Personal preferences for flavors Habits are comforting and food choices are often just a habit. Ethnic heritage or traditions are strong influences on eating. Social interactions such as special events, customs, and holidays

Food Accessibility Transportation and mobility Available income Food storage and preparation equipment Convenience

Cultural and Personal Background Religious dietary laws Ethnic menu preferences Social acceptability, values such as political views, or environmental concerns may affect food choices Psychological and emotional factors, eating for comfort Health concerns Body weight and image can affect food choices

Nutrition Terms Nutrition is a science that studies the interactions between living organisms and food.

What Are Nutrients? Nutrients: the chemicals in foods that provide energy and structure, and help to regulate body processes. They are critical to human growth and function. 1.carbohydrates 4. vitamins 2.fats and oils 5. minerals 3.proteins 6. water

The Nutrients Essential nutrients are those the body cannot make or cannot make in sufficient quantities to meet needs. These are also called indispensable nutrients.

What Are Nutrients? Macronutrients: nutrients required in relatively large amounts. –Provide energy to our bodies –Carbohydrates, fats and oils, proteins Micronutrients: nutrients required in smaller amounts. –Vitamins and minerals

Classes of Nutrients: Water Water is a macronutrient, meaning that it is required in large amounts. Water does not provide kcalories. Water makes up approximately 60% of the healthy human body.

The Nutrients Chemical composition of nutrients includes both organic (those that contain carbon bonded to hydrogen) and inorganic (those that do not contain carbon bonded to hydrogen) compounds. Carbohydrate, protein, and fat/lipids are organic. Vitamins are organic, essential nutrients that allow the body to obtain energy from carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Minerals and water are inorganic, essential nutrients that are found in the bones, teeth, and body fluids.

We measure energy in kilocalories (kcal). Kilocalorie: amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1kg of water by 1 o C. On food labels, “Calorie” with capital “C” actually refers to kilocalories. (technically 1 kcal=1000 calories or 1 Calorie) 100 Calories = 100 kcal Internationally, food energy is measured in kilojoules. (1 kilocalorie = 4.18 kilojoules) Energy From Nutrients

Understanding Science Nutrition is a science. Developing an understanding of the processes in nutritional science will help us to understand the relationship between nutrition and health. Understanding nutritional processes will help us to make wise nutrition decisions.

The Scientific Method Advances in nutrition are made using the scientific method. The scientific method uses a systematic, unbiased approach to examine the interaction of food, nutrients and health.

Types of Nutrition Research Studies Observational studies can include epidemiology, the study of diet, health and disease patterns, and correlation. Human intervention studies are also known as clinical trials. Laboratory studies are conducted in research facilities such as hospitals or universities.

What Makes a Good Experiment? A well-conducted experiment requires: Quantifiable Data - Can we measure the information in a scientific manner? - Can we ensure that the population ate or drank what we said they did? Appropriate Experimental Population - Is the population large enough and pertinent to the study?

What Makes a Good Experiment? Control groups act as a standard of comparison. Placebos are identical in appearance to the actual treatment but of no therapeutic value. Single-blind study: subjects do not know which treatment they are receiving Double-blind study: neither the subjects nor the investigators know which treatment is being received Sample sizes must be large to accurately detect differences.

The Science of Nutrition Publishing Research A peer review process is used to evaluate the procedures used and the conclusions drawn from a study. Look at the source of the information When a study has validity it means that the conclusions were supported by the findings. Replication is used to confirm or disprove findings. Research results, who to believe? Be careful interpreting news reports Beware of testimonials and claims, or one study sited Who funded the study? Are they selling a product?!!

Finding Reliable Nutrition Info Websites sponsored by official govt agency, university, college, or hospital/medical center:.gov,.edu,.org Search for well established, professional peer-reviewed journals.

Professional Organizations that Provide Reliable Nutrition Information: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics - formerly American Dietetic Association (ADA) American Society for Clinical Nutrition (ASCN) Society for Nutrition Education (SNE) American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

Nutrition Information & Misinformation Red Flags of Nutritional Quackery Nutritional misinformation can be identified by using the following eight red flags: Selling a product, book, etc. Satisfaction guaranteed Quick and easy fixes “Natural” One product does all Paranoid accusations Personal testimonials Meaningless medical jargon

Who are the Nutrition Experts? Registered Dietitians (RD’s)  Must complete academic coursework and an internship/work experience, pass a national exam  Must continue with education to maintain registration Certified Nutritionist (CN)  May be required to be licensed in some states, WA state uses Certified Nutritionist or CN  Dietitians may be called nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are dietitians  Watch out for “Nutritionist” and MD’s!