HLTH 230 BASIC HUMAN NUTRITION
MIDTERM EXAM NOTES QUEENS
UNIVERSITY
, lOMoAR cPSD| 19857451
Nutrition
➔ The science of foods and the nutrients and other substances they contain, and their actions within the body
including ingestion, digestion, absorption, transport, metabolism, and excretion
➔ Social, economic cultural, and physiological implications of food and eating
What are foods?
➔ Products derived from plants or animals that can be taken into the body to yield energy and nutrients for the
maintenance of life and growth and repair of tissues
Why do we make the food choices we make?
➔ Personal preference
o Taste/ flavour
o Sweet, salty, & high fat foods are universally common
o Genetics
➔ Habit
o Easy – takes the thought out of eating
o Comforting
➔ Ethnic heritage or tradition
o Food can reflect certain country or region
o Traditional food is often enjoyed on holidays
➔ Social interactions
o Eating is very social
o Eat food that is offered to us
o Often eat more when socializing
➔ Availability, convenience, economy
o Eat more affordable, accessible quick and easy foods
o Rising food costs – more meals eaten at home. Buying less expensive store brands
➔ Positive and negative associations
o Like foods associated with happy occasions (hotdog at baseball game)
o Dislike foods associated with sickness or foods forced to eat (food poisoning)
➔ Emotions
o Some people don’t eat when upset
o Others eat when upset or bored (carbs and alcohol may seem to calm some ppl)
➔ Values
o Food choices can reflect religious, political, or environmental beliefs and views)
➔ Bodyweight and image
o Choose or avoid certain food and supplements they believe will help gain muscle, lose weight, or make
skin better
o Can often be unsupported fads from internet
➔ Nutrition and health benefits
o Choices that may help keep one healthy or benefit their health
o Functional foods
▪ foods that contain physiologically active compounds that provide benefits beyond their nutrient
composition
• EX. Oatmeal – soluble fibre can help lower blood cholesterol
• EX. OJ with calcium – help prevent osteoporosis
o Phytochemicals
▪ Non-nutrient compounds found in plant derived foods that have biological activity in the body
Foods Contain:
➔ Fibre, phytochemicals, pigment, additives, and alcohols
➔ Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals, and water (6 classes of nutrients)
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o Alcohol is not a nutrient; it interferes with body processes
Nutrient Related Terms:
Macronutrient (carbs, protein, fat, water)
➔ Required in relatively large amounts per day (grams/ day)
Micronutrient (vitamins and minerals)
➔ Required in small amounts per day (mg or g/day)
Essential Nutrients
➔ Nutrients a person must obtain from food because sufficient amounts cannot be made by the body
➔ EX. Canadians can’t produce enough vitamin D during the winter and thus it is an essential nutrient that must
come from the diet
Inorganic Nutrients (water and minerals)
➔ Nutrients that contain no carbon
Organic Nutrients (carbs, lipids, protein, vitamins)
➔ Nutrients that contain carbon to carbon bonds or carbon to hydrogen bonds
Energy Yielding Nutrients (carbs, lipid, protein)
➔ Nutrients that can be broken down to provide energy to the body
*fat is
the
most
energy
dense
(more
calories
per
gram in
fat than
others
*alcohol is not a nutrient but is energy yielding
Energy density
What is Energy Density?
➔ A measure of the energy a food provides relative to the weight of the food
➔ “gram for gram, ounce for ounce, a food with a high energy density provides more energy per gram”
➔ The least energy dense nutrient is vitamins b/c they don’t yield energy
What is Nutrient Density?
➔ A measure of the nutrients a food provides relative to the energy it provides
Measuring Energy
➔ Calories – unit by which energy is measured
➔ 1000 calories = 1 kilocalorie
➔ 1 kilocalorie is the amount of heat necessary to raise the temp of 1kg of water by 1˚C
, lOMoAR cPSD| 19857451
➔ The “calorie” used in everyday literature is actually a kilocalorie or kcal
Energy in the Body
The body uses the energy-yielding nutrient as:
➔ Fuel – supports all body activities, and storage for later
➔ Raw Materials – for building the body’s tissues and regulating activities (particularly protein)
Energy can be stored
➔ If the energy yielding nutrients are not used as fuel they can be rearranged and stored as fat
➔ When exceeding caloric needs, energy nutrients (fats, carbs, protein) can be stored as fat
➔ Carbohydrate can also be stored as glycogen
Energy Equation
➔ Energy in = Energy out (weight maintenance)
➔ Energy in > Energy out (weight gain)
➔ Energy in < Energy out (weight loss)
Protein
➔ Important role as structural building blocks
➔ Provides energy
➔ Proteins role as a fuel source is generally minor compared to carbs and fat
The Vitamins
➔ Organic mlcls
➔ Vitamins
o Water soluble (B and C vitamins)
o Fat soluble (A, D, E)
➔ Support the production of energy – not energy yielding
➔ Vulnerable to destruction
o EX. B-12 is easily destroyed by microwaving
o EX. Prolonged cooking of vitamins at high tamps could lead to destruction
The Minerals
➔ Inorganic
➔ Do not yield energy
➔ Indestructible
➔ May bind to substances
➔ Lost in refining processes or cooking
Water
➔ Transport nutrients and gets rid of waste
➔ Medium for all of life’s processes
➔ Participates in metabolic reactions
Analyzing Research Findings
➔ Correlation and causes – (correlation – one does not cause the other)
o Positive and negative association
➔ Cautious conclusions
o Weight of the evidence
➔ Peer reviewed journals