Nutrition
The relationship with people and their food has changed drastically over the years. Humans once had to hunt and gather for their food. They used all of the parts of the animal and spent most of their energy obtaining food. Eventually, people learned how to grow their own food and raise their own animals. There was still a deep connection with the food. Food was alive, and it was a giver of life to all. People spent most of their day either working the farms or grinding the grains and cooking their meats. Whole families and villages had to work together to get their sacred food. As society became more industrialized, and people began moving from farms into the city, they needed to get their food by other means. Food joined the industrial world and became more processed. Soon, all you had to do for food was go to the store and buy some packages of food and spend a shorter time cooking it. No need to socialize with your family or village to make your food. The connection with the food as a giver of life and being full of life was lost. Some people are lucky enough to still bless their food before a meal (giving thanks/saying grace), but new generations are losing their connection all together. Now, in America's modern society, it is very common for people to go around eating huge amounts of food and not putting any thought into what they just ate! Did I really just eat that whole bag of chips while watching T.V.? There is no mindfulness. There is no connection. There is no more spirit in our processed or fast foods.
Please note that the following information has been obtained from a single intro to nutrition class and by no means goes into extensive detail. These are the basics that we covered for the semester. Bon Appetite!
6 Classes of Nutrients: There are six classes of nutrients. Can you guess what they are?
1. Carbohydrates (which eventually break down into either sugars or starches)
2. Protein (which is made up of amino acids)
3. Lipids (which are either fats if they are solid or oils if they are liquid)
4. Vitamins (which are either fat soluble or water soluble)
5. Minerals (which are either major minerals or trace minerals. Both are essential, but you need much less of the trace minerals in your diet)
6. Water!
Most of a human's diet is made up of macronutrients (which means we eat substantial quantities). The macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids (we also need lots of water). The micronutrients are vitamins and minerals (we still need them, but we need to eat smaller amounts of them).
So what are calories, and how many calories do we need to eat in order to stay healthy? How many calories do we need each day to even just stay alive? Firstly, the definition of a calorie is the amount of heat needed to raise 1 kg of water 1 °C, but put simply, it is the energy received from our food. Using a very interesting measuring device called a bomb calorimeter, scientists came up with some interesting values of calories. For every 1 gram of carbohydrate, you get 4 usable calories. For every 1 gram of protein, you also get 4 usable calories. For every 1 gram of a lipid (fat), you get 9 calories, and for every 1 gram of alcohol, you get 7 usable calories. The amount of calories each person needs depends on a variety of factors, including activity level, age, gender, whether you are pregnant or not, etc. The average adult needs between 2,400-2,700 calories a day. The majority of the calories you burn are just to stay alive each day (respiration, heart beating, and brain function use most of your daily calories). So, how many carbohydrates do people need and protein or fat? Well, Abraham Lincoln decided that it was important to understand how much of each nutrient people need to eat, and not have any affiliation to any government influences (which would only manipulate the stats for their personal benefit). So Abe Lincoln developed the National Academy of Science, of which the Institute of Medicine is a part of. This group of nutritionists and scientists created the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDRs) of how much of each of the macronutrients are safe for people to eat each day. They came up with these results (which often change a few percents or so with more research): 45-65% of your daily calories should be carbohydrates, while 20-35% of your daily calories should consist of lipids. 10-35% of your daily calories consumed should be protein. These percentages vary based on any disease conditions an individual may have or their physiologic condition (pregnant or not), but they do not vary based on age or sex. There are also Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) which have had lots of consistent research, Adequate Intake (AIs) which has some research behind it but not much, and Tolerable Upper Limits (TULs) which is the very most of something you should eat; sometimes, at this tolerable upper accepted limit people develop symptoms of toxicity to something (which definitely means you are getting too much). RDAs, AIs, and TULs, vary based on age, sex, and physiologic condition. The Institute of Medicine came up with all of these recommendations for the US and Canada; however, that doesn't mean the government doesn't try to educate people on what is right to eat either. The US government used to make people follow the idea of the Food Pyramid, but now they came up with a new recommendation called MyPlate. I am not saying which recommendation is right or wrong, and many neither of them are perfect for you, but it is good to know the information.
4 Characteristics of a Good Diet:
1. A diet needs to be adequate, meaning that you need to have enough nutrients.
2. It should be moderate. Many people in America today eat too much sugar, too much fat, too much salt, and too many calories. This could be due to the fact that food is available everywhere! There are vending machines, food in gas stations, candy bowls at work offices and banks, commercials on T.V. advertising food. Everywhere we look, we are surrounded by food.
3. A balanced diet is also important.
4. Variety is an essential characteristic of a good diet. Some people like to eat one food over another, but it is best to get a variety nutrients in your diet. Then you do not develop a resistance to one food and you get the benefits of many different types of food. For example, a variety of grains is better than eating just one grain because each grain has different benefits to offer you.
Are We Really What We Eat?
Yes we are! Our cells take in the food we eat and break it down into smaller parts. The small parts are then reassembled and used as parts of our own bodies and cells.
1. Carbohydrates (which eventually break down into either sugars or starches)
2. Protein (which is made up of amino acids)
3. Lipids (which are either fats if they are solid or oils if they are liquid)
4. Vitamins (which are either fat soluble or water soluble)
5. Minerals (which are either major minerals or trace minerals. Both are essential, but you need much less of the trace minerals in your diet)
6. Water!
Most of a human's diet is made up of macronutrients (which means we eat substantial quantities). The macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids (we also need lots of water). The micronutrients are vitamins and minerals (we still need them, but we need to eat smaller amounts of them).
So what are calories, and how many calories do we need to eat in order to stay healthy? How many calories do we need each day to even just stay alive? Firstly, the definition of a calorie is the amount of heat needed to raise 1 kg of water 1 °C, but put simply, it is the energy received from our food. Using a very interesting measuring device called a bomb calorimeter, scientists came up with some interesting values of calories. For every 1 gram of carbohydrate, you get 4 usable calories. For every 1 gram of protein, you also get 4 usable calories. For every 1 gram of a lipid (fat), you get 9 calories, and for every 1 gram of alcohol, you get 7 usable calories. The amount of calories each person needs depends on a variety of factors, including activity level, age, gender, whether you are pregnant or not, etc. The average adult needs between 2,400-2,700 calories a day. The majority of the calories you burn are just to stay alive each day (respiration, heart beating, and brain function use most of your daily calories). So, how many carbohydrates do people need and protein or fat? Well, Abraham Lincoln decided that it was important to understand how much of each nutrient people need to eat, and not have any affiliation to any government influences (which would only manipulate the stats for their personal benefit). So Abe Lincoln developed the National Academy of Science, of which the Institute of Medicine is a part of. This group of nutritionists and scientists created the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDRs) of how much of each of the macronutrients are safe for people to eat each day. They came up with these results (which often change a few percents or so with more research): 45-65% of your daily calories should be carbohydrates, while 20-35% of your daily calories should consist of lipids. 10-35% of your daily calories consumed should be protein. These percentages vary based on any disease conditions an individual may have or their physiologic condition (pregnant or not), but they do not vary based on age or sex. There are also Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) which have had lots of consistent research, Adequate Intake (AIs) which has some research behind it but not much, and Tolerable Upper Limits (TULs) which is the very most of something you should eat; sometimes, at this tolerable upper accepted limit people develop symptoms of toxicity to something (which definitely means you are getting too much). RDAs, AIs, and TULs, vary based on age, sex, and physiologic condition. The Institute of Medicine came up with all of these recommendations for the US and Canada; however, that doesn't mean the government doesn't try to educate people on what is right to eat either. The US government used to make people follow the idea of the Food Pyramid, but now they came up with a new recommendation called MyPlate. I am not saying which recommendation is right or wrong, and many neither of them are perfect for you, but it is good to know the information.
4 Characteristics of a Good Diet:
1. A diet needs to be adequate, meaning that you need to have enough nutrients.
2. It should be moderate. Many people in America today eat too much sugar, too much fat, too much salt, and too many calories. This could be due to the fact that food is available everywhere! There are vending machines, food in gas stations, candy bowls at work offices and banks, commercials on T.V. advertising food. Everywhere we look, we are surrounded by food.
3. A balanced diet is also important.
4. Variety is an essential characteristic of a good diet. Some people like to eat one food over another, but it is best to get a variety nutrients in your diet. Then you do not develop a resistance to one food and you get the benefits of many different types of food. For example, a variety of grains is better than eating just one grain because each grain has different benefits to offer you.
Are We Really What We Eat?
Yes we are! Our cells take in the food we eat and break it down into smaller parts. The small parts are then reassembled and used as parts of our own bodies and cells.
Carbohydrates (Starches and Sugars)
45-65% of daily calories
What are carbohydrates? The word carbohydrate means carbon and water, which is why carbohydrates are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms.
Where do carbohydrates come from? Plants use the sun to obtain energy through a process called photosynthesis. They store their energy as either sugars or starches (which are longer and more complicated chains of sugars). These sugars and starches contain lots of water and are therefore very heavy (luckily, plants do not need to get up and move). So essentially, people only obtain carbohydrates by eating plants (and drinking milk). Humans store most of their energy as fats so we can move easier.
There are two types of carbohydrate. Simple carbs and complex carbs. Simple carbs are either made up of monosaccharides (such as glucose, fructose, and galactose) or disaccharides (such as maltose-two glucoses, sucrose-a fructose and glucose, and lactose-galactose and glucose). Complex carbs are either starches (like amylose, amylopectin, and glycogen) or fibers (such as cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and pectin).
Why do our bodies need carbohydrates? Some of our organs are obligate glucose users, meaning that they need the sugars from carbohydrates in order to function. Some of these organs include the brain (or any part of the nervous system for that matter), red blood cells, the lens of your eyes, and your muscles only when they are working as hard as they physically can (such as running for your life). At other times your muscles can work on your body's stored fats. Another reason we need carbohydrates is that it prevents a condition called Ketosis which is what happens if your body gets no carbohydrates at all for at least 2-3 days. Your body basically tries other ways to give your brain energy by making ketones, but it eventually makes your brain extremely tired and dulled. A third reason our bodies need carbs is to spare our protein. If you are starving, your body actually starts converting your protein into glucose by a process called gluconeogenesis. This destroys your body, but it also gives your brain the glucose it needs to survive. An interesting fact is that all of your body's organs will sacrifice themselves in order to keep the brain alive for as long as they can.
What happens when you eat lots of carbohydrates? First, your body breaks the carbohydrates into glucose (that is the only sugar that can enter your blood stream). The glucose goes to some tissues that immediate need sugar to survive (like red blood cells, your brain, your eye lens, and a little in your muscles). The left over glucose enters your liver which stores it as glycogen. Glycogen also goes to your muscles, but the glycogen in your liver will be stored in case your brain needs it. If you keep eating more carbohydrates, your liver eventually converts it to fat and stores the fat in fat cells (also known as adipose cells).
What are some side-effects of eating sugars? One side effect of eating sugar is its addictive property. Our bodies are made to crave sugar so we crave our mother's breast milk (the best nutrition a baby can receive) and because we needed to store them as fats in case there was a famine. It's only been lately (in modern America) that the average person is lucky enough to not experience famines. Our bodies have not adapted yet. Another side-effect from eating sugar is an increased risk of tooth decay. Sugars are delicious for bacteria, especially Streptococcus mutans, which digest the sugars and produce acids as a byproduct. Those acids create holes in your teeth which are called cavities. Any sugar and any carbohydrate will cause tooth decay, but some cause it more than others (especially the ones that stick to your teeth for longer amounts of time). One thing that does not result from eating sugar is hyperactivity. Most children that are hyper are not hyper because they are eating sugar, but instead are hyper and excited due to the event that the sugary foods are served at (such as parties, or winning soccer games). This has been proven when kids are fed sugar without parents knowing, and the parents do not see any cause of hyperactivity. Sugars do raise blood lipids in a bad way (by this I mean cholesterol levels). Sugar does not cause diabetes though. Eating too much sugar can cause a build up of fat which if it leads to obesity may cause diabetes.
What is Diabetes?
There are two types of diabetes Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1 Diabetes usually starts when you are young (sometimes even only weeks after birth!) It is the condition when your pancreas actually stops producing the hormone insulin which helps lower blood sugar. When your body stops producing insulin, you get blood sugar gets incredibly high. The person actually pees out excess sugar and the person beings losing lots of weight. People with type 1 diabetes need injections of insulin for the rest of their life. They need to balance their exercise levels with their diet and insulin. It is a very difficult balance, but once is is figured out the person can live a very normal life. This condition is more rare than Type 2 currently in the United States.
Type 2 Diabetes tends to be in overweight people. It is more common than Type 1. The pancreas still makes insulin, but your body develops insulin resistance. Unfortunately, fat cells are not very resistant and they are still made very well, which can cause the person to become even more over weight. Most doctors will request the person to control their exercise and diet. Usually, if the person loses 10% of their body weight, most of their symptoms go away. Type 2 diabetics usually do not need injections of insulin and they can cure their diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes are at a greater risk of heart disease, blindness, limb amputation (due to lack of circulation), kidney problems, and dementia if they are not controlling it.
Where do carbohydrates come from? Plants use the sun to obtain energy through a process called photosynthesis. They store their energy as either sugars or starches (which are longer and more complicated chains of sugars). These sugars and starches contain lots of water and are therefore very heavy (luckily, plants do not need to get up and move). So essentially, people only obtain carbohydrates by eating plants (and drinking milk). Humans store most of their energy as fats so we can move easier.
There are two types of carbohydrate. Simple carbs and complex carbs. Simple carbs are either made up of monosaccharides (such as glucose, fructose, and galactose) or disaccharides (such as maltose-two glucoses, sucrose-a fructose and glucose, and lactose-galactose and glucose). Complex carbs are either starches (like amylose, amylopectin, and glycogen) or fibers (such as cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and pectin).
Why do our bodies need carbohydrates? Some of our organs are obligate glucose users, meaning that they need the sugars from carbohydrates in order to function. Some of these organs include the brain (or any part of the nervous system for that matter), red blood cells, the lens of your eyes, and your muscles only when they are working as hard as they physically can (such as running for your life). At other times your muscles can work on your body's stored fats. Another reason we need carbohydrates is that it prevents a condition called Ketosis which is what happens if your body gets no carbohydrates at all for at least 2-3 days. Your body basically tries other ways to give your brain energy by making ketones, but it eventually makes your brain extremely tired and dulled. A third reason our bodies need carbs is to spare our protein. If you are starving, your body actually starts converting your protein into glucose by a process called gluconeogenesis. This destroys your body, but it also gives your brain the glucose it needs to survive. An interesting fact is that all of your body's organs will sacrifice themselves in order to keep the brain alive for as long as they can.
What happens when you eat lots of carbohydrates? First, your body breaks the carbohydrates into glucose (that is the only sugar that can enter your blood stream). The glucose goes to some tissues that immediate need sugar to survive (like red blood cells, your brain, your eye lens, and a little in your muscles). The left over glucose enters your liver which stores it as glycogen. Glycogen also goes to your muscles, but the glycogen in your liver will be stored in case your brain needs it. If you keep eating more carbohydrates, your liver eventually converts it to fat and stores the fat in fat cells (also known as adipose cells).
What are some side-effects of eating sugars? One side effect of eating sugar is its addictive property. Our bodies are made to crave sugar so we crave our mother's breast milk (the best nutrition a baby can receive) and because we needed to store them as fats in case there was a famine. It's only been lately (in modern America) that the average person is lucky enough to not experience famines. Our bodies have not adapted yet. Another side-effect from eating sugar is an increased risk of tooth decay. Sugars are delicious for bacteria, especially Streptococcus mutans, which digest the sugars and produce acids as a byproduct. Those acids create holes in your teeth which are called cavities. Any sugar and any carbohydrate will cause tooth decay, but some cause it more than others (especially the ones that stick to your teeth for longer amounts of time). One thing that does not result from eating sugar is hyperactivity. Most children that are hyper are not hyper because they are eating sugar, but instead are hyper and excited due to the event that the sugary foods are served at (such as parties, or winning soccer games). This has been proven when kids are fed sugar without parents knowing, and the parents do not see any cause of hyperactivity. Sugars do raise blood lipids in a bad way (by this I mean cholesterol levels). Sugar does not cause diabetes though. Eating too much sugar can cause a build up of fat which if it leads to obesity may cause diabetes.
What is Diabetes?
There are two types of diabetes Type 1 and Type 2.
Type 1 Diabetes usually starts when you are young (sometimes even only weeks after birth!) It is the condition when your pancreas actually stops producing the hormone insulin which helps lower blood sugar. When your body stops producing insulin, you get blood sugar gets incredibly high. The person actually pees out excess sugar and the person beings losing lots of weight. People with type 1 diabetes need injections of insulin for the rest of their life. They need to balance their exercise levels with their diet and insulin. It is a very difficult balance, but once is is figured out the person can live a very normal life. This condition is more rare than Type 2 currently in the United States.
Type 2 Diabetes tends to be in overweight people. It is more common than Type 1. The pancreas still makes insulin, but your body develops insulin resistance. Unfortunately, fat cells are not very resistant and they are still made very well, which can cause the person to become even more over weight. Most doctors will request the person to control their exercise and diet. Usually, if the person loses 10% of their body weight, most of their symptoms go away. Type 2 diabetics usually do not need injections of insulin and they can cure their diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes are at a greater risk of heart disease, blindness, limb amputation (due to lack of circulation), kidney problems, and dementia if they are not controlling it.
Ethanol/Alcohol
Ethanol is the only type of alcohol that humans can safely drink (in moderation). Any other type of alcohol can be extremely toxic AND deadly to humans. You get alcohol by using various sugars and yeast. The yeast eat the sugars and produce ethanol as a byproduct through a process called fermentation. Luckily, if you have 20% of alcohol by volume, the yeast dies so we do not end up drinking the alive yeast. You can get a stronger alcohol through a process called distilling (produces hard liquor/spirits).
The US government recommends that if you do drink alcohol, a man should only drink 2 drinks a day while a woman should only have 1 drink a day. A pregnant woman is recommended to not have ANY drinks during pregnancy or while breast feeding (the alcohol goes straight to the baby in both cases which may or may not cause fetal alcohol effects or fetal alcohol syndrome).
There are both pros and cons to drinking alcohol. These were explained by my nutrition teacher.
The US government recommends that if you do drink alcohol, a man should only drink 2 drinks a day while a woman should only have 1 drink a day. A pregnant woman is recommended to not have ANY drinks during pregnancy or while breast feeding (the alcohol goes straight to the baby in both cases which may or may not cause fetal alcohol effects or fetal alcohol syndrome).
There are both pros and cons to drinking alcohol. These were explained by my nutrition teacher.
PROS OF MODERATE ALCOHOL INTAKE
1. It makes people more social and relaxed 2. Decreases stress and anxiety 3. May increase appetite (in the elderly especially) 4. May decrease the risk of heart disease (by increasing HDL and decreasing LDL--basically cholesterol levels ) 5. May decrease blood clot formation 6. May decrease the risk for chronic diseases |
CONS OF TOO MUCH ALCOHOL INTAKE
1. Too much alcohol can cause a fatty liver which may lead to your liver replacing its cells with connective tissue (your liver dies). 2. It can be addictive 3. Causes dehydration (it is a diuretic) 4. Increases the risk of violent injuries/accidents/events 5. It is a depressant (especially to the brain signal for breathing!) 6. Loss of brain cells (memory loss) 7. Increased risk of strokes 8. It can destroy your pancreas (almost all pancreatitis is caused by too much alcohol) 9. The calcium in bones decreases over time 10. May cause malnutrition (certain vitamins and minerals may not be getting absorbed such as Thiamin) or you may lose your appetite if you drink way too much. 11. It can cause cancer (mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, liver, colon, and breast) 12. Hangovers 13. Dementia is more likely 14. It is an irritant (damages the stomach lining) 15. It disrupts your body's natural biorhythms 16. It causes a poor night's sleep (it does help you fall asleep faster, but it disrupts REM sleep where your cells recover). |
Lipids (Fats, Oils, & Waxes)
20-35% of daily calories
The 3 types of fats that we eat:
1. Triglycerides (which is one glycerol and three fatty acids) -- This makes up 95% of the fats in our diets.
2. Phospholipids
3. Sterols (like cholesterol)
The Importance of Fat:
1. It helps us stay warm (If you lose all of your fat you grow a temporary layer of hair to keep warm)
2. It mechanically protects our internal organs (Example: fat acts like a cushion for our kidneys)
3. It is a source of energy
4. We store energy as fat (store fat soluble vitamins)
5. It helps us absorb fat soluble vitamins
6. It helps maintain cellular function (also all of our cell membranes are made of fat) --also some of our hormones are made from fat
7. It helps with satiety (feeling full), adds flavor to foods, and makes a moist texture to foods
8. Fat pushes out wrinkles
9. Your brain is mostly made up of fat (also pregnant women who eat DHA produce a baby with a higher IQ than those who do not eat DHA).
From Fatty Foods to Fatty Bellies: Your body cannot simply absorb the big complex chain of fatty acids so it developed a way to break it down into smaller pieces. Your small intestine then absorbs the smaller pieces and reassembles them back to their original form. It then bunches a group of fats together in a ball where it enters the lymph system and eventually dumps into the blood stream (near the heart). As it wanders the blood it eventually finds adipose cells (fat cells) which always want more fat. Muscles will also want a little fat to store in them too. There are four different carriers of fat your body makes to move different fats through your body which doctors can measure through blood tests. Collectively, they are called lipoproteins.
4 Types of Lipoprotein:
1. Chylomicron -- carries dietary fat from intestines to muscles and fat cells (mostly triglycerides)
2. VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) -- carries fat made in the liver to muscles and fat cells (also mostly triglycerides)
3. LDL (low density lipoprotein) -- (AKA Bad cholesterol) -- carries cholesterol to tissues in the body
4. HDL (high density lipoprotein) --(AKA Good cholesterol) -- carries cholesterol to the liver for disposal
1. Triglycerides (which is one glycerol and three fatty acids) -- This makes up 95% of the fats in our diets.
2. Phospholipids
3. Sterols (like cholesterol)
The Importance of Fat:
1. It helps us stay warm (If you lose all of your fat you grow a temporary layer of hair to keep warm)
2. It mechanically protects our internal organs (Example: fat acts like a cushion for our kidneys)
3. It is a source of energy
4. We store energy as fat (store fat soluble vitamins)
5. It helps us absorb fat soluble vitamins
6. It helps maintain cellular function (also all of our cell membranes are made of fat) --also some of our hormones are made from fat
7. It helps with satiety (feeling full), adds flavor to foods, and makes a moist texture to foods
8. Fat pushes out wrinkles
9. Your brain is mostly made up of fat (also pregnant women who eat DHA produce a baby with a higher IQ than those who do not eat DHA).
From Fatty Foods to Fatty Bellies: Your body cannot simply absorb the big complex chain of fatty acids so it developed a way to break it down into smaller pieces. Your small intestine then absorbs the smaller pieces and reassembles them back to their original form. It then bunches a group of fats together in a ball where it enters the lymph system and eventually dumps into the blood stream (near the heart). As it wanders the blood it eventually finds adipose cells (fat cells) which always want more fat. Muscles will also want a little fat to store in them too. There are four different carriers of fat your body makes to move different fats through your body which doctors can measure through blood tests. Collectively, they are called lipoproteins.
4 Types of Lipoprotein:
1. Chylomicron -- carries dietary fat from intestines to muscles and fat cells (mostly triglycerides)
2. VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) -- carries fat made in the liver to muscles and fat cells (also mostly triglycerides)
3. LDL (low density lipoprotein) -- (AKA Bad cholesterol) -- carries cholesterol to tissues in the body
4. HDL (high density lipoprotein) --(AKA Good cholesterol) -- carries cholesterol to the liver for disposal
Protein (made up of amino acids)
10-35% of daily calories
COMING SOON..maybe
Vitamins & Minerals
Small, but important...even essential!
It is interesting to know that vitamins can be cooked out during the preparation process, but minerals usually cannot.
It is interesting to know that vitamins can be cooked out during the preparation process, but minerals usually cannot.