1. Nutrition for Health

2. What are nutrients?
• Chemical substances in food that helps
maintain the body
• Some supply energy while others repair
and build tissue
• You need over 50 for good health
• No food provides all the nutrients needed
for the body

3. 6 Nutrients
• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Fats
• Water

4. Carbohydrates
• Comes from:
– Sugars - simple
– Starches - complex
– Fiber
• Sources
– Vegetables
– Legumes (peas, beans)
– Pasta
– Seeds
– Nuts
– Fruit

5. Carbohydrates and
What they do for us
Primary source for the body’s energy
• Helps digest fat
• Used for growth and maintenance
• Rich in fiber; helps prevent cancer and
intestinal problems

6. How much is needed daily
• 55-65% of your calories should come from
carbohydrates (mainly complex)
• Too many carbs makes one fat

7. Protein
• Animal (complete protein) = meat, fish,
poultry, milk and milk products, eggs
• Plant (incomplete protein) = dried beans,
peas, legumes (nuts)
• Incomplete proteins need to be combined to make
a complete protein (beans and rice) (peanuts and
bread)
• Proteins are made from amino acids which
are found completely in animal sources or
in combination with incomplete sources

8. Protein and
What it does for us
• Protein is found in EVERY cell
• Provides amino acids which are essential
for growth, maintenance and repair of
tissue
• Regulates body processes (fluid balance)
• Can be used for energy if carbohydrates
and fat are not available

9. Amount of Protein needed
• 10-15% of caloric intake per day
• Not enough Protein = Kwashiorkor

10. Fat (Lipids)
• Visible sources (40%)
– Butter/margarine
– Salad dressings
– Oils and shortening
• Invisible sources
– Eggs
– Cream
– Baked products
– Avocados

11. Fats and
What they do for us
• Provide energy
• Carry fat soluble vitamins
• Needed for healthy skin
• Provides protection to organs
• Helps to regulate body temperature

12. Amount of Fat needed
• No more than 30% of daily calories

13. Vitamins
• Fat-soluble sources
– Liver, eggs, dark green leafy and bright veg.,
squash, cantaloupe, sun, milk
• Water-soluble sources
– Fruits, breads, meat,

15. Fat-soluble vitamins
• A, D, E, & K stored in fat in the body
• A -- for vision
• D -- comes from sun needed for bones
• E -- found in fatty food is an antioxidant
• K -- needed for clotting blood

16. Water-soluble vitamins
• B -- found in bread and pasta vegetables
– Lots of B vitamins (riboflavin, niacin, thiamin,
B6, B12) -- needed for digestion and absorption
of all nutrients
• C -- found in citrus foods, strawberries,
peppers, etc.; helps clot blood; antioxidant!
– Excess is carried out of the body

17. Vitamins can only come from
a well rounded diet
• Too little looks like this
Beriberi lack
of vitamin B
Pellagra lack of B Rickets lack of D

18. Vitamins can only come from a
well rounded diet (cont.)
Scurvy lack of vitamin C
Night blindness lack
of vitamin A

19. Minerals
4% of our body weight
Our body can not manufacture these
• Calcium
• Iodine
• Sodium
• Chlorine
• Potassium

20. Calcium found in milk
and milk products
• Needed for bones and teeth
• Clots blood
• Too little calcium:
Normal bone----------osteoporosis

21. Iodine and sodium
found in table salt
• Needed for thyroid regulation and of
electrolytes
• Too little iodine or too much causes goiter

22. Water
• Must have water to function
• Most essential nutrient
• 75% body weight is water
We can live 1 month without food
but we can only live a few days without
water

23. Water (cont.)
• Sources = all the food groups
– Fruit, vegetables, milk = 75%
–Meat and poultry = 50%
– Grains 5-35%
– Water = 100%

24. Water and
What it does for our body
• Aids in digestion
• Chemical reactions within our
body rely on water
• Lubricates joints and cells
• Regulates body temperature

25. How much we need a day
• We use about 10 cups of water a day
• Require 8 glasses of fluid per day to
supply enough for most people. Some
need more.