6. +
Carbohydrates, Proteins, Lipids, H20
The MAJOR nutrients
Carbohydrates: help us store energy, contribute to various
processes in our body that break down food, serve as a source of
dietary fiber to help us digest.
Amino Acids: help us grow and build strong muscles, hair and skin,
and aid cells in our body to send messages to each other.
Lipids: AKA fats, also contribute energy storage, help regulate
temperature, and help conduct certain hormonal behaviors in our
body.
Water: hydration, regulate body temperature, carry nutrients and
oxygen to our cells(membrane transport).
Hello everyone, my name is Chary, and today I will be teaching you guys a quick lesson on the basics of nutrition. On a quick note, this University has an exercise and nutritional sciences department, and various students, including me study nutritional sciences here at SDSU.
So let me start this presentation by asking you WHAT IS NUTRITION? I put this picture right here because many of us may perceive nutrition as a diet, a food restriction, among other negative conotations.
Which ‘food triangle’ would you prefer?
Beginning this presentation, most of us might probably choose the pizza because it is more appealing, and more famiiar to our taste buds, but hopefully after this slideshow you might want to try the foods located on the left picture.
One of the most important things I have learned from all my nutrition classes is that we eat to nourish our body, in other words, we eat to provide our body with the necessary nutrients that keep us healthy and energetic.
I have also learned that food is the main role player in nutrition of our body, and it acts as a fuel to give our bodies the strenghth to perform our daily routines.
When we engage our body in proper nutrition, we grow stronger bones, maintain a healthier heart, and add enhancement to the performance of our brain, among many other benefits.
Explain “food is fuel”
- The way I can explain this quote is that your body needs proper nutrition as an automobile needs fuel. Every time we get gas for our car, we take into consideration the quaity of the fuel for our car to work the best. The same way, our body needs quality food to function in a proper and beneficial way.
So now that we know that we need food to provide nutrition to our body, how is it that food works to fuel our body for its majority of functions?
in this animation, you will see a simple way of how food is broken down in our mouth, swallowed down the esophagus, filtered through our liver,sent to the stomach, then further breaks as it passes the pancreas, into the small intestine where most nutrients are absorbed into your blood, and anything that was not absorbed travels down the large intestine to be excreted.
Why is this process important? There are mant factors that contribute to this process happening in this specific order. There are certain foods, that unfortunately could hurt our liver when this organ tries to filter toxins and metabolize nutrients. There are also some foods that when we eat them, they develop a form of attachment to our body, and could become stored in our liver, as well as on top of our muscles and other cells in our body. Another problem could be that eating too much of a specific food group could get food stuck somewhere in your large intestine.
These are just a few examples of things that could go wrong if we don’t eat the right foods on a daily basis.
Theres also a positive note that if we consume the right combination of foods, this process happens appropriately and we get the benefits of optimal health.
Here at SDSU, we nutrition majors are constantly taught about the latest forms of healthy eating and one of our favorite strategies we like to use when we explain nutrition to our peers is this picture called choosemyplate.org.
You can find more information about It at www.choosemyplate.gov, and will discover this is the most ideal way to balance out your meal.
So what do we have here?
There are five main food groups that we acquire nutrition from, which are fruits, grains, veggies, protein, and dairy.
Before I go further into these food groups, I’d like to share a little bit about the chemistry behind nutrition.
I am aware this content might be a bit unfamiliar, but I just want to give you a little preview of my personal experience in learning about nutrition.
These are the chemical structures of carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids, and water. When they work together in your body, they maximize body function by nourishing your body when they are combined in the appropriate manner.
Here at SDSU, the nutrition program prepares you for your nutrition courses with a curriculum that includes various chemistries, physiology, anatomy, and even some cooking courses.
FUN FACT
Lets go back to the nutrition lesson
Fruits come from the major nutrient that is known as a Carbohydrates. - Fruits and Vegetables should ideally complete half of our plate. They are very feeling, very delicious, and provide your body with the richest forms of vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins and minerals are sources of essential nutrients that we need in low quantities in our body
Example of nutrients that you get from fruits and veggies: carrots for good sight, leafy grees for good working stools. A diet high in fruits and vegetables is going to build a shield in your body that we call immunity, and you will be less likely to get sick.
Anyone has a favorite fruit or vegetable?
As opposed to a bag of chips or a granola bar, everyday you can make the choice to eat a fruit instead. You can make your plates more colorful by adding more fruits and veggies in every meal.
There are various ways in which grains take form in food. Some basic examples of grains include rice, bread, cereals, oatmeal, pasta, among other sources.
There is a lot of information on the grains section of the food groups, but the main recommendation Is that when you choose your grains, the best sources come from whole grains and wheat breads.
An example of how whole grains can contribute to your health is that a diet that includes whole grains can prevent coronary heart disease.
Various sources of dairy include milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese among others. Dairy is rich in calcium which helps us build strong bones and teeth. However, if you happen to be lactose intolerant like me, you can get your calcium from other foods such as Kale (my favorite vegetable). The dairy group is the one group that you can moderate, you don’t need to include it in every meal, but should have it once/day at least because you are at an age that is preparing you to grow the last few inches of height.
Sources of protein include fish, chicken, eggs, and other animal source meats. If you do not like meat, there is also the option of legumes (beans), they are also good sources of proteins.
Because most proteins come from animal sources, they do contain fat because every organism has fat in their body.
Protein is very important because it helps shape the structure of many cells in our body, it helps us build strong muscles, and when we eat, this is the food group that helps us satisfy that feeling of fullness after a meal.
Basic guidelines for children’s plates.
Can you identify any food groups here?
How about here?
As I mentioned in the beginning. When we think of nutrition, we think of the sources of food that are essential to provide functions in our body.
