6 CLASSES OF NUTRIENTS OVERVIEW OF NUTRITION

1. OVERVIEW OF NUTRITION
Professor McNair

2. •Quality – Dietary intake that allows you to
function at your best and promotes health.
•Dietary Intake that provides adequate
levels of each nutrient
•Quantity – Dietary intake that promotes a
healthy body weight.
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3. What is the Science of Nutrition?
•Nutrition – the science that links foods to
health and disease
•Nutrition studies processes by which nutrients
are:
•Ingested
•Digested
•Absorbed
•Transported
•Metabolized
•Excreted
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4. What’s Considered Food?
•Foods contain nutrients and are derived
from plant or animal sources
•Nutrients – substances in foods that are
needed for growth and maintenance of a
heathy body
•~ 40 nutrients identified at this time
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5. Essential Nutrients
•To be classified as an essential
nutrient:
1. The biological function of nutrient
is known
2. Omission from the diet leads to a
decline in a biological function
3. Return of the nutrient before
permanent damage is done
restores the biological function
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6. How do we Classify Nutrients ?
•Essential nutrients – another way to think
about…
•nutrients the body either cannot make or
cannot make enough of to maintain
health
•These nutrients must be obtained from
foods (ingested in some manner)
•Examples:
•Vitamins
•Calcium, iron, and other minerals
•Some of the amino acids
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7. What are Nonessential Nutrients ?
•Nonessential nutrients – The body
can make these from other nutrients
ingested.
 Examples:
•Cholesterol
•Some amino acids
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8. What are the 6
Classes of Nutrients ?
There are 6 Classes of Nutrients
1. Carbohydrates
2. Lipids (fats)
3. Proteins
4. Vitamins
5. Minerals
6. Water
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9. Body Composition
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10. What Criteria can we Use to
Describe and Classify Nutrients?
•There are several ways to classify the 6
classes of nutrients.
•Essential or nonessential
•Organic or inorganic
•Macronutrient or micronutrient
•Energy yielding or not
•Promote growth, development,
maintenance
•Regulate body functions
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11. Classifying Nutrients
by Composition
•Organic nutrients - contain carbon
•Carbohydrates
•Lipids
•Proteins
•Vitamins
•Inorganic nutrients - do not contain
carbon
•Minerals
• Water Overview of Nutrition 11

12. What is difference between
Macronutrients and Micronutrients?
•Macronutrients: -- The body needs
these in relatively large amounts
•Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins
•Micronutrients: -- The body needs
these in relatively small amounts
•All other nutrients
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13. Which Nutrients Yield Energy ?
•Energy-yielding nutrients (3):
•Carbohydrates
•Fats (Lipids)
•Proteins
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14. CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates: Contains Carbon
(C), Hydrogen (H), and Oxygen (O)
•4 kcal/gram
•Body’s primary source of energy
•Use as glucose
•Glucose is the brain’s only source
of energy
•Carbohydrate stores are limited
~12-24 hours (in liver and muscle)
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15. TYPES OF CARBOHYDRATES
•Simple sugars
•Monosaccharides and
disaccharides
•Complex carbohydrates
•Starch
•Fibers – cannot be digested, pass
through digestive system
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16. Lipids
Lipids – fats and oils: Contains
Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), and
Oxygen (O)
•9 kcal/gram
•Body’s alternate source of energy
•Use fat along with glucose as an
energy source most of the time
•Stores are unlimited
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17. Types of Lipids
•Fats
• Fats that are solids at room temperature
•Mostly animal sources
•Animal sources of fats contain the lipid
cholesterol
•Associated with health issues
•Oils
• Fats that are liquids at room temperature
•Plant sources, fish oils
•Contain essential fatty acids
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18. Other Lipids
•Cholesterol
•Non-essential nutrient
•Animal sources only
•Associated with cardiovascular disease
•Trans fats
•Made when unsaturated oils are
processed
•Hydrogenation reaction makes trans
fats
•Associated with health issues
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19. Proteins
•Proteins: Contains Carbon (C),
Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), Nitrogen
(N), Sulfur (S)
•Primary function is structural
•Muscles, bones, hair, antibodies,
hemoglobin, enzymes…..
•4 kcal/gram (same as _______)
•Body’s least desirable source of
energy
•Protein is used for energy only when
carbohydrate is NOT available as an
energy source.
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20. Classes of Proteins
•Proteins are made of ~20 amino
acids
•9 of these are essential
•Complete proteins – contain all 9
essential amino acids
•Incomplete proteins – lacking one of
more essential amino acids
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21. Protein Rich Foods
•Animal proteins
•Source of complete protein
•Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy
•Plant Proteins
•Source of incomplete protein
•Grains, beans (legumes), nuts,
seeds, some vegetables
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22. Vitamins
•They are essential nutrients because they have
many roles in the human body.
•Organic, micronutrient
•Vitamin do not Yield any Energy or any
Calories (No calories)
•2 classes of vitamins:
•Water-soluble Vitamins
•Fat-soluble Vitamins
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23. Minerals
•They are essential nutrients because they
have many roles in the human body.
•Inorganic, micronutrient
•Major minerals: eg..Ca, P, Na
•Trace minerals: eg…Fe, Zn
•Not energy-yielding
•Indestructible, can be lost in cooking water
•Structural functions, some are electrolytes
– play role in muscle and nerve function
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24. Water
•Water (H2O)
• Needed for all cells, organs, and
tissues
• Help regulate body
temperature
• Helps maintain many
bodily functions
• Noncaloric (No Calories)
•Our bodies are ~60% water
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25. Globally: Not everyone has access to
clean water
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26. Other Components of Foods
•Phytochemicals – chemicals found in
plants that are associated with health
•Not considered essential nutrients
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27. Energy-Yielding Non-nutrient
•Alcohol – 7 kcal/gram
•Not an essential nutrient because it
does not have any required functions
in the body
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28. Energy-Yielding
Nutrients
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29. Chronic Diseases and Diet
•Chronic health issues associated
with diet include:
•Heart disease
•Hypertension
•Obesity
•Type II Diabetes
•Osteoporosis
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30. Diet and Health
•Diet – Remember: Look at this term
as a Noun.
• What foods do You eat ?
•The quality of your daily diet affects
the risk of chronic diseases
•Meaning…..The food choices you make
daily have a cumulative impact on your
health
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31. Chronic Diseases and Diet
•Chronic health issues associated
with diet include:
•Heart disease
•Hypertension
•Obesity
•Type II Diabetes
•Osteoporosis
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