This document defines basic nutrition concepts including nutrition, food, nutrients, and nutritional status. It classifies nutrients according to function, chemical nature, essentiality, and concentration. The six major nutrients are proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins, and water. Nutritional status can be optimum, undernutrition due to lack of nutrients, or overnutrition due to excessive nutrients leading to harmful effects like obesity. Malnutrition is caused by a faulty diet as the primary factor or secondary factors that interfere with nutrient digestion, metabolism, or excretion.

1. BASIC NUTRITION

2. NUTRITION
• science of food, the nutrients and other
substances therein, their action, interaction
and balance in relation to health and disease
and the process through which food is used to
sustain life and growth
• combination of processes by which a living
organism receives and utilizes substances
needed for the maintenance of its functions,
for growth and renewal of its components

3. FOOD
• any substance which when ingested,
nourishes the body by building and repairing
of tissues, supplying heat and energy, and
regulating body processes
• has nutritional and non-nutritional
components

4. NUTRIENT
• a chemical component needed by the body for
the following functions:
• to provide energy
• to build and repair tissues
• to regulate life processes
• Six Nutrients: protein, carbohydrate, fat,
minerals, vitamins, water

5. NUTRIENT CLASSIFICATION
I. According to Function
body-building: water, protein, fat, carbohydrate
and minerals
regulatory: all nutrients maintain homeostasis of
body fluids and expedite metabolic processes
energy-giving: carbohydrate, fat and protein →
“caloric or fuel nutrients”
NOTE: Water, vitamins and minerals do not yield
energy. → “non-caloric nutrients”

6. II. According to Chemical Nature
• organic - carbon-containing compounds;
carbohydrate, protein, fat and vitamins
• inorganic – water and minerals

7. III. According to Essentiality
• dietary essentials – nutrients that should be
supplied from food because the body does not
synthesize them

8. IV. According to Concentration
• macronutrients – nutrients that are present in
relatively large amounts in the body
- carbohydrate, protein, fat, water and major
minerals
• micronutrients – nutrients that are present in
the body in small amounts only
- vitamins and trace minerals

9. • NUTRITIONAL STATUS – the condition of the
body resulting from the utilization of essential
nutrients
- also known as nutriture
• NOTE: A person may be classified as having
good, fair or poor nutriture.

10. Categories of Nutriture:
• Optimum or Good Nutrition – means that the
body has adequate supply of essential
nutrients that are efficiently utilized such that
growth and good health are maintained at the
highest possible level

11. Malnutrition – opposite of good nutrition that may be
due to the following conditions:
a. Undernutrition – condition of the body resulting
from a lack of one or more essential
nutrients
ex. nutritional deficiency, stunting, underweight
b. Overnutrition – condition of the body resulting
from excessive nutrient supply to the point of creating
toxic or harmful effects to the body
ex. obesity, overweight

12. Factors that causes malnutrition:
1. Primary factor – refers to a faulty diet
2. Secondary factor – all conditions within the
body that reduces the ultimate of nutrients to
the cells after the food goes beyond the mouth
– Factors that interfere with normal digestion : ex. lack
of appetite, poor teeth
– Factors that affect metabolism: ex. malignancy,
alcoholism, diabetes
– Factors that increase excretion: ex. excessive
perspiration