6 Essential Nutrients

VitaminsCarbohydratesMineralsFatProteinWater

Which Give Us Energy?

This is because they contain caloriesCalories are a unit of energy

CarbohydratesFatProtein

Nutrients: Carbohydrates,

Proteins, and Fats

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates

Are the Starches and Sugars found in foods.

Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy, providing four calories per gram.

They are made of Carbon, Hydrogen, and oxygen

Carbohydrates -2 types

1. Simple Carbohydrates

– Fructose, in fruit– Lactose, in milk– Maltose, in grain– Sucrose, in table sugar

OSE and IN foods means sugar

They are called simple carbohydrates because they are easy for the body to use. There is not much processing that needs to be done.

Complex Carbohydrates

2. Complex CarbohydratesStarches

Are chemically more complex because they are made of many sugars linked together.It takes more time to break them down – but they give more long term energyDuring digestion, Starches break down into sugars.

Fiber

FiberFiber is a special form of

complex carbohydrate. It cannot be digested or used as an energy source.

It helps move waste through your digestive System

Fiber is known to reduce risks of Colon Cancer, Heart Disease and Controlling Diabetes

Proteins (Amino Acids)

Proteins are nutrients that help build and maintain body tissue.

– Muscle– Bone– Connective Tissue– Teeth– Skin– Blood– Vital Organs

Complete and Incomplete Proteins

Complete Proteins– Are foods that contain all

the essential Amino Acids that the body needs and in proper amounts.

Fish, Meat, Poultry Eggs Milk, Cheese Yogurt Soybean Products

Essential Amino Acids-your body can’t make

these, so you must take them in each day

-There are 9 essential amino acids

Non-Essential Amino Acids

Your body is able to produce these on its own – so you don’t need to worry about taking them in on a daily basis – there are 11 non essential amino acids

Incomplete Proteins

Combinations of Incomplete proteins yields the equivalent of a complete protein.

They need not be eaten at the same meal as long as the day’s meals supply them both.

Some examples of these are black beans and rice, and peanut butter and jelly.

The Role of Proteins

1. During each of the normal periods of marked growth amino acids build new body tissues.

2. Enzymes– Substances that control the rate of thousands of biochemical

reactions in your body cells.3. Hormones

– Regulate reactions.4. Antibodies

– Identify and destroy bacteria and viruses that cause disease in the body.

Fats

Chemically, fats are a type of lipid, a fatty substance that does not dissolve in water.

– Saturated Fats– Unsaturated Fats

Fats

Saturated Fats– A fatty acid is said to be

saturated when the fatty acid holds all the hydrogen atoms it can.

– Foods high in saturated fats are usually solid or semisolid at room temperature

– Animal fats and tropical oils have a high proportion of saturated fats.

– Solid at room temperature

Unsaturated Fats– A fatty acid is unsaturated

when it is missing one or more pair of hydrogen atoms.

– Unsaturated fats become liquids at room temperature.

– Most vegetable fats, including olive, canola, soybean, corn, and cottonseed oils, contains a higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids.

– Liquid at room temperature

The Role of Fats

Provides nine calories per gram. They carry Vitamins A,D,E, and K Serve as sources of Linoleic Acid.

– This is an essential fatty acid not made in the body but which is essential for growth and healthy skin.

Fats in food add flavor, and they satisfy hunger since they take longer to digest.

The Role of Fats

Your body needs only a moderate amount of dietary fat.

Teenage Girl, who needs about 2200 calories daily, should have no more than 66 grams of fat daily.

Teenage Boys, who use an average of 2800 calories daily, should have no more than 84 grams of fat daily.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fatlike substance produced in the liver of all animals and, therefore, found only in foods of animal origin-meats, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products.

Cholesterol can be made in the body. Cholesterol is instrumental, for example, in the production

of the sex hormones, of vitamin D, and of the protective sheath around nerve fibers.

Too much cholesterol will clog your arteries and cause high blood pressure, stroke and could lead to a heart attack!