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Nutrition Basics
The primary puropse of eating is to provide nutrients necessary for energy, growth, and
mainenance of the body, and proper
functioning of body organs. Food consists of:
- Macronutirents - Carbohydrates, Protein and Fats.
Functions: Growth, repair and mainenance and energy (calories).
Energy requires calories - 40-50% from carbohydrates, Fat - only after 20-30 minutes of continuous
activity does your body begin to rely more on fat than on carbohydraes.
- Micronutirents - vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins regulate chemical processes. Minerals assist with this, and pay a role in body maintenance as well,
notably in the formation of new tissue, including bones, teeth and blood.
The FDA publishes Recommended Daily Values (DV) and Daily Reference Intakes (DRI's)
- Water - Water provides a fluid medium for all chemical reacctions, circulation of the blood,
removal of waste, lubrication, and regulation of body temperature.
In addition to all the benefits of food, our diets have been implicated in a variety of cronic
diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and obesity.
Types of nutrients
- Carbohydrates 50-58%
- carbo = different form of simple sugars (Glucose, Fructose and galactose) linked by polymers
Fiber - Nondigestible carbohydrate. Slows down entry of
sugar into blood. - good
Starchy - complex - bread, pasta, rice - not as good
Non-starchy - legumes, salad, fruit Best
Sugar - alcohol, sweets - bad
- Protein 25-12%
- Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are the foundation of all life.
9 essential amino acids are required.
lean best - eggs w/o yolks, white meat
- Fat 25-30% (9 cal. / gram)
- saturated - butter, cheese, egg yolks,
trans-fatty acids (partially hydrogenated vegitable oils) - margarine, french fries - bad
unsaturated - olive oil, nuts, avocados - good
- Food conversion in the body -
- Carbohydrates converted to simple sugars
complex are converted faster than simple
Too much sugar produces insulin which signals to body to store fat
References:
Nutritional Content of specific foods
"Prescription for Nutritional Healing, The A-to-Z gGuide to Supplements", 2002, Phyllis Balch Nutrition - Fat, Protein and Carbohydrates
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