notes/education/nutrition/Misc.md

Key Nutrition Concepts

• Most foods are mixtures of nutrients.
  • Water is the major nutrient in most foods.
• All foods have some nutritional value
  • Some food is healthier than others
  • Nutrient dense food supplies more vitamins and minerals in relation to total calories. Examples inclue:
    • Broccoli
    • Leafy greans
    • Fat free milk
    • Oranges
    • Lean Meats
    • Whole grain Cereals
  • Energy Density refers to the amount of energy a food provides per given weight of the food.
    • Energy dense food has a kcal to weight ratio of 4.0 or higher.
    • Fat supplies the most energy per gram
    • Water supplies no energy for the body
  • An empty calorie food supplies excessive calories from unhealthy types of fat, added sugar, and/or alcohol.
    • Not all energy dense foods are empty-calorie foods.
    • Examples of empty calorie foods include candy, snack chips, alcohol, or sugar sweetened drinks.
  • People can add variety to their diets by choosing different foods from each of the 5 food groups
    • Fruits
    • Vegetables
    • Grains
    • Protein
    • Dairy
  • Food is the best source of nutrients
    • Economical
    • Reliable
    • Contains Phytochemicals
  • It can be difficult to plan and eat nutritious foods daily; in these cases, take a supplement

Dietary Supplements

• A dietary supplement is a product that contains a vitamin, mineral, herb, or other plant product, an amino acid, or a dietary substance that supplements the diet by increasing total intake.
• The Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act of 1994 allows manufacturers to classify nutrient supplements and herbal products as foods.
  • They do not undergo rigorous testing before being marketed
• Most foods do not contain toxic levels of vitamins and minerals.
  • A megadose is an amount of vitamin or mineral that is very high, generally at least 10 times the recommended amount of the nutrient.
  • When taken in high amounts, many vitamins have unpleasant side effects.

Malnutrition

• Malnutrition is a state of health that occurs when the body is improperly nourished. This includes both undernutrition and over nutrition.
• Nutritionally inadequate diets may be selected because of
  • Lack of knowledge
  • Low or fixed income
  • Eating disorders
  • Alco

Definitions

Term	Description
Nutrient-dense	Nutrient-dense food supplies more vitamins and minerals in relation to the total calories.