Chapter 1 Nutrition 100 C introduction and Syllabus
Chris Pool
OverviewIntroductiontoNutritionCh1.docxOverview: Introduction to Nutrition (Ch 1)
Nutrition includes many aspects that you may not have thought of in conjunction with the term nutrition. You probably think food, maybe vitamins and minerals, perhaps even water but do you ever think about taste, smell, phytochemicals and the benefits to the body?
This chapter will begin with an overview of how we may choose the foods to eat. It will discuss the categories of food, the recommendations in general for healthy eating. It will look at a short list of Diet-Related Diseases.
Why do we eat the foods we eat? This chapter has you thinking about what you eat, why you eat, when you eat. Many factors are involved including things such as flavor, culture, religion, health, influences, marketing and even for many concerns about the environment.
What happens when we eat? What are Kilocalories? How does our metabolism (and what is that?) affect our food intake.?
What are nutrients? There are various nutrients to review this semester. We will start with macro nutrients which include carbohydrates, fats and protein. We will also look at micro nutrients as groups (later on we will break them down) but these include vitamins and minerals. We can't forget water.
The chapter will provide guidelines for a nutritious diet. It will explain how to recognize whole, processed, fortified, organic foods. It discusses enriched and fortified foods and what are they? The "tools" for choosing a healthy meal plan will provide an alphabet soup of terms such as Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI), Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), Adequate Intakes (AI), Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL) and Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR).
The chapter will provide a brief description of what happens when you eat also known as digestion and absorption. This information will be built on in other chapters as we go along.
Finally, the chapter has a Hot Topic for your enjoyment. This topic discusses Sustainable Food Systems. This is important for the longevity of our species and environment. This is a good start to our trip into nutrition.
