Nutrition and Diet Therapy Syllabus

• Nutrition and Diet Therapy syllabus involves introduction to the basic principles of nutrition science during the second semester of the school year 2024-2025.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the relationship between nutrition and diet therapy.
• Define health and the importance of a balanced diet.
• Discuss the states of nutrition.
• Utilize nutrient and food guides for health promotion.
• Identify simple and complex carbs.
• Explain the different types of complex carbs.
• Understand the functions of carbs.
• List the dietary recommendations for carbs (Dietary Reference Intake).
• Explain the digestion, absorption, and transportation of carbs in the body.
• Discuss potential health concerns and benefits related to dietary carbs and fats.

Health Promotion: Nutrition and Dietetics

• Nutrition is the food people eat and how it is used in the body.
• Nutrition science comprises scientific knowledge that governs nutrient requirements.
• Dietetics applies nutrition science to promote health and treat disease.
• Registered Dietitians (RDs) are clinical nutrition specialists and nutrition authorities in healthcare.

Approaches to Health

• Preventive health care identifies risk factors and promotes dietary and lifestyle behaviors to minimize disease risks.
• Traditional health care addresses symptoms of illness or disease when they already exist.
• Preventative Healthcare is more valuable than traditional health care.
• Chronic problems may develop long before signs are apparent.

Importance of a Balanced Diet

• Good nutrition evidenced by a well-developed body, ideal weight, body composition, and good muscle development.
• Signs also include smooth, clear skin, glossy hair, and clear, bright eyes.
• Good appetite, digestion, and elimination are present in well-nourished individuals.
• Well-nourished people are mentally and physically alert with a positive outlook.
• Well-nourished people have the ability to resist infectious diseases.
• In 2015, US life expectancy reached 76.4 years for men and 81.2 years for women.

Drug nutrient interactions

• Traditional medicine "cures" conditions with medications, surgery, or other interventions.
• Focus needs to be on the interactions of nutrients in food and over the counter, and prescribed medication.
• Drug regimens should be followed as they can have dangerous side effects.
• The potential for drug nutrient interaction exists.
• Food in the stomach may alter drug absorption.
• Dietary supplements with vitamins or minerals can be dangerous if taken as drugs.
• Knowing the diet of patients is essential to a complete medical plan.

Food and Health

• Food relieves hunger and satisfies appetite, supplying the body with nutrition.
• Nutrients in the diet are divided into essential, nonessential, and energy-yielding categories.
• Six essential nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water.
• Healthcare teams assess a patient's nutritional status.

Functions of Nutrients in Food

• Nutrients perform three basic functions: provide energy, build tissue, and regulate metabolic processes.
• Metabolism refers to life-sustaining tasks, with close relations among all nutrients.
• Nutrient interaction involves individual nutrients with specific roles.
• Nutrients interact dynamically to produce and maintain the body.

Energy Sources

• Human energy is measured in kilocalories (kcal).
• Three energy-yielding nutrients are carbohydrates, fat, and protein.
• Alcohol is another energy-yielding substance, at 7 kcal/gram.
• Carbohydrates provide the body's primary fuel source and maintain glycogen.
• Each gram of carbohydrate consumed yields 4 kcal of body energy.
• In a balanced diet, carbohydrates should be 45% to 65% of kilocalories.
• Dietary fats provide a secondary or storage form of energy.
• One gram provides 9 kcal.
• Fats should comprise 20%-35% of balanced diet. 2/3 of this from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Limit saturated fat to 10% of kilocalories
• Ideally, protein should be reserved for critical functions, such as structure, enzyme and hormone production.
• However, in the event that necessary energy from carbohydrates and fat is insufficient, the body may draw from dietary or tissue protein to obtain required energy.
• Used for energy, protein yields 4 kcal/g.
• Protein is 10% to 35% of kilocalories.

Recommended Intake

• Carbohydrates: 45%-65%
• Fat: 20%-35%
• Protein: 10%-35%
• Individual needs vary.
• Dietary adjustments are necessary.

Tissue Building

• The primary function of protein is tissue building.
• Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, construct and repair tissues.
• Tissue building ensures growth and maintenance of body structure.
• Other nutrients contribute to tissue building.
• Vitamins and minerals regulate body processes.
• Vitamin C develops collagen.
• Collagen is the protein in fibrous tissues.
• Calcium and phosphorus build and maintain bone tissue.
• Iron contributes to building hemoglobin.
• Fatty acids build lipids that are necessary for cell membranes.

Regulation and Control

• Chemical processes in the body are regulated to maintain balance.
• Several regulatory functions involve essential nutrients.
• Some vitamins are coenzyme factors.
• Vitamins govern chemical reactions during metabolism.
• B-complex vitamins needed for energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
• Many minerals serve as coenzyme factors as enyzmes in cell metabolism.
• Cobalt, which is a central constituent of vitamin B12 (cobalamin), has synthesis of heme for hemoglobin formation.
• Water is fundamental for life and metabolic processes.
• The adult body is 50% to 70% water.
• Dietary fiber helps regulate passage of food.

Nutritional States

• Optimal nutrition balances carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and water to cover variations in health.
• Undernutrition occurs when nutritional reserves are depleted with insufficient nutrient and energy intakes.
• Malnutrition appears in conditions of poverty or illness, influencing health.
• Undernutrition also occurs in hospitalized patients due to added stress.
• Illness and pain can result to anorexia and decreased appetite.
• Overnutrition results from excess nutrient and/or energy intake.
• Overnutrition is a form of malnutrition, producing harmful body weight.
• Excessive dietary supplement use can produce vitamin or mineral toxicities.

Nutrient and Food Guides for Health Promotion

• Developed countries have nutrient standards.
• Nutrient standards serve as a reference for essential nutrients.
• Standards vary according to the philosophies of scientists to determine purpose and use.
• In the United States, these standards are Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs).
• RDAs, published by the National Academy of Sciences, are an authoritative source for setting standards for nutrient deficiency protection from 1941.
• US RDA standards were first published guide for planning and obtaining food supplies for national defense and for providing population standards as a goal for good nutrition during World War II.
• US Standards have been revised and expanded every 5-10 years.
• Original goal was disease prevention, emphasis has now shifted to maintaining optimal health.

US Standards: Dietary Reference Intakes

• Food fortification and enrichment have reduced nutrient deficiencies in balanced diets.
• DRIs examine how much of nutrient should be consumed to reduce optimal health.
• The current DRIs are amounts of each nutrient to maximize the health benefits.

Dietary Reference Intakes Recommendations

• Gender and age group considerations are utilized in DRIs.
• Excessive nutrient amounts were identified as tolerable upper intakes.
• RDA is the daily intake of a nutrient that meets nearly all (97.5%) healthy individuals.
• Estimated Average Requirement is the intake level for half of a group, used as basis of the RDA.
• An Adequate Intake is a guide used with insufficient available evidence.
• Tolerable Upper Intake Level indicates not a recommended intake, rather the maximal intake for minimal adverse health risks.
• The Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization, set other standards to help health care workers promote health and prevent disease.

Food Guides and Recommendations

• Healthcare workers use food guides for nutrition education.
• Practical tools include the US Department of Agriculture's MyPlate and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
• MyPlate, released in June 2011 by the USDA, is a valuable nutrition education tool with goals for variety, proportionality, moderation, gradual improvements, and physical activity.
• Other organizations like the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association have independent dietary guidelines modeled after Dietary Guidelines for Americans with emphasis added on preventing specific chronic diseases.

Individual and Centered Care

• Food patterns vary depending on individual needs.
• Cookie-cutter meal plans are not useful.
• Food is enjoyment.
• Use food guides to identify appropriate food groups.
• Then, use what you've learned and your skills to specifically select foods for patients.

Changing Food Environment

• American food habits show increased reliance on processed foods.
• Although our food habits have deteriorated and Americans are more selective, the recognition of the relationship between health and diet has gone up.
• Regardless of how much the food environment changes, the one thing that never goes out of style is the invention of food fads and popular diets, but health care officials are now equipped to approach such clients.
• A fad diet is a personal preference that is not to be looked down upon or dismissed in favor of a strict meal plan, but should be taken in accordance with the DRI.
• Fad diets are for those that have judgements, guidance and overall balanced views.

Pinggang Pinoy

• A plate model that shows that recommened proporation by food group.
• The plate is broken into different food groups, GROW (body building), GO (energy giving), and GLOW (body regulating).
• Filipino plate for 3 catergories of ages. Children, teens, and adults.
• Filipino plate for pregnant and lactating women.
• Filipino plate for ages 1-6, 7-12, 13-19, and 60-69.