Nutrition: Fueling Your Body

Nutrition's Importance

• Making informed food choices promotes lifelong health.
• The food consumed impacts health and overall well-being.
• Nutritious foods fuel activities, sharpen mental focus, and enhance appearance.
• Consuming primarily high-fat foods may lead to weight gain.
• Dietary choices can increase the risk of certain health problems.
• Learning about nutrition is essential for making healthy food choices.
• Nutrition is how the body utilizes food.
• The body requires nutrients from food to function.
• Nutrients are substances in food that facilitate growth, repair, and energy supply.
• Calories measure the energy obtained from food.
• Calories measure energy use.
• Good nutrition helps prevent unhealthy weight gain and illnesses, like type 2 diabetes.
• Healthy eating reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers, stroke and osteoporosis.

Factors Influencing Food Choices

• Food choices are influenced by various factors.
• Identifying these influences is key to making informed decisions.
• Hunger is a natural, physical drive to eat prompted by the body’s need for food.
• Appetite is the psychological desire for food.
• Emotional states can trigger eating, with food used as comfort during stress, sadness, or boredom.
• "Mindless eating" is continuous snacking while distracted and can be addressed by recognizing the emotional connection to eating and focusing on real hunger.
• Environmental factors, like family, culture, friends, advertising, and finances, impact eating habits.

Nutrients

• Nutrients have vital roles in sustaining health.
• Each of the six nutrients has a job to keep you healthy.
• Everything you eat contains nutrients
• Nutrients facilitate growth, repair, and energy provision.
• Balanced nutrient intake during the teen years can improve health into adulthood.
• Nutrients provide energy as a primary function.
• They aid in healing and tissue repair.
• Nutrients support growth, transport oxygen, and regulate bodily functions.
• The six nutrient types are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water.
• Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats provide the body with energy.
• Careful nutrient selection helps with weight management.
• Each gram of carbohydrates or protein yields 4 calories.
• Each gram of fat yields 9 calories.
• Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats supply energy needed to maintain the body, aiding in building, repair, and fueling functions.

Carbohydrates

• Carbohydrates are the body's primary energy source, including starches and sugars in foods.
• Simple, complex, and fiber are the three carbohydrate types.
• Simple carbohydrates are sugars, such as fructose and lactose found in fruits and milk, respectively.
• These sugars are naturally present in fruits, dairy, honey, and maple syrup.
• Sugars are added to processed foods like cereals, bread, and baked goods.
• Complex carbohydrates are starches as long chains of sugars.
• Common sources of complex carbohydrates are grains, products made from grains, beans, and root vegetables like potatoes.
• Fiber, a complex carbohydrate that is indigestible, promotes fullness and aids waste removal.
• Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes are good sources of fiber.
• Most carbohydrates convert to glucose, the body's main fuel, which can be stored for later use.
• Fiber supports digestion and lowers disease risks, despite not being digested.
• Fiber is undigested and is not broken down into glucose.
• Daily fiber intake for teen girls (14-18) is 26 grams.
• Daily fiber intake for teen boys (14-18) is 38 grams.

Proteins

• Protein is essential for building and maintaining body tissues.
• The body requires 20 amino acids from food; these molecules form proteins.
• The body synthesizes all except nine amino acids.
• The nine amino acids that must be obtained through food are essential amino acids.
• The remaining amino acids are nonessential.
• "Complete" proteins containing all nine essential amino acids are from animal sources like meat, eggs, dairy, and soy.
• Plant-based proteins may lack one or more essential amino acids.
• Consuming a variety of plant-based foods rich in protein, such as grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes ensures intake of all essential amino acids.

Fats

• The body requires fat for proper function.
• Healthier fats should be consumed to maintain a healthy weight.
• Dietary fats consist of fatty acids, including essential fatty acids that the body cannot produce itself.
• Unsaturated fat consumption, in moderation, can lower the risk of heart disease.
• Saturated fat intake increases heart disease risk if consumed in excess.
• Trans fats increase the risk of heart disease by raising cholesterol levels.
• All foods contain a combination of unsaturated and saturated fats.
• Vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds mainly contain unsaturated fats.
• Saturated fats are mostly in animal products and some plant oils like meat, dairy, palm oil, and coconut oil.
• Trans fats are created through hydrogenation, which hardens vegetable oil and increases the saturation.
• Trans fats are in margarine, snack foods, and baked goods.
• Essential fatty acids promote brain development, blood clotting, inflammation control, and healthy skin and hair.
• Fats provide a concentrated energy source.
• Fats facilitate absorption and transport of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K).
• Excess calories from fat form body fat.
• Stored fat provides insulation for the body as adipose tissue.
• Certain fats elevate cholesterol and contribute to cardiovascular diseases.
• Cholesterol, a fat-like substance, is necessary for cell walls, hormone production, and vitamin D synthesis.
• Excess cholesterol leads to heart disease.
• Teens should get 25-35% of their calories from fats.
• Saturated and trans fat intake should be less than 10% of total calories.

Vitamins and Minerals

• Vitamins, minerals, and water do not provide energy, but are essential for bodily functions.
• Each vitamin and mineral performs a unique role.
• Vitamins are compounds in food that regulate body processes.
• Water-soluble vitamins (C, folic acid, B) dissolve in water.
• Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) are stored in body fat.
• Minerals are elements from food which are used by the body.
• Minerals are needed to stay healthy.
• Calcium is a mineral that maintains strong bones.
• Calcium-rich foods prevent osteoporosis, which is a condition of fragile bones.

Water

• Water is vital for nearly every bodily function.
• Teen girls (14-18) should consume at least 9 cups of fluids daily.
• Teen boys (14-18) should consume at least 13 cups of fluids daily.
• Water carries food through the digestive system.
• It digests carbohydrates and protein.
• It aids chemical reactions, transports nutrients and wastes, stores and releases heat.
• Water cools the body through perspiration, cushions the eyes, brain, spinal cord, and lubricates joints.
• Consume extra water before, during, and after exercise.
• Drink more water in hot conditions to avoid dehydration.
• Limit caffeine intake from coffee, tea, and soft drinks.

Healthy Eating Guidelines

• MyPlate supports making healthy food choices for meals and snacks.
• Key terms are dietary guidelines, MyPlate, and nutrient-dense.
• MyPlate applies nutrient knowledge to choose healthy foods.
• A variety of foods from each group gives the body every nutrient needed.
• The Dietary Guidelines can be condensed into three key points.
• Select wisely from each food group.
• Balance food intake with physical activity.
• Maximize nutrition while consuming calories.
• The five food groups are grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and protein.
• MyPlate is an interactive tool for fostering healthy eating and physical activity.
• MyPlate helps create healthy meal plans from all five food groups.
• MyPlate's sections represent the groups, which differ in size to show relative proportions.
• Focus on fruits for dietary guidelines.
• Vary your choice of vegetables.
• Consume calcium-rich foods.
• Ensure that half of your grain intake is whole grains.
• Select lean protein sources.
• Limit intake of certain foods.
• Prioritize whole fruits over juice due to their higher fiber content.
• Consume a variety of dark green and orange vegetables daily.
• Opt for low-fat and fat-free dairy to get calcium.
• Consume at least three ounces of brown rice/whole-grain cereals, etc.
• Eat lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds to get protein.
• Reduce intake of high-fat foods as well as those high in sugar.
• Balance energy from foods and exercise.
• Teens need 60 minutes of physical activity per day.
• Prioritize nutrient-dense foods.
• Nutrient-dense foods have more nutrients relative to their calorie content.
• MyPlate and dietary guidelines can be used to create a meal-plan.

Starting the Day Right and Sensible Snacking

• The body requires refueling after sleep.
• Eating breakfast is beneficial and aids in maintaining a healthy weight.
• Breakfast provides the necessary fuel to start the day.
• Choose healthy snacks.
• Great snack choices are fresh fruit, vegetables, string cheese, unsalted nuts, fat-free yogurt, bread sticks, and air-popped popcorn.
• Control portion sizes when eating out.
• Be aware of food preparation methods.
• Add fresh produce when available.
• Use toppings in moderation.
• Reduce overall calorie consumption.