Nutrition PDF

Nutrition The word nutrition refers to nourishment that sustains life. It centers on the food people eat and how nourishes their lives, not only physically but also socially and personally, the science and art of human nurrition both faces on nourishing human life, and they do this in many ways. Fro...

Nutrition The word nutrition refers to nourishment that sustains life. It centers on the food people eat and how nourishes their lives, not only physically but also socially and personally, the science and art of human nurrition both faces on nourishing human life, and they do this in many ways. From the moment of conception until death, an appropriate diet supports optimum growth and maruration, mental and physical well-being, and resistance to disease. Nutrition and diet play a role in promoting health and reducing the risk of many adverse conditions, ranging from low birth weight to diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. We need energy to carry out vital functions such as breathing. Adapting to changes in our environment, and engaging in physical activity. We must constantly replenish our energy stores with food to sustain physical life. But food also nourishes the human spirit. We all have our particular “soul food” our comfort foods, that connect us to our family and provide a sense of psychological and spiritual well-being. Nutritive is thus defined as the food people eat and how it nourishes their bodies, Nutritional science comprises the body of scientific knowledge that defines the nutritional requirements for body maintenance, growth, activity, and reproduction. Food and Health: Recent discoveries about the health related aspects of certain foods have let to new government policies regulating food in the marketplace. Food labels that describe the health benefits of food products provide important information for consumers but can lead to more questions about the relationship between food and health. The mass media carry article about “function foods” or foods that appear to have a health benefit over and above any known nutrients they contain. For example, researchers have found that phytoestrogens, which are found in any products, may decrease one’s risk of cardiovascular disease and bone loss in later years. Nutrition and Health Promotion: A major goal for health professionals in this century will be the prevention and control of chronic disease advances in sanitation and public health brought about precipitous decline in the number of deaths from diseases such as ruberculosis and pnemectia during the past 100 years. However, we have not made the same degree of progress in reducing death and disability from chronic disease that increase as we age. Heart disease, cancer, and stroke have been three leading cases of death in the United States and most industrialized for the past 50 years. Sound nutrition and regular physical activity are well-recognized preventive behavior for these conditions. No longer can define health and simply the absence of overt disease; rather, we must direct our efforts toward helping individuals of all ages achieve optimum health statues and delay chronic health problems. Approximately 50 nutrients have been determined to be essential to human life and health, although countless other elements and molecules found in the human body are being researched and may in time be found to be essential. The identification of all possible essential nutrients is of particular concern to health professionals responsible for developing formulas for enteral and parenteral nutrition of critically and chronically ill. Known essential nutrients include macronutrients carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, whose constituent substances supply energy and build tissue, and micronutrients vitamins and minerals that the body uses in much smaller amounts to form specialized structures and to regular and control body processes. Water is the often forgotten vital nutrient that sustains all of our life systems. The term metabolism refers to the sum of these chemical processes in the body that use nurrients to sustain life and health. The first part of this text will cover your study of these important nutrients. In later chapters we will look at the ways these nutrients participate in the growth and health of persons of various ages and intervention strategies for those with acute or chronic disease. Nutrient Interrelationships: An important concept that will continue to emerge in our study of nutrition is the fundamental principle of nutrient interaction. It consists of two parts. 1- Individual nutrients have many specific metabolic functions; in some functions, a nutrients will have a primary role, whereas in others, it will play a supporting role. 2- No nutrient ever works alone. Energy Sources: The energy yielding nutrients – carbohydrates, fats, and proteins – provide primary and alternate sources of energy. Carbohydrates: Dietary carbohydrates, the starches and sugars, are the body’s primary source of fuel for heat and energy. One form of carbohydrate is the stores source of energy known as glycogen. Glycogen is sometimes called “animal starch” because its structure is so similar to that of plant starch. Each gram of carbohydrate, when metabolized in the body, yields 4 kilocalories (Kcalories). This number is called the “fuel factor” a well-balanced diet for a healthy person usually supplies approximately 50% to 60% of the total kcalories from carbohydrates. The majority of these kcalories should be derived from complex carbohydrate foods (starches) and a smaller amount should be derived from simple carbohydrates foods (sugars). Fats: Dietary fats from animal and plant sources provide the body’s alternate, or storage, form of heat and energy. Fat is a more concentrated fuel, yielding 9 kcalories for each gram metabolized. The fuel factor of fats is therefore 9. It has been generally accepted that fats should supply no more than 25% to 30% of the total kcalories in a well-balanced diet. The majority of this fat, approximately two thirds, should consist of unsaturated fats, with only about one third coming from saturated fats. Proteins: The body can draw on dietary or tissue protein to obtain needed energy when the fuel supply carbohydrates and fats is insufficient. Protein yields 4 kcalories/g, making its fuel factor 4. Quality protein should provide approximately 15% to 20% of the total kcalories in a well-balanced diet of a healthy individual. Although protein’s primary function is tissue building, some may be available for energy as needed. The primary function of protein is tissue building. Dietary protein foods provide amino acids, the building units necessary for constructing and repairing body tissues. Body tissues undergo a constant, dynamic process of modeling and remodeling according to need that ensures growth and maintenance of a strong body structure and the production of vital substances for tissue functioning. Minerals: Minerals have numerous functions in building tissues. For example, two of the major minerals, calcium and phosphorus, provide strength to bone tissue. And interesting structural example is that of the trace element cobalt, which is a central constituent of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) and thus functions as a component of this vitamin needed to form red blood cells. Vitamins: Vitamins are complex molecules needed in very minute amounts; however, they fulfill very important roles in the formation of body tissues. Vitamin C helps form the cementing intercellular ground substance necessary for binding tissues together and preventing tissue blending. Vitamin A is found on the rods and cones in the eye that support vision in dim light. Metabolic Regulation and control: All of the multiple biochemical processes that make up body metabolism and re required to provide energy and build tissue must be controlled in perfect detail to maintain a smoothly running physiologic system. Otherwise there would be chaos within the body systems and death would eventually ensue. Life and health result from a dynamic balance, or state of homeostasis, among all of the body parts and processes. Vitamins and minerals are nutrients that play a vital role in this metabolic regulation and control; water provides the necessary fluid environment for these chemical reactions to take place. Minerals: Minerals serve as coenzyme factors in cell metabolism. Iron is necessary for the action of enzymes in the mitochondria of cells that produce and store high- energy compounds for later use. Vitamins: Many vitamins function as coenzyme factors, or components of cell enzyme systems. To govern chemical reactions in cell metabolism and the synthesis of important molcules. Thiamin, for example, helps govern the release of energy to carry on the work of the cell. Water: Water functions as a regulatory agent, providing the essential solution base for all metabolic processes. Water also forms the blood, lymph, and intercellular fluids that transport needed nutrients to cells and remove waste Levels of Nutritional Status Nutritional status refers to the general nutritional health of an individual. It will vary depending on a person’s living situation, available food supply, and health. You will be concerned with these varying levels as you asses your own nutritional status or that of others. Ideal Nutrition: Ideal nutritional status, sometimes referred to as optimum nutritional status, should be our goal as health professionals. Evidence of optimum nutrition includes a well-developed body. Ideal body weight for height with an appropriate body composition (ratio of muscle mass to fat), and good muscle development and tone. The skin is smooth and clear, the hair is glossy, and the eyes are clear and bright. Posture is good; the facial expression is alert, appetite, digestion, and elimination are normal. Detailed characteristics of good and poor states of nutrition. Being to think about these signs as you progress in your study nutrition and look for them as you become a more skilled observer. Well-nourished persons are much more likely to be alert, both mentally and physically. They are not only meeting their day-to-day needs but also maintaining essential nutrient reserves for resisting infectious diseases and extending their years of normal functioning. What Causes World Hunger? Food insecurity and hunger cause many children to become stunted (if not worse) due to malnutrition. The world produces enough food to feed all 7.5 billion people, yet 1 in 9 people around the world go hungry each day. Where is the disconnect? Here are 10 of the most popular causes of world hunger. Poverty Poverty and hunger exist in a vicious cycle. Families living in poverty usually can’t afford nutritious food, leading to undernourishment. In turn, undernourishment makes it difficult for people to earn more money so that they can afford healthy food. Families living in poverty might also sell off their livestock or tools to supplement their income. This buys short-term relief, but perpetuates a longer-term pattern of hunger and poverty that is often passed down from parents to children. The Democratic Republic of Congo, recognized year over year as one of the world’s poorest countries, has a population of 77 million, the majority of whom live below $1.25/day. As of 2017, 7.9 million DRC citizens faced acute hunger. Food Shortages Across Africa, including regions like the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, farming families experience periods before harvests known as “hungry seasons.” These are the times of year when food supplies from the previous harvest are exhausted, but the chance to replenish supplies is still some time off. This leaves families forced to skip one (or more) meals each day in the period before the next harvest. War & Conflict War and conflict are also among the leading contributors to world hunger. In South Sudan, civil war has led to mass displacement and abandoned fields. The result is crop failure which, combined with a soaring inflation rate that makes imported food unaffordable, has left 6 million people food-insecure. Likewise, Yemen’s ongoing conflict has led to over half the country (approximately 17 million people) in need of urgent action in the absence of ongoing humanitarian food assistance. Climate Change Countries like Zambia enjoy relative peace and political stability. However, they are also plagued by hunger due to climate extremes. Too much, or too little, rainfall can destroy harvests or reduce the amount of animal pasture available. These fluctuations are made worse by the El Niño weather system, and are likely to increase due to changes in climate. Extreme climate patterns also tend to affect the poorest regions of the world the most. The World Bank estimates that climate change has the power to push more than 100 million people into poverty over the next decade. Poor Nutrition Hunger isn’t simply a lack of access to food; it’s a lack of access to the right nutrients. In order to thrive, humans need a range of foods providing a variety of essential health benefits. Poor families often rely on just one or two staple foods (like corn or wheat), which means they’re not getting enough critical macronutrients and vitamins, and may still suffer the effects of hunger. A lack of nutrition is especially important for pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children: Nutrition support during pregnancy and up to the age of five can help protect children for their entire lives. Proper nutrition reduces the likelihood of disease, poor health, and cognitive impairment. Poor Public Policy  Systemic problems, like poor infrastructure or low investment in agriculture, often prevent food and water from reaching the world populations that need them the most. Economy Much like the poverty-hunger cycle, a country’s economic resilience has a direct effect on its nutritional resilience. For example, Liberia’s overall economic troubles deepened after the Ebola outbreak in 2014. Five years later, 50% live below the poverty line. Working towards economic stability overall will have a ripple effect on other causes of world hunger cited on this list. Food Waste According to the World Food Programme, 1/3 of all food produced over 1.3 billion tons of it is never consumed. What’s more, producing this wasted food also uses other natural resources that, when threatened, have a ripple effect in the countries that are already hit hardest by hunger, poverty, and climate change. Producing this wasted food requires an amount of water equal to the annual flow of Russia’s Volga River and adds 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Gender Inequality In its Sustainable Development Goal 2, the UN reveals: “If women farmers had the same access to resources as men, the number of hungry in the world could be reduced by up to 150 million.” Female farmers are responsible for growing, harvesting, preparing, and selling the majority of food in poor countries. Women are on the frontlines of the fight against hunger, yet they are frequently underrepresented at the forums where important decisions on policy and resources are made. Forced Migration Beyond war and conflict, a number of factors contribute to the causes of forced migration. This includes hunger, but forced migration can also be a cause of hunger. Many refugees living abroad live in neighboring countries with limited resources to begin with. In Lebanon, for example, nearly a third of the population is refugees, placing a huge strain on resources. Borderline Nutrition As the descriptive label indicates, persons with only borderline or marginal nutritional status may be meeting their minimum day-to-day nutritional needs, but they lack nutrition reserves to meet any added physiologic or metabolic demand from injury or illness, to sustain fetal development during pregnancy, or to attain proper growth in childhood. A state of borderline nutrition may exist in persons with poor eating habits or in those who are living in stressed environments on low incomes Malnutrition Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients. The term malnutrition covers 2 broad groups of conditions. One is ‘undernutrition’—which includes stunting (low height for age), wasting (low weight for height), underweight (low weight for age) and micronutrient deficiencies or insufficiencies (a lack of important vitamins and minerals). The other is overweight, obesity and diet-related non communicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer). Deficiency of Macronutrients Protein- Energy Malnutrition (PEM) : Can be found in every society, even in developed and industrialised countries, although the numbers are fewer in the latter as compared to developing countries. It is caused by inadequate food intake vis–a– vis the requirements, i.e., insufficient intake of the macronutrients (energy and protein). Children are at greatest risk although PEM can occur in adults especially the elderly, as well as in some diseases e.g. T.B., AIDS, etc. It is assessed by evaluating the anthropometric measurements (weight, height, head- chest circumference, etc.). Severe undernutrition due to deficiency of food and energy is termed as ‘marasmus’ and that caused by protein deficiency is termed ‘kwashiorkor’. Kwashiorkor is an infection set apart by serious protein lack of healthy sustenance and reciprocal furthest point expanding. It for the most part influences babies and kids, frequently around the time of weaning through age 5. The sickness is seen in extreme instances of starvation and neediness stricken districts around the world. During the 1950s, it was perceived as a general wellbeing emergency by the World Health Organization. Notwithstanding, there was a postponement in its acknowledgment, on the grounds that most instances of youth passing were accounted for as being from sicknesses of the stomach related framework or irresistible etiology. From that point forward, different aid ventures were planned for destroying it.