Basics Concepts In Nutrition
|
There are six essential nutrients, water, lipids, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals. Essential means absolutely necessary. In regards to nutrition, essential describes what must be consumed in the diet to sustain life. Water is our most important nutrient.
Macronutrients refers to the essential nutrients needed in LARGE amounts. These nutrients are carbohydrates, lipids and protein. Lipids are substances that do not mix with water. The most notorious lipid is cholesterol and the most famous lipid is fat. Micronutrients refers the essential nutrients needed in small amount for survival. |
|
Phytonutrients are bioactive plant compounds thought to be beneficial to health. Although there is a growing body of evidence linking phytonutrients to health, longevity and the prevention of chronic disease, they are not considered "essential nutrients". The term phytochemical and phytonutrient are used interchangeably. Fiber is a carbohydrate and an important component in our diet, but it is not considered an essential nutrient. It is not broken down in the body and absorbed. It passes through the digestive tract largely intact, yet still has beneficial effects.
Calorie: A calorie is a unit used to measure the energy in food, just like we measure distance in feet miles. Calories are like miles in that it is a unit of measurement. We don't eat calories, we eat food. Our body extracts energy from food and we measure that energy in calories. We need energy to keep our heart beating, our lungs breathing and our body moving. Technically, food is measured in kcal or kilocalories, but the commonly used term is simply calorie.
Carbohydrate, fat and protein are energy yielding nutrients. When we eat food, it provides us with energy. Each macronutrient provides us with a different amount of energy per gram. Below are the three energy yielding nutrients and the calories they contain per gram.
Micronutrients, which are vitamins and minerals, DO NOT provide energy.
Whole food: A whole food is a food in its original state. A whole food is a food that closely resembles how it appeared in nature. An apple, for example, is a whole food. A whole food has very little processing or refining and is free from additives and artificial substances. The further away a food is from it's original state, the less healthy it will be. Every step of processing results in loss of nutrients. Every step of processing results in the addition of food additives. Nutrients out > food additives in. When you grab for a food, ask yourself how closely the food resembles it's original state. Below are examples from opposite sides of the spectrum. A whole food, an apple, on the left and an ultra-processed food, gummy bear, on the right.
Calorie: A calorie is a unit used to measure the energy in food, just like we measure distance in feet miles. Calories are like miles in that it is a unit of measurement. We don't eat calories, we eat food. Our body extracts energy from food and we measure that energy in calories. We need energy to keep our heart beating, our lungs breathing and our body moving. Technically, food is measured in kcal or kilocalories, but the commonly used term is simply calorie.
Carbohydrate, fat and protein are energy yielding nutrients. When we eat food, it provides us with energy. Each macronutrient provides us with a different amount of energy per gram. Below are the three energy yielding nutrients and the calories they contain per gram.
- Carbohydrates 4 calories/gram
- Protein 4 calories/gram
- Fat 9 calories/gram
Micronutrients, which are vitamins and minerals, DO NOT provide energy.
Whole food: A whole food is a food in its original state. A whole food is a food that closely resembles how it appeared in nature. An apple, for example, is a whole food. A whole food has very little processing or refining and is free from additives and artificial substances. The further away a food is from it's original state, the less healthy it will be. Every step of processing results in loss of nutrients. Every step of processing results in the addition of food additives. Nutrients out > food additives in. When you grab for a food, ask yourself how closely the food resembles it's original state. Below are examples from opposite sides of the spectrum. A whole food, an apple, on the left and an ultra-processed food, gummy bear, on the right.
Whole Food |
Processed Food |
whole green apple
|
green apple gummy bear
|
Nutrient Density: Almost every food will offer you something, but the key is getting the most nutrients with the least amount of added sugar, salt, processed fat (eg: trans fat), food additives and calories. A food with a high number of micronutrients, phytonutrients and fiber, but a low amount of sugar, salt, processed fat and calories is considered a more nutrient dense food. This is an important concept. One cup of Coke will give you 182 calories, fructose and glucose (both simple sugars) and water, but no vitamins, minerals or macronutrients and definitely no fiber. Coke is high in calories and low in nutrients. This is not a nutrient dense drink. Compare this to broccoli. One cup of broccoli has 55 calories, is high in vitamin K, C, chromium, folate and fiber. It is a good source of pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, E, A, riboflavin, phosphorus, manganese, choline, copper, potassium and has ample phytonutrients. Broccoli is a nutrient dense food.
Implying natural with the "Nature" in the name
Natural: The FDA has not established a formal definition of natural. The current working rule is that nothing artificial or synthetic can be included in a food labeled natural. But, you'll find this is a flexible definition. There are many things that fit this definition that we don’t want to put into our bodies. For example, mercury is natural, yet it's not something we want in our food. Just because a label reads “natural” doesn’t mean that it is healthier. In fact, it's likely it's just the opposite.
Many manufacturers have nature or natural in the company or product name. This creates the impression of natural, when there may be nothing natural about the product.
Many manufacturers have nature or natural in the company or product name. This creates the impression of natural, when there may be nothing natural about the product.
Nutrient Labeling Definitions
When a product is labeled "High In" a certain nutrient, this means that it has 20% or more of the Daily Value (DV) for that nutrient. This pertains to the average person on a 2000 calorie diet. If the average individual needs 1000 mg of calcium a day and the product has 220 mg, then it has more than 20% of that individuals calcium needs for the day. These values are great for comparing products, but may not be exactly what YOU need for the day. Here are some important values you should know. Keep in mind, these are all per serving.
If you consumed 15 flavored cracker and entered this information into a diet program, such as SuperTracker, it would show 3 grams of fiber for the 15 crackers. But, you could not say crackers are a good source of fiber. Why? Because 5 crackers are 1 serving and you consumed 3 servings. There is only 1 gram of fiber per serving, which means the crackers are a poor source of fiber. This is yet another way consuming processed foods can distort the reality of what we are eating.
- High in 20% of more of the DV
- Good Source 10-19% of the DV
- High fiber 5 grams or more
- Good source of fiber 2.5-4.9 grams
- Low in fat 3 grams of fat or less
- Low in saturated fat 1 gram of fat or less It's important to keep in mind serving size.
If you consumed 15 flavored cracker and entered this information into a diet program, such as SuperTracker, it would show 3 grams of fiber for the 15 crackers. But, you could not say crackers are a good source of fiber. Why? Because 5 crackers are 1 serving and you consumed 3 servings. There is only 1 gram of fiber per serving, which means the crackers are a poor source of fiber. This is yet another way consuming processed foods can distort the reality of what we are eating.
References
- USDA. Food and Nutrition Information Center. FAQs. Last accessed February 27, 2016. http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/how-many-calories-are-one-gram-fat-carbohydrate-or-protein
- FDA. "Natural" on Food Labeling. Last accessed February 27, 2016. http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm456090.htm
- Guidance for Industry: A Food Labeling Guide (10. Appendix B: Additional Requirements for Nutrient Content Claims). Labeling and Nutrition. Federal Drug Administration. January 13, 2013. Last accessed April 6, 2016. http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064916.htm
- Green apple by GoodFreeArt on OpenClipArt, CC0 1.0.
- Halloween candy gummy by cgbug on OpenClipArt, CC0 1.0.
- Open Nature Cereal image by Christine Dobrowolski.
Last updated April 6th, 2016