Food Choices and Human

Health
Chapter 1

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Introduction

Nutrition
Science
Studying

nutrition

Why

care about nutrition?

What are the nutrients in food?
What constitutes a nutritious diet?
How do we know what we know about
nutrition?
How do people go about making changes?
Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

A Lifetime of Nourishment

Chosen foods have a cumulative effect

Good

health and poor health

Your body continuously renews itself

Best foods
Support

your body s growth &

maintenance

Malnutrition
Deficiencies,

imbalances, and excesses

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

The Diet and Health Connection

Influential
lifestyle habits
Tobacco

use,
alcohol use,
nutritional
choices

Chronic
diseases
Connection

with poor diet

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Genetics and Individuality

Genetics and nutrition affect diseases to
varying degrees
Human genome

DNA
Genes

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Other Lifestyle Choices

Tobacco & alcohol
use
Substance abuse
Physical activity
Sleep
Stress
Environmental
factors

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Healthy People 2020, Selected

Objectives

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Healthy People 2020, Selected

Objectives

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Elements in the Six Classes of

Nutrients

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Meet the Nutrients

Energy-yielding nutrients
Carbohydrates 4 cal/g
Fats 9 cal/g
Proteins 4 cal/g

Vitamins and minerals

Provide no energy
Some are essential

Water
Essential nutrients-body cannot make; need
from diet

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Adequate Nutrients Without

Excessive Calories

Evaluate nutrient density

Time for food preparation

Vegetables

have high nutrient density

Options
Foods

to save time
to avoid

Combining foods into meals

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

A Way to Judge Which Foods Are

Most Nutritious

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Can I Live on Just Supplements?

Real food is superior to supplements

Nutrient

interactions

Phytochemicals

Physical

contributions
contributions

Psychological

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

The Abundance of Foods to

Choose From

Whole foods
Typical
consumption
Fruits
Vegetables

Types of foods
Fast,

processed,
functional, staple

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

How, Exactly, Can I Recognize a

Nutritious Diet?

Five
characteristics
Adequacy
Balance
Calorie

control

Moderation
Variety

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Why People Choose Foods

Eating is an intentional act
Cultural and social meanings of food

Traditional

cuisines and foodways

competence
Vegetarian or omnivore
Cultural

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Why People Choose Foods

Factors that drive food choice

Taste

and price

Convenience
Other

factors
Advertising, availability, emotional
comfort
Habit, preference, social pressure
Values, weight, nutrition/health benefits

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

The Science of Nutrition

Nutrition
Field

of knowledge composed of
organized facts
Active, changing, and growing body of
knowledge

The scientific approach

Scientific challenge

Systematic

process to answer questions

Theories
Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Types of Studies

Case study

Epidemiological study

Examples

Correlation

Intervention study
Blind

studies

Laboratory study
Example

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Examples of Research Design

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Can I Trust the Media to Deliver

Nutrition News?

Training of news media

Sensationalism

Be a trend watcher
Read news with an educated eye
Published

in peer-reviewed journal
Description of research methods &
subjects
Findings presented in context of previous
research
Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

National Nutrition Research

National Health and Nutrition Examination

Surveys (NHANES)
What

people eat
of health status

Recording

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Changing Behaviors

Behavior change takes substantial effort

Process of change
Six

stages

Taking stock and setting goals

Realistic

goals
and achievable
Specific behaviors
Small

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Sorting the Imposters from the

Real Nutrition Experts
Controversy 1

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Information Sources
Quackery
Sources of nutrition information

Television

and magazines

Nutrition-related products and services

Identifying quackery

Billions

in customer dollars

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Earmarks of Nutrition Quackery

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Information Sources

Characteristics of scientific research

Properly

designed scientific experiments

of anecdotal evidence
Animal findings applied to humans
Careful with generalizations
Report of findings in scientific journals
Inadequacy

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Credible Source of Nutrition

Information

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

National Center for Nutrition & Dietetics

National Council Against Health Fraud

www.eatright.org/ncnd.html

www.ncahf.org

Federal Trade Commission

www.ftc.org

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Nutrition on the Net

Judging website credibility

Who

is responsible for the site?

the names and credentials of
information providers appear?
Are links with other reliable information
sites provided?
Is the site updated regularly?
Is the site selling a product or service?
Does the site charge a fee to gain access?
Do

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

Who Are the True Nutrition

Experts?

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Registered

dietitian (RD)
diabetes educator
Public health nutritionist
Dietetic technician
Dietetic technician registered
Certified

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

10

Detecting Fake Credentials

Credentials
Accredited

institution
Licensing

Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies, 13th edition, Sizer & Whitney

11