Gabby Rosales

October 17 2017

Aspects of Human Nutrition

Nutrition is the science that links foods to health and disease. It has included the processes

by which the human organism has ingested, digested, absorbed, transported, and excretes food

substances. Food provides the energy (in the forms of form of calories) as the materials that are

needed to build and maintain all body cells. It can help us understand what we have to watch on

what we eat and that we have to prevent more risks of our health.

In our lifetimes, we will eat about 70,000 meals and 60 tons of food. Many factors influence

our food choices. We have examined the powerful effect of dietary habits in determining overall

health and get a closer look at the general groups of nutrients as well as the calories supplied by

the food we eat every single day. We are going to examine the characteristics of North American

diet which are the food habits we need to improve on.

Food means very much to us especially the nourishment of eating. In 2013, The Bureau of

Labor Statistics has found out that Americans spent around of 19 days eating and drinking. If we

live up to be 80 years old, that will add up many things that we eat and drink throughout our lives.

Our daily food and drink choices stem from a complicated mix of biological and social influences

because we have to know how to act.

We have key reasons why we eat and drink the things we should or shouldnt put in our

bodies. The first key reason is flavor, texture, and appearance. They are the most important

factors determining our food choices for our bodies, they are creating more flavorful foods that are

both healthy and profitable is a major focus in the food industry. The challenge for us is that we
have to know how to match the taste of the foods we prefer with the best nutrition and health

benefits we can knowledge throughout our lives.

The second key reason is early influences. It relates to various people, places, and events

that continues impact on our food choices throughout generations. Many of the food customs,

includes ethic diet foods begin as we were introduced to foods during childhood. Many parents

had laid a very strong foundation knowing that early exposure of heritage foods during infancy,

toddler, and preschool years is important to understand and influencing health behaviors in the

future. It had become difficult for parents because children doesnt like healthy foods, they rather

eat junk foods than eating healthier foods with protein, calcium,

The third key reason is routines and habits. Food habits and convenience are strongly

influence choices. The majority of us eat from a core group of different kinds of food with about

100 basic items accounting for 75% of our total food intake. We found out in surveys, the most

common purchased foods in America are milk, ready-to-eat cereal, bottled water, soft drinks, and

bread. The fourth key reason is restaurant dining. Dining at restaurants plays a significant role in

our food choices because it has affected us in our health choices on what to eat and what to drink.

The fourth key reason is marketing and advertising. It is a major media tool to advertise

the food interest of the consumer. They can see different options, different kinds of drinks, and

different ways to better themselves. It can be a good thing to advertise those kinds of things but at

the same time it is bad. The good thing about it is that it can help you to understand the better way

to be healthy and on a diet. The bad thing about it is that it can show you to be overweight and eat

more junk food than healthier foods.

The fifth key reason is time and convenience. Its becoming to be a considerable influence

towards our health choices. It has brought a lifestyle where we limit the amount of time and effort
that the food is prepared. Restaurants and supermarkets has given us more options to eat because

of our work schedules, from supplying microwave foods to prepared meals for our long days of

work.

The sixth key reason is cost and economics. 2015 Food and Health Survey has discussed

that after taste, cost is the number #2 reason why citizens choose the food they do. Young adults

and the people who has higher incomes spend their money mostly on food. When income

increases, so does meals eat away from home and prefers for foods like cookies, chocolate, cheese,

and meat. It has affect our ability to save money because dining in restaurants are expensive

especially how much is in your group.

The last key reason is nutrition. The ones who tend to make health-related good choices

are often well-educated, middle-class professionals. Those same people are generally health

oriented, have better lifestyles, and focus on their weight control. 74% of women study habitually

or always read the nutrition labels while 58% of men read nutrition labels on food products.

Women that do read nutrition labels has a BMI if 1.48 lower than women that dont read the

nutrition labels.

Food philosophy has explained that what you should eat is a risk of developing the

nutrition-related diseases seen in North America. We have to control on what we eat because we

really dont want to be overweight and not realize the bad habits we can cause our bodies to be.

We have to pay attention on what we eat because we have to choose whole grains, fruits, and

vegetables. We also have to be physically active to be fit and healthy because being fit and active

can help us become more efficient about nutrition and life.

 Variety in our dietary patterns is meant to be chosen of foods from all of the food groups

and subgroups rather than eating the same thing over again day after day. Variety really helps

us to understand that it contains sufficient nutrients in them. Like for example, meat provides

protein and iron but little bit of calcium but with no vitamin C. Another example, eggs are a good

source of protein but they provide little bit of calcium because the calcium is mostly in the shell.

Variety has MyPlate which helps citizens to make smarter choices from each of the food groups

we have learned from over the years of our lives.

The nutritions role in human physiology for the human body reflects on the coordination

of many highly structured organ systems. These systems are composed of trillions of cells, each

cell is a self-contained, living entity. Cells of the same type are joined together using intercellular

substances that are form into tissues. One, two, or more tissues are combined in a particular way

to form more complex structures that are called organs. All of the organs contribute to nutritional

health and a persons overall nutritional state shows how well each organ functions.

Carbohydrates are our most important energy source. They are the main fuel source for

some cells, those in the brain, nervous system, and red blood cells. Carbohydrates provide many

average 4 kcal per gram and is readily available for all cells. Regular intake of carbohydrates are

important because liver glycogen stores are depleted in about 18 hours if no carbohydrates are

consumed. Despite as the important role as a calorie source, some forms of carbohydrates promote

health more than others. Whole-grain breads and cereals has greater health benefits than refining

and processing forms of carbohydrate.

Photosynthesis synthesize most of the carbohydrates in our foods. It leaves solar energy

in the cells and transform it into chemical energy. The energy is then stored into the chemical
bonds of the carbohydrate glucose as its protected and produced from carbon dioxide in the air

and water in the soil. Converting solar energy into chemical bonds is a main key part of the process.

Lipids composed primarily into the elements carbon and hydrogen, they have contained

fewer oxygen atoms than carbohydrates do. Lipids yield more than twice as much energy because

of chemical energy. They are a genetic term that has included triglycerides, phospholipids, and

sterols. They do share one main characteristic, they dont really dissolve in water. The chemical

structures of lipids are diverse, triglycerides are the most common type of lipid that found in the

body and in foods. Phospholipids and sterols are also classified as lipids.

Proteins are food and body compounds that are made of more than 100 amino acids;

proteins contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and other atoms in specific configuration.

People around the world eat proteins because to focus on diet planning and can be more deficient.

Proteins form major parts of lean body tissues, totaling about 17% of body weight. It is crucial to

the regulation and the maintenance of the body. The specific proteins for the body functions are

blood clotting, fluid balance, hormone and enzyme production, visual processes, transport of many

substances in the bloodstream, and cell repair.

Energy balance and weight control is energy intake that forms in foods and beverages. It

matches the energy expended, primarily through basal metabolism and physical activity. Good

news is if we stay at a healthy body weight, we increase our chances of living a long and healthy

life. Bad news is that over 65% of North Americans adults are overweight, significantly more than

average in the 1980s. Of those, about 50% of people (36% of the total population) are obese

throughout their lives. There is a very good chance that any of us could become part of the statistics

if we didnt pay attention to prevent of significant weight gain in adulthood.

 Micronutrients are nutrients that yield no energy and are required in tiny amounts. Each

micronutrient is essential for one or more functions in the body. It can gain knowledge about the

micronutrients and begin to see how vitamins and minerals work together to perform various

physiological functions. Also functional roles of the micronutrients are examined with greater

details.

Vitamins are essential organic (carbon-containing) substances that are needed in small

amounts of the diet in normal function, growth, and the maintenance of the body. There are fat-

soluble vitamins which are vitamins A, D, E, and K. Also there are water-soluble vitamins which

are vitamins B and C. They are generally essential in human diets because they cant be

synthesized through the human body and the synthesis reduced by environmental factors. Vitamin

toxicity is when you consume more than the Recommended Dietary Allowances or Adequate

Intake, our kidneys are efficiently filter the excess from our blood and excrete those compounds

in our urine.