Understanding Food Science and Nutrition

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UNDERSTANDING FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION Foods contain five classes of nutrients–Carbohydrates, Fats (and Oil), Protein, Vitamins and Minerals. Understanding the different nutrient classes will provide you with a basic knowledge of nutrition, information that will help you stay in control of your diet, rather than your diet controlling you. Carbohydrates: The body digests Carbohydrates into simple sugars like glucose that provide cells with energy. However, only the brain prefers glucose as a quick source of energy. The rest of our organs prefer to burn fats for energy. Excess sugar is converted into fats and stored in the body. Many plant foods contain carbohydrates, and good sources include Grains (rice, wheat, rye, barley); Root crops (potatoes, cocoyam) and Fruits and vegetables (banana, grapes). Fats and Oils: We cannot survive without fats and oils. Every cell in the body is protected by a membrane assembled from fats and oils. Fats contribute half of the weight of the brain. Fats and Oils are the building blocks of many structures in the body, and they are also required to produce many essential chemicals. Unfortunately, today many people believe that fats and oils are harmful to health. The truth, however, is that there are good fats and bad fats. In the absence of good fats, your body uses what it has available–the bad fats, to make repairs and regenerate body parts which ultimately leads to the construction of weak cells and tissue that are more prone to diseases. Researchers believe that deficiencies of healthy fats and oils in the body is the biggest contributor to chronic diseases today. Proteins: The body digests proteins into amino acids that are essential for repairing and maintaining our cells and tissues. Amino acids are also an essential component of many chemicals in the body. Protein digestion requires a lot of energy and consumes a lot of nutrients and diseases that affect the digestive system will severely affect absorption of amino acids. Protein-rich foods include meat, fish, eggs, pulses, legumes, spirulina, seeds and nuts. Vitamins and Minerals: Vitamins and minerals help the body digest and use carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils. Vitamins and minerals are components of enzymes and juices that help with food digestion. Many fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals. What is a healthy diet? A healthy diet should contain equal proportions protein, carbohydrates, fats and oils, and ample amounts of fruits and vegetables for vitamins and minerals. Drinking at least 1.5 litres of water daily is also part of a healthy diet. A diet rich in proteins or carbs or fats will cause an imbalance in the body and cause disease in the long run. A protein rich diet, will divert a lot of energy and resources towards digestion, at the expense of other bodily requirements such as repairing damaged tissues. 4 www.medb.es MedB_Mag_Vol8.indd 4 11/01/2016 14:15:20
Why foods today lack nutrients Studies have confirmed that nutrient levels of our foods have significantly fallen in the past years and continues to fall. The main reason for this worrying decline is soil depletion due to continuous cropping. Food crops grow in the same soil year in year out, without replacement of lost nutrients. The fertilizers widely used on farms today contain basic plant nutrients–Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. However, plants need dozens of nutrients, many of which are lacking in the soil today. A published study of the UK nutrient data from 1930 to 1980 found that in 20 vegetables, the average Calcium level has declined by 22%, Iron by 19% and potassium 14%. As recently as 50 years ago, Potatoes contained sufficient amounts of Vitamin A, but today, potatoes no longer contain Vitamin A. Another factor responsible for declining food nutrients is that foods are stored for long periods before they get to our dining tables. One study showed that over 90% of oranges from a supermarket did not contain any vitamin C. Other studies have found that meat and fish contain much lower nutrients today than 50 years ago. Food preparation also affects nutrient levels. Grilling, Frying and even boiling foods will destroy nutrients. Fresh foods contain the most nutrients. And microwaves cause the most damage to foods. Clinical studies show that inflammation in the body increases many times over within a few minutes of consuming a microwaved meal. Microwaving food destroys nutrients and produces toxic compounds linked to cancer. Health experts agree that we need to take daily supplements to stay healthy. Food Facts Butter is better than Margarine: Butter contains healthy saturated fats and oils, unlike margarine that contain unhealthy polyunsaturated fats or trans fats, that are a few steps away from becoming plastic. Your body needs salt: Many people completely remove salt from their diet with the aim of preventing high blood pressure. Every cell in the body contains massive amounts of salt required to regulate the flow of nutrients into cells and control many processes in the body. A 2014 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine »» Fats and Oils have a similar chemical structure but differ in their melting points. Fats are solid at room temperature and usually derived from animals while Oils are liquids at room temperature and derived from plants. Scientists calculate that there are about 37 Trillion cells in the body. Each cell is an independent unit, functioning in the same way as your body. Cells require nutrients and excrete waste and fall ill and get better, just like your body. Healthy fats and oils contain a high proportion of saturated and monounsaturated fats and oils. Such fats and oils are very stable and do not break down into toxic compounds when heated to a high temperature or when exposed to air. Examples of healthy fats and oils are butter, lard, animal fat and coconut oil. In contrast, unhealthy fats and oils have a weak polyunsaturated structure that easily breaks down into toxic compounds when heated. Unhealthy oils include vegetable oils such as sunflower, safflower, rapeseed, canola and corn oil. www.medb.es 5 MedB_Mag_Vol8.indd 5 11/01/2016 14:15:23
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