Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

438 ALICE CALLAHAN, PHD, HEATHER LEONARD, MED, RDN, AND TAMBERLY POWELL, MS, RDN
interesting vitamins and minerals, with a focus on those that are commonly limiting in the
human diet.
We’ll begin this unit with a general introduction to vitamins and minerals, and we’ll
consider the role of dietary supplements in meeting our vitamin and mineral requirements.
Then, we’ll spend the remainder of this unit and the next exploring major functions of
vitamins and minerals, where we find them in food, and what happens if we consume too
little or too much of each.
Unit Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you should be able to:
1. Classify the vitamins as fat-soluble or water-soluble, including differences in absorption, storage, and
toxicity.
2. Identify the major minerals and trace minerals, including factors that impact absorption and
bioavailability.
3. Identify common food sources of vitamins and minerals and how processing affects nutrient retention
in foods.
4. Describe how vitamins can be made in the body through provitamins and intestinal bacteria.
5. Define dietary supplements and describe how supplements are regulated and the concerns with their
safety and efficacy.
6. Identify guidelines and recommendations for choosing nutrition supplements and for their
appropriate use.
7. Describe the role of electrolytes in fluid balance, as well as the more specific functions, food sources,
and effects of deficiency and toxicity for sodium, potassium, and chloride.
8. Describe the general function of antioxidants, as well as the more specific functions, food sources, and
effects of deficiency and toxicity for vitamin E, vitamin C, and selenium.
9. Describe how vitamin A and beta-carotene contribute to normal vision, and know common food
sources and effects of deficiency and toxicity of vitamin A.
Image Credits:
“assorted-color tomatoes” by Vince Lee on Unsplash (license information)