2. FOOD
1. Provides energy for all of the body’s functions,
from the beating of the heart & the elimination of
wastes to the transmission of electrical & chemical
signals in the nervous system. Food is the fuel that
contains energy from the sun, originally captured &
stored by green plants, then passed along to fruits,
seeds, & animals. Humans eat these foods & burn
the fuel they contain to release the stored solar
energy. As long as we live, we have to eat and eat
often!
Text from: Eating Well for Optimum
Health Andrew Weil, MD

3. 2. Food provides the building blocks of our bodies. In the
same way that you can’t build a lego castle without lego
pieces, you can’t build the parts of your body without
certain nutrients.

4. The food we eat contains nutrients. Some of these we
disassemble and then reassemble for parts we need. (Like
breaking down the lego castle to build a lego ship instead.)
Some nutrients are essential because we can’t manufacture
these on our own.
Macromolecules are these nutrients.Macromolecules come
in 4 types. All macromolecules are organic which means they
are produced and made by living things.
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic acids

5. CARBOHYDRATES
All carbs are made up of only 3
elements: Carbon, hydrogen, &
oxygen.
All carbs look like this in their simplest form.
By the way, this is called a simple sugar or
monosaccharide.
mono = one saccharide = sugar
But remember I said that you can use
these guys as building blocks. Well if
you put two of them together you get
this. It’s called a disaccharide. Di = two

6. And if you string a bunch of monosaccharides
together you get a polysaccharide. They look like
this.
Luckily they have the same general shape (hexagonal)
and they are all carbohydrates .

7. WHY ARE CARBOHYDRATES
IMPORTANT?
They are the body’s preferred choice of
energy .
Just like your favorite shirt, you could wear the
other shirt, but this one fits over your head
without tugging.
WHAT FOODS CONTAIN CARBOHYDRATES?

8. Let’s review carbohydrates.
Why do you need to eat
them?
What foods contain carbs?
List the 3 elements that are
contained in carbohydrates.
Which of the following is
a polysaccharide?

9. LIPIDS
Lipids contain 3 elements; carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen.Sounds
familiar right!

10. Fats are triglycerides which are solid at room
temperature.
Oils are liquid at room temperature.
Why are lipids important to our bodies?
1. Storage of energy. This way if
you run low on carbs…..
2. Thermal insulation.
3. Mechanical protection. Example surrounding delicate
organs such as the heart.
4. Waterproofing. Like the wax in your ears.

11. Some fats are called phospholipids. They
look like this.
Basically , the difference is that
instead of 3 fatty acids and one
glycerol, they have 2 fatty acids
and a glycerol.
The also have an end that
loves to be in water and a
side that repels water.
Two layers together is a
perfect way to surround a cell
or a cell part!

12. Also, by the way, some hormones are lipids.
WHAT CAN YOU EAT TO MAKE SURE YOU
HAVE LIPIDS?
Butter

13. Review time.
What 3 elements make up the group called lipids?
Which of these are a lipid? How can you tell?
List 3 ways your body uses lipids.
What foods contain lipids?

14. PROTEINS
Proteins are composed of 4 elements: carbon, hydrogen,
oxygen and nitrogen. The basic unit is called an amino
acid and it looks like this.
This is a 3-D image of a
protein containing thousands
of amino acids connected
together & folded to make this
distinct shape.

15. WHY DO YOU NEED TO EAT PROTEINS?
Proteins make up most of the structure of
your body. Actually, by weight, you are
mostly water with proteins in second place.
These are muscle cells.
This is someone with
big muscles.
Proteins can be enzymes; these proteins regulate chemical
reactions in your body.
Hair is also made up of protein.

16. Proteins also form some of the entrances and exits
through the cell.

17. WHICH FOODS PROVIDE PROTEINS IN OUR DIET?

18. Review again? Of course!!!!
1. Which of the following suspects
is a protein component?
2. List some foods that provide proteins?
3. How does my body use proteins?

19. NUCLEIC ACIDS
Nucleic acids make up DNA and RNA which
are gigantic molecules that carry your hereditary
information from generation to generation and
are used to make proteins (remember them).
Nucleic acids are made
up of lots of nucleotides
(the smallest units)
strung together. DNA
takes the shape of a
double helix.
We will learn a lot more about
nucleic acids later!!!!

20. Micronutrients are nutrients you need in small amounts.
(That’s why they’re called micro.)
VITAMINS AND MINERALS
All natural vitamins are organic food substances found only in
living things. With few exceptions, our bodies can’t
manufacture them. Many enzymes depend on vitamins to work
properly.
Minerals are inorganic substances such as calcium, iron, and salt
that we need for such basic functions as muscles and nerves
firing.

21. Dehydration is a lack of adequate body fluids for the body to carry
on normal body functions. Fluid loss of 5% are considered mild, 10%
moderate and up to 15% severe. Severe dehydration can result in
cardiovascular collapse and death if not treated quickly.
Symptoms: sunken eyes, dry or sticky mucus membranes in the
mouth, skin lacks normal elasticity, decreased urination, decreased
tears.
WATER makes up more than half the weight of the human body.
Without water, humans would die in a few days. All the cell and
organ functions depend on water for functioning. It serves as a
lubricant and forms the base for saliva and the fluids that surround the
joints. It regulates the body temperature, as the cooling & heating are
distributed through perspiration. Water helps to alleviate constipation
by moving food through in the intestinal tract & thereby eliminate
waste.

22. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
YOU DON’T GET THE
NUTRIENTS YOU NEED?

23. Kwashiorkor
Meeting energy requirements is basic to
survival A diet with excessive
nonprotein calories from starch or sugar,
but deficient in total protein and essential
amino acids, results eventually in
kwashiorkor.
Kwashiorkor is characterized by
generalized edema, "flaky paint'
dermatosis, thinning and discolouration
of the hair, enlarged fatty liver, and
apathy in addition to retarded growth.

24. Symptoms: Weight loss of
25% or more, cold
intolerance, constipation
menstruation absent, skeletal
muscle atrophy, low blood
pressure, dental cavities,
increased susceptibility to
infection, blotchy or yellow
skin, dry hair, hair loss and
sometimes death.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder associated
with a distorted body image. Inadequate calorie
intake results in severe weight loss.

25. Cheese pizza diet causes scurvy in 5-year-old
July 17, 2000
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When it was discovered
that sailors away at sea could stop their gums from
bleeding by sucking on a lime, one of the first links
between disease--in this case, a vitamin C deficiency--
and diet became apparent. But a recent report illustrates
that even modern-day children anchored at home are
vulnerable to scurvy--a vitamin C deficiency that causes
bleeding gums, loose teeth, muscle degeneration and
weakness.
In one case, a 5-year-old boy ate nothing but Pop-Tarts,
cheese pizza, biscuits and water for 5 months, according
to a report in the July issue of the Archives of Pediatrics
and Adolescent Medicine. He refused fruits, vegetables,
juices and vitamins. The result? A case of scurvy--a
disease seldom seen in developed countries today.

26. While the boy was playful, alert and appeared to be
growing normally, he developed a limp and was
diagnosed with anemia. His gums became swollen and
he developed small, purple spots on his skin.
Eventually, the pain was so severe he was unable to get
out of bed or walk without assistance.
After ruling out leukemia or other ailments, the doctors
diagnosed the youngster with a severe vitamin C
deficiency, most likely caused by his unusual diet.
The doctors gave the boy vitamin C, which improved his
pain and symptoms within a week.

27. Do you know your nutrients?