Nutrition
Definition: Nutrition is the sum of all the interactions between an organism and the food it consumes. In other words, nutrition is what a person eats and how the body uses it.Nutrients are organic and inorganic substances found in foods that are required for body functioning.
Nutrients have three major functions:
Providing energy for body processes and movement.
Providing structural material for body tissues,
Regulating body processes.
ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS
Carbohydrates.Fats.
Protein.
Minerals.
Vitamins.
Water
Referred to as macronutrients, because they are needed in large amounts (e.g., hundreds of grams) to provide energy.
Micronutrients are those vitamins and minerals that are required in small amounts (e.g., milligrams or micrograms) to metabolize the energy-providing nutrients
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are composed of the elements carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) and are oftwo basic types: simple carbohydrates (sugars) and complex carbohydrates (starches and fiber). Natural sources of carbohydrates also supply vital nutrients, such as protein vitamins, and minerals that are not found in processed foods.. Proteins2
Amino acids, organic molecules made up primarily of carbon, hydrogen oxygen, and nitrogen, combine to form proteins. Every cell in the body contains some protein, and about three quarters of body solids are proteins.
Amino acids are categorized as:
Essential.
Nonessential.
Essential
Amino acids are those that cannot be manufactured in the body and must be supplied as part of the protein ingested in the diet. Nine essential amino acids—histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, threonine, and valine— are necessary for tissue growth and maintenance. A tenth, arginine, appears to have a role in the immune system.
3.Lipids
Lipids are organic substances that are greasy and insoluble in water but soluble in alcohol or ether. Fats are lipids that are solid at room temperature; oils are lipids that are liquid at room temperature. In common use, the terms fats and lipids are used interchangeably. Lipids have the same elements (carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen) as carbohydrates, but they contain a higher proportion of hydrogen. Fatty acids, made up of carbon chains and hydrogen, are the basic structural units of most lipids. Fatty acids are described as saturated or unsaturated, according to the relative number of hydrogen atoms they contain. Saturated fatty acids are those in which all carbon atoms are filled to capacity (i.e., saturated) with hydrogen
Micronutrients
A vitamin is an organic compound that cannot be manufactured by the body and is needed in small quantities to catalyze metabolic processes. Thus, when vitamins are lacking in the diet, metabolic eficits result.Vitamins are generally classified as :
1.fat soluble
2. water soluble.
Water-soluble vitamins include C and the B-complex vitamins: B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin or nicotinic acid), B6 pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), B12 (cobalamin), pantothenic acid, and biotin. The body cannot store water-soluble vitamins; thus, people must get a daily supply in the diet. Water-soluble vitamins can be degraded by food processing, storage, and preparation.
Fat-soluble vitamins include A, D, E, and K. The body can store these vitamins, although there is a limit to the amounts of
Vitamins E and K the body can store. Therefore, a daily supply of fat-soluble vitamins is not absolutely necessary. Vitamin content is highest in fresh foods consumed soon after harvest.
Minerals are found in organic compounds, as inorganic compounds, and as free ions. Calcium and phosphorus make up 80% of all mineral elements in the body.
The two categories of minerals are:
1. Macrominerals and microminerals.
2.Macrominerals .
are those that people require daily in amounts over 100 mg. They include calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, and sulfur. Microminerals are those that people require daily in amounts less than 100 mg. They include iron, zinc, manganese, iodine, fluoride, copper, cobalt, chromium, and selenium
FACTORS AFFECTING NUTRITION
Although the nutritional content of food is an important consideration when planning a diet
An individual’s food preferences and habits are often a major factor affecting actual food intake.
Habits about eating are influenced by developmental considerations,
Gender,
Ethnicity, culture, beliefs about food,
Personal preferences, religious
Practices, lifestyle, economics,
Medications and therapy, health, alcohol consumption, advertising, and psychological factors.
The requirement of the foods: it depends on:
The demands of the body for growth and tissue repair.
Activity and climate.Emotional status.
Pregnancy.
Illness.
Appetite: is nature's first defense against hunger.
Hunger: is a sensation which tells us that our body needs nourishment.Factors helping to improve the patient appetite:
1- Comfortable position.
Clean and free from damp or soiled of patient.Remove of pain or discomfort.
Removal of tight dressing.
Give the patient an opportunity to avoid of the desire of losing appetite.
Avoid treatment or dressing and injection, before or after meal time if possible.
Comfortable room and good ventilation.
Remove unpleasant looking while the patient is eating such as bed pan, dressing tray.
Make the meal pleasant by arranging dishes.
9. Help the patient to eat and drink if he need.
10. Ask the patient which foods he would like to eat first.