Chapter Summary for Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies …



Chapter Summary for Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies 11e

Chapter 1 – Food Choices and Human Health

The nutrients in food support growth, maintenance, and repair of the body. Deficiencies, excesses, and imbalances of nutrients bring on the diseases of malnutrition. Nutrition profoundly affects health. Choice of diet influences long-term health within the range set by genetic inheritance. Nutrition has little influence on some diseases but strongly affects others. Nutritional genomics holds great promise for advances in nutrition science. Personal life choices, such as staying physically active or using tobacco or alcohol, also affect health for the better or worse.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sets nutrition objectives for the nation each decade.

Food supplies energy and nutrients. Foremost among the nutrients is water. The energy-yielding nutrients are carbohydrates, fats (lipids), and protein. The regulator nutrients are vitamins and minerals. Food energy is measured in calories; food and nutrient quantities are often measured in grams. In addition to nutrients, food conveys emotional satisfaction and hormonal stimuli that contribute to health. Foods also contain phytochemicals that give them their tastes, aromas, colors, and other characteristics. Some phytochemicals may play roles in reducing disease risks. Foods come in a bewildering variety in the marketplace, but the foods that form the basis of a nutritious diet are basic foods, such as ordinary milk and milk products; meats, fish, and poultry; vegetables and dried peas and beans; fruits; and grains. A well-planned diet is adequate in nutrients, is balanced with regard to food types, offers food energy that matches energy expended in activity, is moderate in unwanted constituents, and offers a variety of nutritious foods. Cultural traditions and social values revolve around food and often find expression through foodways. Many factors other than nutrition drive food choices.

Scientists ask questions and design research experiments to test possible answers. Nutrition knowledge builds slowly through years of replicated findings. News media often sensationalize nutrition research findings. The news may be fl ashy, but established nutrition science has passed the test of time. Ongoing national nutrition research projects provide data on U.S. food consumption and nutrient status.

Behavior change follows a predictable pattern. Motivation is the force that moves people to act. It is affected by the weights people give to the rewards and the consequences that will follow the action.

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