Understanding Macronutrients and Micronutrients
Carbohydrates: Importance and Impact
Carbohydrates Importance:
- Energy Production: Carbohydrates are the primary, most readily available, and most economical source of energy for the body.
- Macronutrient Sparing Effect: Consuming at least 100g of carbohydrates per day prevents protein catabolism and excessive lipolysis (ketogenesis).
- Structural Function: Carbohydrates participate in the structure of essential molecules like ATP, DNA, RNA, NADP, CoA, connective tissue, and nerve tissue.
- Regulation of Bowel
Understanding Dietary Protein Quality and Requirements
Quality of Dietary Proteins
Complete Proteins (Balanced): Contain all essential amino acids in sufficient concentrations to meet an individual’s protein requirements.
Incomplete Proteins (Unbalanced): Deficient in one or more essential amino acids.
Complementary Proteins
You can obtain the daily requirement of protein and essential amino acids in different ways:
- By consuming adequate amounts of foods containing complete proteins.
- By consuming a variety of foods containing complementary proteins. Combining
Residues and Quality Factors in Meat and Fish
Residues in Meat and Fish
Residues in the flesh can be categorized as follows:
- Naturally occurring residues: Heavy metals like copper, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and zinc are present in low levels in meat. However, they tend to accumulate at higher concentrations in the viscera.
- Residues caused by human waste:
- Antibiotics: Used to treat and prevent diseases and increase growth in animals. This can lead to the development of resistant pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Escherichia
Body Composition and Nutritional Assessment
Bioimpedance Analysis
Bioimpedance is used to evaluate the amount of body fat. It is based on the principle that, compared to adipose tissue, lean body mass has higher electrical conductivity and lower impedance with respect to water.
Physical Signs of Nutritional Deficiencies
- Hair:
- Alopecia: Essential fatty acid deficiency.
- Brittle hair, depigmentation: Protein deficiency.
- Lips: Red, swollen, cracked, and ulcerations (cheilosis). Advanced stages can lead to lip retraction. The main cause is riboflavin
Essential Nutrients, Digestion, and Macronutrients
Chapter One: Introduction to Nutrients
Essential Nutrients: Cannot be produced by the body. Non-essential Nutrients: The body can produce them.
Six Classes of Nutrients:
- Macronutrients: Carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids.
- Micronutrients: Vitamins, minerals, and water.
Energy Yielding Nutrients (kcal/gram):
- Carbohydrates: 4 kcal/gram
- Proteins: 4 kcal/gram
- Fats: 9 kcal/gram
- Alcohol: 7 kcal/gram
Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR):
- Carbohydrates: 45%-65% of total calories
- Protein: 10%-35% of total
Vitamins: Essential Nutrients for Health
Starting Solid Foods and Vitamins
Phase III: Introducing Solid Foods
Introduce foods like yogurt, toast, boiled potatoes, pasta, soup, ham, boiled apple or pear, quince, and boiled carrots.
Phase IV: Transitioning to a Regular Diet
Continue with an easily digestible diet, including:
- Soft broth soup with pasta
- Boiled ham (lean)
- Boiled potatoes
- Boiled apple or quince
As tolerance improves, gradually add:
- Veal steak
- Chicken
- Grilled white fish
- Bananas and pears
- Mashed vegetables
Avoid cow’s milk until full recovery.
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