HOW FOOD AFFECTS THE BODY

MSA Nutrition EducationR.Whiting

Are you really what you eat?

A. Food sources – eating what you like while making healthy choices; usingmoderation to your advantage

B. Vitamins & minerals – getting what you need can also be getting what you want!

C. Food processing 101 – basic digestive system

D. Learn how food affects your brain – improve how you think & feel

There are three basic categories of molecules that our bodies use from food

Carbohydrates – energy that fuels bodily functions; make ATPs that help you walk, talk, wink, blink, think… This is what our bodies are currently designed to run on.

Proteins* – build structures (muscle, hair) or make enzymes, hormones, and antibodies

Fats* – dissolve vitamins, act as insulation and protection; emergency fuel stores that your body turns to in the event of starvation

* Your body will make carbs out of proteins & fats if necessary!

Glucose = the molecule that our body craves for energy & doing work

CARBS: breads, potatoes, rice, pasta, bran, and cereals *Easiest way to yield glucose ATPs

PROTEINS: meats, nuts, beans, grains, meats, and dairy and dairy products

FATS: unsaturated (good), saturated (not good), trans-fats (altered/not good)

Find foods from each group that you like!

Vitamins and MineralsYou should get these from foods, not pills, particularly

if you have a good, balanced diet (pay attention during the “choose-my-plate” presentation!).

Pick some fruits and vegetables of every color that you do like—and eat some of these every day.

What should you choose to eat?Eating a variety of foods is the best way to get all the

vitamins and minerals you need, as well as the right balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and calories.

Whole or unprocessed foods — like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish, and poultry — are the best choices for providing the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and grow properly.

Complex carbohydrates – like whole wheat breads and pastas, starchy vegetables and fruits – will break down more slowly in your system and not cause your blood sugar to drop.

Complex carbohydrates versus Simple Sugars“Eating complex carbohydrates is good; eating sugar is bad.”You may even have felt this in your own body.

The following quote from The Yale Guide to Children's Nutrition explains why:• If complex carbohydrates are broken down to monosaccharides in the intestines before

they are absorbed into the bloodstream, why are they better than refined sugar or other di- or mono-saccharides? To a great extent it has to do with the processes of digestion and absorption. Simple sugars require little digestion, and when a child eats a sweet food, such as a candy bar or a can of soda, the glucose level of the blood rises rapidly. In response, the pancreas secretes a large amount of insulin to keep blood glucose levels from rising too high. This large insulin response in turn tends to make the blood sugar fall to levels that are too low 3 to 5 hours after the candy bar or can of soda has been consumed. This tendency of blood glucose levels to fall may then lead to an adrenaline surge, which in turn can cause nervousness and irritability... The same roller-coaster ride of glucose and hormone levels is not experienced after eating complex carbohydrates or after eating a balanced meal because the digestion and absorption processes are much slower.

Food is processed via a one-way tube within our bodies:

See video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08VyJOEcDos

• Nutrients begin to break down in the mouth, then in the stomach, and finally in the small intestine.

• Absorption of nutrients occurs in the small intestine.

• Water and minerals are absorbed in the large intestine.

Label the digestive system using these terms:

1. ____ a. Liver2. ____ b. Rectum3. ____ c. Stomach4. ____ d. Mouth5. ____ e. Anus6. ____ f. Salivary glands7. ____ g. Small intestine8. ____ h. Gall bladder9. ____ i. Pancreas10. ____ j. Esophagus11. ____ k. Large intestine (colon)

How’d you do?1. d. Mouth2. f. Salivary glands3. h. Gall bladder4. a. Liver5. i. Pancreas6. g. Small intestine7. j. Esophagus8. c. Stomach9. k. Large intestine (colon)10. b. Rectum11. e. anus

How Food Affects the Brain

Credit: Dreamstime

Feed your Brain!The brain accounts for 2 percent of our body

weight but sucks down roughly 20 percent of our daily calories. It needs glucose, but of a certain kind and in the right doses.

• It's common to resolve to lose weight, but any sane person dreads a diet's dulling effect on the brain.

• In fact, many studies have shown that counting calories, carbs or fat grams, is truly distracting — to the point that it taxes short-term memory. But how we eat can affect our minds at more fundamental levels, too.

• Check out these eight (8) brain-builders:• whiting - brain foods.docx

EAT WELL,BE WELL!