Nutrients:
substance in food necessary for life. They provide energy, serve as building material, help maintain or repair body parts, and support growth. The nutrients include water, carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Calorie:
a unit used to express the heat or energy value of food.
Calories come from carbohydrate, protein, fat, and alcohol

Alcohol:
an ingredient in a variety of beverages, including beer, wine, liqueurs, cordials, and mixed or straight drinks.
Pure alcohol= 7 calories per gram

Carbohydrate:
compounds composed of single or multiple sugars.
1g carboyhydrate=4 calories (raise your blood glucose)
starch and sugar in foods are carbohydrates

Found in
Starch is in: breads, pasta, cereals, potatoes, beans, peas, lentils
Natural Sugars- fruits, milk, vegetables
Added Sugars- desserts, candy, jams, syrups

Protein:
one of the major nutrients in food. Essential for growth, maintenance, energy
4 calories per gram

Found in
foods such as: Meats, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, beans, peas, lentils
(starches/vegetables also have small amounts of protein)

Fat
Includes monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated and trans fat

Found in
margarine, butter oils, salad dressings, nuts, seeds, milk, cheese, meat, fish, poultry, snack foods, ice cream, desserts
* Eat less of the saturated fat found in meats, dairy products, coconut, palm or palm kernel oil and hardened shortenings
* Trans fats- also eat less, they can raise your blood levels of cholesterol
-they are found in hard margarine, baked "dessert-type" foods
| * Monounsaturated fat- the healthiest fat found in canola oil, olive oil, nuts and avocado
* Polyunsaturated fat- also a better choice, includes corn, oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil
- omega-3 fat protects the heart (found in tuna/salmon)
Fat has 9 calories per gram

Vitamins:

Fat Soluble:

Vitamin A and Beta Carotene:
carrots, spinach, sweet potato, bok choy, apricots, fortified milk

Vit D
Shrimp, Salmon, sunlight

Vit E
sunflower seeds, canola oil, mayonnaise, wheat germ, safflower oil

Vit K
spinach, cabbage, soybeans, lettuce, cauliflower, canola oil

Water Soluble:

Vit C
- collagen synthesis, antioxidant, boots iron absorption
Ex. orange juice, grapefruit, sweet potato, broccoli, green peppers, sweet red pepper, brussel sprouts

Niacin, thiamin, riboflavin
part of coenzymes needed in energy metabolism
Niacin ex- Chicken breast, baked potato, tuna (in water)
Thiamin ex- enriched cereals, sunflower seeds, green peas, waffle, black beans
Riboflavin- yogurt (plain), beef liver, cottage cheese, spinach, milk

Minerals:

Potassium
- keeps a normal water balance between cells and body fluids and plays essential role in response of nerves to stimulation and contraction of muscles
Ex: bananas, orange juice, baked potato, lima beans (cooked), honeydew melon, avocado

Calcium
helps with the mineralization of bones and teeth; muscle contraction and relaxation, nerve functioning, blood clotting
Ex. Milk, tofu, cheddar cheese, sardines, black-eyed peas, broccoli

Phosphorous
mineralization of bones and teeth, important in genetic material, energy metabolism, buffering system
Ex: cottage cheese, salmon, milk, sirloin steak

Magnesium
bone mineralization, protein synthesis, enzyme action, nerve function
Ex. Spinach, black beans, soy milk, oysters (steamed), yogurt (plain)

Salt/ Sodium
high blood pressure may be made worse by eating too much sodium (salt and salty foods) -- regulates cellular fluid balance
* use less salt in cooking and at the table
* snack foods, processed foods, frozen foods, restaurant fare tend to be high in sodium
Examples of foods high in sodium:
-Olives, salad dressings, bacon, many soup broths, pickles, soy sauce, pizza, cheese (fat free cheeses), French fries

Iron
carries oxygen as part of hemoglobin in blood or myoglobin in muscles; required for cellular energy metabolism
Ex clams (steamed), enriched cereal, spinach, navy beans (cooked)

Zinc
activates many enzymes, associated with hormones, synthesis of genetic material and proteins
Ex: oysters (steamed), shrimp (cooked), yogurt (plain, enriched cereal

Fiber
- the indigestible parts of plant foods
Fiber is found in foods in many starches, vegetables, and fruit lists
Includes: Soluble - barley, legumes, fruits, oats, vegetables
Insoluble fiber foods- whole grains (bran), strings of celery, corn kernels

Cholesterol"
- a fat substance found in meat, fish, poultry, egg yolk and other foods derived from animals. Too much can cause deposits on arterial walls.

Triglicerides"
a fat like substance- composed of three fatty acids, found mostly in sweets, starches, and alcohols

Hypertension:
high blood pressure

Hypotension:
low blood pressure

Glucose:
blood sugar-used mainly to diagnose diabetes