After you consume carbohydrate-containing foods, your pancreas secretes insulin to break the carbohydrates down into their building blocks. Insulin acts to lower blood glucose levels. When your blood glucose levels decrease to a particular level, your brain is sent a signal and you become hungry again. Even though different foods may contain the same amounts of carbohydrate, their effects on blood glucose control may be very different.
This has lead to the development of measures such as the glycaemic index GI and glycaemic load GL of a food product. The concept of GI was formulated by Jenkins and colleagues in They found that blood glucose response to carbohydrate foods is independent of the amount of carbohydrates they contain.
The limitation of the GI lies in the difficulty of translating the concept into practice, since the glycaemic effect of foods is not constant and can vary depending on the way the food is cooked. Low GI and GL foods have been shown to be associated with health advantages such as decreased blood sugar levels. Foods with a low GI less than 55 cause a slower and lower rise in blood glucose levels. These include breads such as mixed-grain and oat breads, barley, pasta, noodles, beans, sweet potatoes, green peas and milk.
Foods with a high GI greater than 70 cause a faster and higher rise in blood glucose levels. High GI foods include white bread, steamed white rice and chips. By consuming low GI foods, you are more likely to be satisfied and feel full for longer periods of time. This helps you to maintain a healthy weight and avoid diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Some tips for maintaining a healthy diet and incorporating the GI index into your daily routine include:.
Health Engine Patient Blog. Tools Med Glossary Tools. Looking for a practitioner? HealthEngine helps you find the practitioner you need. Find your practitioner. Find a provider. What are you looking for? Search for articles. Popular searches How can I relieve my back pain? Children's health. Children's Health. Men's Health. Weight Loss. Women's Health. Introduction to nutrition Why is nutrition important?
BMI and children Body fat distribution and health risk Waist circumference and health risks Associated health conditions Essential nutrient requirements Energy balance Carbohydrates Protein Fats and oils Vitamins Minerals Water Balanced diet Healthy eating pyramid Glycaemic index and glycaemic load Tips for healthy eating Introduction to nutrition Nutrition is defined as the processes by which an animal or plant takes in and utilises food substances.
Why is nutrition important? High values indicate excessive fat stores and low values indicate insufficient fat stores. Your BMI can therefore be used as a diagnostic tool for both over-nutrition and under-nutrition. If your BMI is between If it is above The healthy BMI range is However, the BMI is best used together with waist circumference. Enter your height and weight below to find out your BMI. How much calcium do you consume? Is this for a male, female or infant?
Male Female Infant. Pregnant Lactating. Milk- evaporated full cream ml Milk evaporated skim ml Milk- rice calcium enriched ml Milk- sheeps- liquid ml Milk- soy flavoured ml But it also listed some real foods, including soy, chilli, sesame, shrimp, cabbage, seaweed, mushroom, anchovy and cuttlefish. And also the one I was looking for, garlic.
The idea that food is a rich and complex mix of biochemicals is hardly news. Figure 2. To know if the diet is balanced and to plan a balanced diet you have to think about two things: the mixture of foods and the amount of food a person eats.
The best way to help individuals in your community prepare a balanced diet is to learn which foods people use, the amount of different foods available, and how they prepare their meals.
Then you can decide if people need help or further support or information to improve the balance of things they eat. Fat and added sugars come mostly from fats, oils and sweets, but can be part of or added to food from the other food groups as well.
It helps us identify the food groups people should combine in order to make a balanced diet. The food groups at the top of the pyramid should be eaten in moderation small amount but food groups at the bottom of the pyramid should be eaten in larger amounts.
The staple food is the common type of food that is consumed by the community. The staple diet may vary from region to region. These foods are usually cheap, and provide most of the energy, protein and fibre in a meal, as well as some vitamins.
In order to have a good balanced diet, people in your community will need to eat other foods in addition to the staple foods. The additional foods are important because they:. A diet which is composed of staples, legumes and vegetables or fruits is a good, balanced diet because this combination of foods will provide most of the nutrients that the people in your community need.
The problem with the diet above is a lack of animal sources of food. Animal sources are good because they contain plenty of protein, have high energy due to the fats , and the iron is easily absorbed compared with the iron sourced from plants. Therefore adding small amounts of animal products like meat, milk and eggs to staples, legumes and vegetables will improve the balanced diet.
As well as protein, animal foods will also provide fat for energy and vitamins especially vitamin A and folate , iron and zinc. But these foods may not be easily available and even if they are, they are usually expensive. Think about the types of foods usually consumed by your community and write a list of two groups of balanced diets, one with presence of animal foods and the other without animal foods.
Now that you have completed this study session, you can assess how well you have achieved its Learning Outcomes by answering these questions. You can check your answers with the Notes on the Self-Assessment Questions at the end of this Module. For the following nutrients, can you say why they are important and name one source? Are these foods micronutrients or macronutrients?
Carbohydrates provide energy. They are found in many foods including bread, potatoes, maize and bananas. Animal sources of food are an important part of a balanced diet because they add proteins, fat and vitamins to a diet. In particular, iron is more easily absorbed from an animal than a plant source. However, very little meat is needed, and if food like beans, nuts and dairy products are included in the diet then a family can have a balanced diet, without including meat.
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Print functionality varies between browsers. Printable page generated Friday, 12 Nov , Nutrients and their Sources. Nutrition Module: 2. Nutrients and their Sources Study Session 2 Nutrients and their Sources Introduction In the previous session you learned about nutrition, nutrients, food and food choices.
Learning Outcomes for Study Session 2 When you have studied this session, you should be able to: 2. SAQs 2. Box 2. What are some of the common foods consumed in your community? Make a list in your Study Diary. The body produces many amino acids and others come from food. The body absorbs amino acids through the small intestine into the blood.
Then the blood carries them throughout the body. Glucose — also called blood sugar — is the main sugar found in the blood and the main source of energy for your body.
A unit of energy in food. Carbohydrates, fats, protein, and alcohol in the foods and drinks we eat provide food energy or "calories. Carbohydrates are one of the main types of nutrients. Your digestive system changes carbohydrates into glucose blood sugar. Your body uses this sugar for energy for your cells, tissues and organs.
It stores any extra sugar in your liver and muscles for when it is needed. There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates include natural and added sugars. Complex carbohydrates include whole grain breads and cereals, starchy vegetables and legumes. Your body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs.
However, cholesterol also is found in some of the foods you eat. High levels of cholesterol in the blood can increase your risk of heart disease. Dehydration is a condition that happens when you do not take in enough liquids to replace those that you lose. You can lose liquids through frequent urinating, sweating, diarrhea, or vomiting.
When you are dehydrated, your body does not have enough fluid and electrolytes to work properly. Your diet is made up of what you eat and drink. There are many different types of diets, such as vegetarian diets, weight loss diets, and diets for people with certain health problems. A dietary supplement is a product you take to supplement your diet. It contains one or more dietary ingredients including vitamins; minerals; herbs or other botanicals; amino acids; and other substances.
Supplements do not have to go through the testing that drugs do for effectiveness and safety. Digestion is the process the body uses to break down food into nutrients. The body uses the nutrients for energy, growth, and cell repair.
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