Nutrition: Human Nutrition and Canadian Standard Fundamentals

First off:
Nutrients are substances found in foods that are known to either play a role in the body, for growth, maintenance, or repair.
Essential Nutrients are substances that must be obtained from the diet. They are: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water.
Nutrition is the biological science of nutrients in food and the functions they preform
Malnutrition is any disorder of nutrition or undesirable health status caused by lack of  or excess of nutrients.
Non-essential nutrients are produced by our bodies. For example: cholesterol.

The essential nutrients that are required from our food is:

21 minerals

14 vitamins

8 amino acids ( 10 for children )

2 fatty acids

Some examples of poor nutrition/dietary habits are high sugar intake, lactose intolerant, diabetes, a high intake of coffee/tea, bulimia, or poor vitamin C intake. Nutrition is the foundation of the entire body.


DRI'S (Dietary Reference Intakes) are reference values that can be used in the assessment of an individuals or groups nutrient intakes, the planning of feeding programs, development of nutrition education materials, formation of policy decisions on the fortification of foods and formulation of supplements and special dietary foods.


I'm sure everyone knows this but the 4 food groups are grain products (6-8 servings a day), fruit and vegetables (7-10 servings a day), milk and alternatives (2 servings a day), and meat and alternatives (2-3 servings a day). Unfortunately there is no chips and chocolate category :(.  Together these food groups provide more than 50 nutrients essential for health and growth.


It can be pretty difficult to estimate serving sizes, but using you hand as a guild can help

• A thumb equals 25 g of most cheeses (so 2 thumbs equal a serving)
• A thumb tip equals a teaspoon, and 3 thumb tips equals a tablespoon
• A palm equals a serving of meat, fish, or poultry (that is, without fingers and thumb)
• A fist equals a cup

Use this chart as a reference if a food group is omitted from your diet, to see what key nutrients your actually missing.

Grain Products

• Carbohydrates
• Fibre
• Thiamin
• Riboflavin
• Niacin
• Iron

Vegetables and Fruit

• Carbohydrates
• Fibre
• Folacin
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin A

Milk and Alternatives

• Protein
• Fat
• Riboflavin
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin D
• Calcium

Meat and Alternatives

• Protein
• Fat
• Niacin
• Vitamin B12
• Iron
• Zinc
• Magnesium

There are six classes of nutrients: 1) Carbohydrates, fats, protein, water, vitamins, and minerals.