SC115 Principles of Nutrition Unit 2: What happens to the food we eat?

Orville E. Bigelow, M.S., RD

Adjunct Faculty, Department of ScienceSchool of General EducationKaplan University

This week’s discussion topics:

• What happens to the food we eat?• If the body adjusts to digest each food that we eat,

why can it react so differently to different foods?• What is the difference between food intolerance

and food allergy?• What disorders are related to digestion?

What happens to the food we eat?

What happens to the food we eat?

• Mouth• Stomach• Small intestines

- Accessory organs

- Liver and gall bladder

- Pancreas

• Large intestines• We are outta here! Well at

least the waste is!

Field trip!

• Lets take a look at the digestive process: http://www.pennmedicine.org/health_info/bariatrics/000178.html

But wait! There is more…

• Let’s pull out our ‘binoculars’ and take a closer look at peristalsis and segmentation:

• http://nutrition.jbpub.com/resources/animations.cfm?id=1&debug=0

What happens to the food we eat?

• Is all food the same?- Carbohydrates (4 calories per gram)

-What do we use it for?

- Proteins (4 calories per gram)

-What do we use it for?

- Fats (9 calories per gram)

-What do we use it for?

If the body adjusts to digest each food that we eat, why can it react so differently to different foods?

If the body adjusts to digest each food that we eat, why can it react so differently to

different foods?

• Because different foods provide different nutrients

• An overabundance of nutrients may not always be healthy…

Let’s take a look at protein

• Protein is broken down to amino acids• Amino acids are used by our cells to make their own

proteins to carry out the functions of our bodies • The proteins are made through ‘protein synthesis’ a

process by which our DNA tells our cells how to make the protein

• Lets take a closer look at the process: http://nutrition.jbpub.com/resources/animations.cfm?id=14&debug=0

What happens if we get too much protein?

• Proteins used when carbohydrates are not available for energy

• Excess proteins converted to fat

The price of a high fat diet…

• Chronic disease- Obesity

- Diabetes

- Cardiovascular disease (heart attacks & strokes)

- High blood pressure (hypertension or HTN)

- Renal disease

Lets take a field trip to the arteries!

• What is atherosclerosis?• http://nutrition.jbpub.com/resources/

animations.cfm?id=36&debug=0

What is the difference between food intolerance and food allergy?

What is the difference between food intolerance and food allergy?

• A food intolerance is the inability to eat and/or digest a specific food due to the complications it may cause

- Lactose intolerance

• A food allergy can be a life threatening problem due to proteins from a foreign source getting into your blood stream and causing an allergic reaction

- Allergy to milk proteins

What disorders are related to digestion?

What disorders are related to digestion?

• Burping • Ulcers • Choking • Diarrhea and vomiting • Heartburn

One last field trip!

• Just what is that ‘burning sensation’?? Let’s get to the ‘heart of the matter’!

• http://www.pennmedicine.org/encyclopedia/em_DisplayAnimation.aspx?gcid=000068&ptid=17

The end! See you next week!