BSc Nursing 1 St Year Nutrition And Biochemistry Nursing Chapter 1 Introduction Question And Answers

Introduction

Question 1. Nutritional problems in India.
Answer.

Definition Of Nutrition

Nutrition is defined as the science of food and its relationship to health. Nutrition is food at work in the body.

Useful chemical substances derived from the food by the body are called nutrients.

Human beings require more than 45 different nutrients for their well being.

Nutrients include:

• Carbohydrates
• Lipids
• Proteins Food,
• Water
• Minerals
• Vitamins

Nutritional Problem In India Are As Follow:

• A survey in South India has revealed that about 1% children aged 1-5 years showed signs of kwashiorkor, 2% marasmus and 3-5% vitamins A dificiecy.
• Community studies have shown that many mothers give only breast milk to children upto 2 years. Thus, no additional food is added to the child’s diet.
• Papaya which is rich in vitamin A is considered as a hot food that will cause miscarriage is avoided by pregnant women.
• It is a belief that if a pregnant woman eats more the baby will be big and delivery difficult, so expectant mothers are not fed adequately both in quality and quantity.
• Nutritional problems like protein energy malnutrition ( PEM) and anaemia , vitamin A deficiency, this occurred in large no of children’s in India
• The diet and nutritional status of urban slum children in India is far away from satisfactory.
• Major nutritional problem in India are protein energy malnutrition (PEM) ,vit-A deficiency, iron deficiency, anaemia and iodine deficiency disorders (IDD).

Question 2. Factors affecting food and nutrition.
Answer.

Food:

Food is vital for human existence just as air and water.

Food may be defined as anything eaten or drunk, which meets the needs of tissue building, regulation and protection of the body and its energy needs.

Nutrition:

Nutrition is defined as the science of food and its relationship to health.

Nutrition is food at work in the body.

There are many factors which affect food and nutrition are as follow:

• Biological Factors
• Superstitions
• Social and cultural factors
• Religions factors
• Income
• Geography/availability
• Advertising and media
• Psychological factors

Biological Factors :

In the biological aspect two aspect which mainly influence the food and nutrition

Hunger : Our physiological needs provide the basic determinants of food choice. Human need energy and nutrients in order to survive.

Sensory aspects ; taste is consistently reported as a major influence of food behaviour.

Superstitions And Cultural Factors :

• Food habits are handed over from generation to generation in the society particularly in the developing countries.
• Though these factors have very little or no scientific basis, people rigidly adhere to them. In many parts of India pregnant women are not allowed Food, to consume papaya as it is believed that papaya produces a lot of heat in the body which in turn induces abortion. Pineapple also is not given for the same reason. .
• Consumption of a lot of garlic is for secretion of milk.
• In parts of Bengal, people believe that consumption of tongue of goat by children will make them more talkative.

Religious:

• Belief Hindus do not eat beef, since cow is an animal sacred to them.
• Among Hindus some communities do not eat fruits, onions and garlic.
• Many Hindus are vegetarians.
• Jains do not eat curds and do not eat after sunset.
• It is a custom in most communities in India that women and girls eat only after men and boys finish their eating. Thus, the health of the female is affected as they eat poorly with the left over food.

Income:

• Financial resources determine the type of food we consume.
• Depending on the availability one selects the food.
• People in lower income groups in India consume, a combination of cereals and cheaply available green leafy vegetables, roots and tubers.
• People Food of higher income groups, can choose food from all groups irrespective of season.

Geography/Availability:

• In the olden days, man would eat what ever was available to satisfy his hunger. The food he got was the type he could cultivate in his locality.
• Rice is the main food crop grown in tropical areas.
• The nutrition value of natural foods do not vary from country to country. But there is a great variation in the composition of prepared foods such as bread, biscuits, cakes etc., due to variation in recipes and basic ingredients used in different regions.

Psychological Factors:

Level of stress, emotions- appetite increases during happiness but diminishes with stress

Question 3. Classification of foods.
Answer.

• Food is vital for human existence just as air and water.
• Food may be defined as anything eaten or drunk, which meets the needs of tissue building, regulation and protection of the body and its energy needs.
• Food is the raw material from which our bodies are made.

Read And Learn More: BSc Nursing 1st Year Nutrition And Biochemistry Previous year Question and Answers

Classification Of Food

• Based on its origin
  • Foods of animal origin
  • Foods of vegetable origin

Based on Chemical Composition

• Proteins
• Fats
• Carbohydrates
• Minerals
• Vitamins

Based On Its Function

• Body building foods – amino acids, proteins
• Energy giving foods – carbohydrates (wheat, rice)
• Protective foods – vitamins and minerals (vegetables)

Based On Nutrition Value

Five Food Group System

• Cereals and millets
• Pulses and legumes
• Milk, milk products and meat
• Fruits and vegetables
• Fats and sugars

Based on their functions, foods are grouped into energy yielding foods, body building foods and protective foods.

• Carbohydrates, fats and proteins release energy on metabolism in our body.
• Cereals like rice, wheat, ragi and maize, roots and tubers like potato, sweet potato and tapioca are good sources of carbohydrate. Fats are more concentrated source of energy.
• Proteins are considered as body building food even though they can supply energy as well. Protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron and water are body building nutrients.
• Protein foods like milk, meat, fish, eggs, pulses, grams and nuts are essential to build our tissues and to form blood. Our body functions are regulated by water, minerals and vitamins. They are called the protective foods. Water is necessaryfor various body processes.
• Vitamins are essential for regulating the body processes such as growth, muscular coordination of various organs and functions of several organs like eyes, ears, nose and skin.
• Minerals like Ca help in controlling blood clotting, muscular contraction and for efficiency of heart muscles. Iron is essential for blood formation. Iodine is necessary for regulating body functions through the thyroid gland.

Question 4. Function of food.
Answer.

Food is vital for human existence just as air and water.

Food may be difined as anything eaten or drunk, which meets the needs of tissue building, regulation and protection of the body and its energy needs.

Food is the raw material from which our bodies are made.

Functions of Food

• Provide energy: Fat’s are more concentrated source of energy
• Body building: Proteins are considered as body building food even through they can supply energy as well . Protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron and water are body building nutrients.
• Regulating the activities of the body including
  • Beating of the heart
  • Maintenance of body temperature
  • Muscle contraction
  • Clotting of blood
  • Control of water balance
  • Elimination of the waste products of the body
• Provide resistance to diseases
• Social function: Feasts are served on specific stages of life— birth, naming ceremonies, birth days, marriages etc. Prasad is distributed in temples. Pedhas are distributed to announce success in exams or birth of a baby. Laddus are associated with Deepawali and marriages, cakes with Christmas and Weddings. Refreshments served at get together and meetings create a relaxed atmostphere.
• Psychological functions of food. Breastfeeding provides closeness and security to the child. Food also satisfy some emotional needs like security, attention and friendship and acceptance. Food can be used as a weapon to fight against diseases. An insecure child sometimes refuses food, so that mother will be concerned about the child and bow to its demand.

Question 5. Role of Food and its Medicinal Value.
Answer.

Role Of Food And Its Medicinal Value

Most deficiency diseases have been eliminated in the West by abundance of food supplies. Yet diseases related to malnutrition in the form of dietary excess and imbalance are quite common in the Western countries. Four of the ten leading causes of death— heart diseases, cancer, stroke and diabetes have been linked to diet.

Poor dietary habits and a sedentary life style together account for three lakh deaths in the US every year. Dictary factors account for a third or more of all cases of both cancer and heart diseases.

A high fat diet raises risk of some types of cancer, heart diseases and obesity which in turn contribute to a number of other problems including dibetes and high blood pressure. Studiescarried out have shown that the quality of diets consumed by people in the UK and USA during the period 1911–1960 have been steadily increasing and consequently the growth rate of children also was increasing during the same period. After 1960, the growth rate of children did not show any significant improvement showing that the diet had been adequate for providing maximum growth in children.

On the other hand, the rate of growth of children in the developing countries continues to be poor. The children are malnutritioned, emaciated and stunted.