HLTH 1322 Assign 7 Vitamins & SuperTracker - Andrea Alvarez

Name:
Andrea Alvarez
UT Dallas
HLTH 1322 Human Nutrition
Assignment 7: Fat-Soluble and Water-Soluble Vitamins and SuperTracker
Objective: This assignment will facilitate understanding and application of selected
knowledge areas from Chapters 10 and 11. It will also provide direction and confirmation for
creation of a personalized User Profile at the SuperTracker website, required to complete the
special project in this course.
Directions: Carefully read the questions. Briefly and accurate provide answers, in
no more than 4-5 sentences. Refer to your text for more detail beyond lecture
material. *Type your answers using blue or italics font.
Part I: Vitamins
1. Outline three distinctions between the fat-soluble and water-soluble classes of
vitamins. (they dont have to be only in terms of body utilization! Refer to first sections
of Ch. 10 to help answer this question.) (15 points)
1) Unlike fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins do not need lipoprotein carriers while
traveling in and around the cells of the body.
2) Most fat-soluble vitamins build up and can be stored indefinitely but in contrast, any excess
amounts of water-soluble vitamins are filtered out by the kidneys. However, vitamin K is excreted
more easily than other fat-soluble vitamins and vitamin B12 is stored more easily than the rest of
the water-soluble vitamins.
3) Also, typically, water-soluble vitamins are more fragile than fat-soluble vitamins and are
especially vulnerable to heat and some other cooking practices.
2. Read the FYI Section: Fresh, Frozen or Canned? Raw, Dried, or Cooked about
selection and preparing foods to maximize vitamin content. Then briefly answer these
questions (max of 4 sentences per question). (15 points)
A. How does the vitamin content of fresh fruits and vegetables overall compare to
those which are frozen?
Although the vitamin content in plant products (fruits and vegetables) depends more on soil,
moisture and sunlight, the fresh quality also helps minimize the loss of nutrients to prolonged
storage. However, the vitamin content of frozen foods that are frozen immediately after being
picked, can also be higher than the fresh fruits and vegetables that lose nutrients during the
shipping and storage times.
B. Are most of the vitamins destroyed or lost from fruits/vegetables due to the canning
process? Briefly explain your answer in 3-4 sentences.
No, most of the vitamins are kept intact because the processors use freshly-picked produce that
keeps the nutrient content higher than had that produce been sent to faraway markets. The thiamin
vitamin content of those canned foods can actually be comparable to the amounts found in the
homemade versions. Even spinach retains more of its folate content when it is frozen or canned.
C. What did you learn about cooking or handling fruits and vegetables at home to retain
the maximum amount of vitamins?
I learned that it is important to incorporate the canned juice liquids into recipes so as to not miss
any of the vitamins retained in the liquid. It is also crucial to keep an eye out for a stronger
concentration of nutrients, but also calorie and sugar content in dried fruits. Also, to maximize the
vitamin content of the fruits and vegetables you take home, it is essential that only minimal
amounts of heat, minimal exposure to air, and not cutting them too small are part of the
environment before and during the cooking process.
3. Think critically about the Ch. 11 lecture and chapter about thiamin and niacin functions
and importance (physiologically speaking) and the results of deficiencies in the body.
Why do you think deficiencies of these two specific vitamins have such widespread and
devastating effects in the human body? (10 points)
The reason these two vitamins are so important and therefore have such a detrimental effect on the
body when not fulfilled to their necessary amounts is because they are part of a large intricate system
of interdependent vitamins that all contribute and function together to keep our bodies healthy!
Thiamin (B1) functions as a co-enzyme in the metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids with
branched-chains and has been found to be deficient in people with chronic alcoholism and
Nigerians who ate silk worms and therefore had limited food consumption and nutrient intake.
When there is a deficiency in thiamin, the overall decrease in its cross-function with amino acid
and carbohydrate metabolism have detrimental consequences, specially a decrease in the
formation of acetylcholine that is essential for neural function, which helps explain the WernickeKorsakoff syndrome.
Niacin functions as a co-enzyme for hydrogen transfer and its deficiency, along with a deficiency
in riboflavin and vitamin B6, can lead to Pellagra with diarrhea, dermatitis and dementia. Niacin is
chemically synonymous with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and is needed in DNA
repair, calcium mobilization, and intracellular respiration, which is why some niacin deficient
people have also been linked to having Chrons disease and chronic alcoholism.
4. Briefly explain why healthy stomach function is necessary to have normal Vitamin B 12
status. Include two digestive problems that can result in the development of B 12
deficiency in your explanation. (15 points)
Absorption of B12 requires normal function of the digestive system, and in fact, most people
deficient of vitamin B12 are associated with a chronic stomach inflammation that contributes to
malabsorption of this important vitamin, which can later cause megaloblastic anemia and
neurologic disorders. The long-term use of specific medications that inhibit stomach acid
secretion can also adversely impact the adequate absorption of vitamin B12. The stomachs normal
function is imperative because stomach acid is what frees vitamin B12 from food, allowing it to
bind to R-protein (found in gastric fluids and saliva) and intrinsic factor proteins. Vitamin B12
deficiency can lead to the following two digestive (gastrointestinal) problems: a smooth but sore
tongue, constipation, diarrhea, gas and appetite loss.
5. Briefly state four important roles of Vitamin C in the body. (10 points).
Vitamin C participates in many chemical reactions within our body and has an immune function
by enabling lymphocytes to function properly, which is why it has been known to prevent and
cure common colds. The other four most important roles of vitamin C in the body are the
following:
1) Collagen Synthesis- Vitamin C is very important in the formation of collagen, which helps
reinforce connective tissues holding together many structures of our body.
2) Antioxidant Activity- Vitamin C minimizes dramatic damage in cells as an antioxidant.
3) Iron Absorption- Vitamin C improves the absorption of iron from plant foods as a reducing
agent
4) Synthesis of Vital Cell Compounds- Vitamin C is involved in the synthesis of many
compounds used in DNA synthesis and in the production of carnitine, which carries fatty acids to
the mitochondria for energy production.
PART II: SuperTracker Project- User Profile Creation (30 points)

A. This course includes a special project, the Dietary Intake Record and Analysis Project.
The project requires you to keep a careful food intake log for a typical one-day period,
beginning with your first food/beverage intake and ending with your last item at the end
of the day. It also requires that you enter all the foods and beverages you consumed
from your food intake log into a nutrient analysis program, SuperTracker which is a
feature of the U.S. Dept. of Agricultures ChooseMyPlate website. The SuperTracker
feature of MyPlate is at this web address:
https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/default.aspx To complete the project, you will need
to create a user profile and register it at SuperTracker.
1. Go to the SuperTracker website. Click on Create Your Profile.
Step One of Create Your Profile is: Personalize Your Profile.
Follow the directions on the page and create your Profile Name.
Your Profile Name must include your first name and last initial OR your
eLearning ID name (NOTE: THERE IS A 7 CHARACTER LIMIT. PARTIAL
NAMES ARE ACCEPTABLE-AS LONG AS IT IS OBVIOUSLY YOUR NAME!)
You should also include your age, gender, physical activity level, height
and weight in your profile. (Only YOU will be able to see this information)
2. Now, complete Step Two and Step Three of Create Your Profile on SuperTracker.
3. Provide the Profile Name you created for yourself at SuperTracker here. It
will be matched with the project report you submit and it must match!
(DONT PROVIDE YOUR PASSWORD, KEEP IT PRIVATE)
The SuperTracker Profile Name I created is:
andreaa

HLTH 1322 Assign 7 Vitamins & SuperTracker - Andrea Alvarez

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

HLTH 1322 Assign 7 Vitamins & SuperTracker - Andrea Alvarez

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

HLTH 1322 Assign 7 Vitamins & SuperTracker - Andrea Alvarez

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Name:

PART II: SuperTracker Project- User Profile Creation (30 points)

You might also like