1st Edition

The Nutritionist Food, Nutrition, and Optimal Health

By Robert Wildman Copyright 2002
    436 Pages
    by Routledge

    436 Pages
    by Routledge

    Use this valuable book to make better food/diet/nutrition supplement choices for your clients (and yourself)!

    The Nutritionist provides an overview of the basic concepts involved in nourishing the human body in an organized and progressive first-person question-and-answer format. Its eminently readable style and easy-to-understand graphics will enhance your comprehension of applied nutrition topics such as energy nutrients, vitamins, and minerals as well as energy metabolism and body composition, exercise, heart disease, and cancers.

    Healthcare professionals, personal trainers, nutritionists, and lay readers will all find valuable, easily understood information in The Nutritionist. The book lays the foundation with a review of the basic concepts of body composition and related scientific concepts, which are invaluable in understanding the nutrition information that follows. It examines molecules, chemical reactions, energy, acids and bases (pH), free radicals and oxidation, and water solubility. With this foundation, concepts such as lipoproteins (LDL, HDL, blood cholesterol), antioxidants, energy, metabolism, body composition, exercise, heart disease, and cancer are easily understandable.

    This unique book’s first-person, question-and-answer style brings you quick access to current information about nutrition and:

    • energy metabolism
    • energy nutrients
    • weight control
    • body composition
    • exercise
    • vitamins and minerals
    • nutrition supplements
    • osteoporosis
    • diabetes mellitus
    • heart disease
    • cancer
    • and more!

      The Nutritionist provides straightforward answers to basic questions about the body and how to nourish it. Use it to make better choices for your clients and to help them reach the performance and health goals they set.

    • Preface
    • Acknowledgments
    • Chapter 1. The Very Basics of Humans and the World We Inhabit
    • Our Most Basic Objectives
    • Atoms and Molecules Make the Human, Not Clothes
    • Energy Is Everything
    • Water Solubility Determines How Chemicals Are Treated in Our Body
    • Acids and Bases Contribute to the Chemistry Lab of Our Body
    • Free Radicals Are Biological Bullies; Antioxidants Are Cellular Superheroes
    • Chapter 2. How Our Body Works
    • Cells Are Life
    • We Hang Our Body on the Bony Skeleton
    • Nervous Tissue Is Electrical and Excitable
    • Skeletal Muscle Allows Us to Move
    • The Heart and Circulation Are a Fantastic Delivery System
    • Our Kidneys Are Filtering Systems
    • Digestion Makes Nutrients Available to Our Body
    • Hormones Are Messengers Traveling in Our Blood
    • Chapter 3. The Nature of Food
    • Nutrients Nourish Our Body
    • Nutrition Supplements Are a Multibillion-Dollar Industry
    • Chapter 4. Carbohydrates Are Our Most Basic Fuel Source
    • Carbohydrates Power Our Body
    • Carbohydrates Are Absorbed As Monosaccharides
    • The Level of Circulating Blood Glucose Is Tightly Regulated
    • Fiber Is an Important Nutraceutical Family
    • Chapter 5. Fats and Cholesterol Are Not All Bad
    • The Basics of Fats and Cholesterol
    • Fatty Acids Can Vary in Length, Degree, and Type of Saturation
    • Fat Is Our Most Significant Means of Storing Energy
    • Fat and Cholesterol Need Special Help to Get Around in Our Body
    • Chapter 6. Proteins Are Our Structural and Functional Basis
    • Proteins Are Combinations of Amino Acids
    • Protein Is Found in All Natural Foods and Enters Our Body As Amino Acids
    • Some Amino Acids Are Essential Components of Our Diet
    • Body Protein Is a Fuel Reserve Similar to Glycogen and Fat, but Not Exactly
    • Interest in Specific Amino Acids Is Growing
    • Chapter 7. We Are All Wet
    • Water Is the Basis of Our Body
    • Our Body Loses Water
    • Water Is an Essential Nutrient
    • Chapter 8. Energy Metabolism and Body Composition
    • Human Composition
    • Supply and Demand Economics of Body Weight
    • Metabolism Equals Energy Expenditure
    • Obesity Has Become a Modern-Day Nutrition Epidemic in Some Countries
    • Pinching, Dunking, and Electricity Are All Used to Assess Body Fat
    • Food and Activity Are the Sculptor of Our Body Composition
    • Smart Weight Loss Employs Smart Planning and Execution
    • Chapter 9. We Need Vitamins for Vitality
    • Vitamins Are Vital Molecules in Our Food
    • Water-Soluble Vitamins Are Vitamin C and the B-Complex Vitamins
    • Vitamins A, D, E, and K Are Vital Lipids
    • Chapter 10. The Minerals of Our Body
    • The Major Minerals Include Calcium, Phosphorus, and Electrolytes
    • Minor Minerals Function As Components of Proteins and Other Molecules
    • Chapter 11. Exercise and Sports Nutrition
    • The Intensity and Duration of Exercise Determines the Adaptation
    • Muscle Is Fueled by Carbohydrates, Fatty Acids, and a Small Amount of Protein
    • Muscle Cells Are Not All the Same
    • Resistance Training Is Hard Work but Well Worth the Effort
    • Nutrition Supplements Marketed to Enhance Muscle Mass Abound
    • Aerobic or Cardiovascular Training Is Good for Your Heart and Metabolism
    • Sport Drinks Are Liquid Performance
    • Many Programs and Products Are Touted to Improve Endurance Performance
    • Chapter 12. Nutrition Throughout Life
    • Making a Baby Is Complicated
    • Babies Work Their Way Up to People Food
    • Kids Grow Fast
    • Adults Are Faced with a New Set of Nutrition Concerns
    • Osteoporosis Is Bones with Holes
    • Chapter 13. Nutrition and the Major Killers of Humans
    • Heart Disease Is a Matter of Bad Plumbing
    • Hypertension Hurts the Heart and Blood Vessels
    • Cancer Is When Good Cells Go Bad
    • Appendix A: Periodic Table of Elements
    • Appendix B: CDC Growth Charts, United States
    • Suggested Readings
    • Index
    • Reference Notes Included

    Biography

    Robert Wildman