# Nutrition

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Category: Health
Slides: 12
Updated: 2026-05-17T20:47:45.746Z
Tags: health, nutrition

## Summary

A cookbook editor's tour of the macros, micros, metabolism, and the diets you've been told to follow — with the evidence behind each, plainly stated. Key sections include: Nutrition , plainly; What food does; Carbs, protein, fat; Vitamins and minerals; How the body burns it; What the evidence says; A photographic interlude; The category that matters most; Calories still matter; A bowl that ticks every box.

## Slide Outline

1. Nutrition , plainly
2. What food does
3. Carbs, protein, fat
4. Vitamins and minerals
5. How the body burns it
6. What the evidence says
7. A photographic interlude
8. The category that matters most
9. Calories still matter
10. A bowl that ticks every box
11. Why nutrition science is hard
12. Where to read and watch

## Slide Transcript

### Slide 1: What food does

- Course I — The basics
- All food breaks down into three macronutrients — carbohydrate, protein, fat — plus alcohol (a fourth caloric substrate), water, and the micronutrients (vitamins, minerals). Energy is measured in kilocalories: 1 kcal = 4.184 kJ.
- Macronutrientkcal/gPrimary roles
- Carbohydrate4Fast and stored fuel (glycogen)
- Protein4Structure, enzymes, hormones
- Fat9Dense fuel, membranes, hormones
- Alcohol7None essential

### Slide 2: Carbs, protein, fat

- Course II — Macros
- Carbohydrate
- Sugars (simple) and starches/fibers (complex). Glucose is the brain's preferred fuel. Fiber — indigestible carbohydrate — feeds gut bacteria and lowers LDL cholesterol; aim for 25–38 g/day.
- Protein
- Made of 20 amino acids; nine are essential (must be eaten). RDA is 0.8 g/kg/day; active adults often benefit from 1.2–1.6 g/kg. Animal sources (eggs, dairy, meat, fish) and combined plant sources (legumes + grains) provide complete profiles.
- Fat
- Saturated, mono-unsaturated, poly-unsaturated. Essential fatty acids: omega-3 (ALA, EPA, DHA) and omega-6 (linoleic). Trans fats — industrially hydrogenated — are uniquely harmful and now banned in many countries.
- A modern "MyPlate"-style guide (USDA, 2011, replacing the 1992 pyramid).

### Slide 3: Vitamins and minerals

- Course III — Micros
- Vitamins are organic; minerals are inorganic. Both are required in milligrams or micrograms but their deficiency can be devastating: scurvy (C), beriberi (B1), pellagra (B3), rickets (D), goitre (iodine).
- NutrientRolesSources
- Vitamin CCollagen, antioxidantCitrus, peppers, broccoli
- Vitamin DCalcium absorption, immunitySun, fatty fish, fortified milk
- Vitamin B12Red cells, nervesAnimal foods, fortified cereal
- IronHemoglobin, oxygen carryRed meat, lentils, spinach
- CalciumBone, signalingDairy, leafy greens, tofu
- IodineThyroid hormoneIodized salt, seafood
- Magnesium~300 enzymesNuts, seeds, whole grains
- PotassiumBP regulation, nervesBananas, beans, potatoes

### Slide 4: How the body burns it

- Course IV — Metabolism
- Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is the sum of:
- Basal metabolic rate (BMR) — ~60–75% of TDEE; the cost of being alive at rest.
- Thermic effect of food (TEF) — ~10%; energy used digesting (highest for protein).
- Physical activity — exercise + non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).
- Metabolism slows with age primarily because lean mass declines. Resistance training preserves it. Beyond modest individual variation, "slow metabolism" is rarely the cause of weight gain — but appetite regulation, sleep, and ultra-processed food formulation strongly are.

### Slide 5: What the evidence says

- Course V — Diets, examined
- Mediterranean
- Olive oil, fish, legumes, vegetables, moderate wine. The PREDIMED trial (NEJM 2013) showed ~30% reduction in major cardiovascular events. Strongest overall evidence base of any named pattern.
- Low-carb / Keto
- Effective for short-term weight loss and for some seizure disorders (its original use, 1920s). Long-term cardiovascular safety depends on fat sources. Hard to sustain.
- DASH
- Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Lower sodium, high produce. Lowers BP comparably to a single antihypertensive medication.
- Plant-based / Vegan
- Lower LDL, lower CV risk. Requires planning for B12, iron, omega-3, calcium, iodine.
- Intermittent fasting
- 16:8, 5:2, alternate-day. Comparable weight loss to caloric restriction; convenience matters more than any metabolic magic.
- Carnivore
- All animal foods. Anecdotal benefits; very little controlled evidence; concerns about fiber and long-term cardiovascular profile.

### Slide 6: A photographic interlude

- Course VI — From the kitchen
- A Mediterranean spread — olive oil, vegetables, fish. Photo: Unsplash.
- "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." — Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food, 2008.

### Slide 7: The category that matters most

- Course VII — Ultra-processed
- The NOVA classification (Monteiro et al., 2010) groups foods by processing level. Group 4 — ultra-processed — includes industrially formulated products with ingredients you would not find at home (high-fructose corn syrup, hydrolyzed proteins, emulsifiers).
- Hall et al.'s 2019 metabolic-ward study (NIH) found that participants ate ~500 kcal/day more on an ultra-processed diet matched for macros and palatability. Reducing UPF intake is currently the single most evidence-supported dietary lever for weight and cardiometabolic health.

### Slide 8: Calories still matter

- Course VIII — Energy balance
- The first law of thermodynamics applies to bodies. To lose mass, energy out must exceed energy in. How the deficit is achieved — diet composition, frequency, time of day — affects sustainability and body composition far more than total efficacy.
- A pound of body fat stores ~3,500 kcal; a sustainable deficit is 300–700 kcal/day. Aggressive deficits drive muscle loss, hunger, and rebound. Protein intake of 1.6 g/kg and resistance training preserve lean mass during weight loss.

### Slide 9: A bowl that ticks every box

- Course IX — A featured recipe
- Mediterranean Lentil Bowl · serves 2
- 1 cup brown lentils, cooked
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, diced
- ½ red onion, thin-sliced
- 100 g feta, crumbled
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- fresh parsley, mint, oregano
- 1 tsp salt, fresh black pepper
- Toss everything in a wide bowl. Per serving: ~520 kcal, 22 g protein, 60 g carbohydrate (12 g fiber), 22 g fat (mostly mono-unsaturated). Notable: 1.6 mg iron, 12 g protein from plants, full omega-9 profile from olive oil.

### Slide 10: Why nutrition science is hard

- Course X — Evidence quality
- Nutrition is plagued by confounded observational studies, self-reported food frequency questionnaires, and short trial durations. A 12-week study cannot detect cancer or cardiovascular endpoints. Headlines change because effect sizes are small relative to noise. Trustworthy claims tend to be:
- → Backed by multiple RCTs and mechanism (e.g., trans fat, sodium → BP).
- → Pattern-level, not single-nutrient (Mediterranean, DASH).
- → Acknowledge individual variation (genetics, microbiome, glucose response).

### Slide 11: Where to read and watch

- Course XI — Learn more
- Peter Attia & Layne Norton — Nutrition basics
- Layne Norton, PhD nutrition scientist, on protein, calories, and the realities of dieting research.
- Watch on YouTube →
- Books: How Not to Die, Greger · The Case Against Sugar, Taubes · Salt Sugar Fat, Moss · USDA Dietary Guidelines (free).
- Nutritional needs vary by age, activity, pregnancy status, and disease. Talk to a registered dietitian or physician before changing diets in the context of medical conditions.


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