NOTA SLAID

1.0
INTRODUCTION
TO BASIC
NUTRITION
PRINCIPLES

DR. ARNIDA HANI TEH

Outline 1.1
Objective and importance of nutrition and nutrients

1.2
The role of public and private organizations with
regards to national and world health
1.3
Malaysian dietary guidelines

1.4
Nutritional assessment

1.1
Objective and importance of

nutrition and nutrients

• Anything edible • Food and drink
regularly provided or
Food consumed

Diet

Nutrient Nutrition

• Substance that • The process of
provides nourishment providing or obtaining
essential for the the food necessary
maintenance of life for health and growth
and for growth

Carbohydrate

Protein MACRONUTRIENTS
Fat Body needs in larger amounts

Produce energy

Macrominerals • potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium,
chloride, sulfur, phosphorus.

Microminerals • chromium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iodine, MICRONUTRIENTS
iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, zinc Body needs in

smaller amounts

Vitamins • Fat soluble (A,D,E,K)
• Water soluble (B,C)

Water

1.2.
The role of public and private
organizations with regards to

national and world health

• In the perspective of achieving healthy nutrition –

• requires the involvement of multiple sectors and stakeholders, including
government, and the public and private sectors

Ministry of Health

• Nutrition activities in MOH started in the ’50s

• where it was integrated into the service of Maternal and Child Health Care.

• 2009 - establish Nutrition Division (Bahagian Pemakanan)

• to improve the quality and availability of nutritional services to all segments
of society.

Function of Nutrition Division:

Plan, develop, Development, Implementation, Provides
implement, monitor advocacy and monitoring and comprehensive
implementation of evaluation of the nutritional services
and evaluate the National National Plan of to individuals,
nutrition programs in Nutrition Policy Action for Nutrition families and society
four aspects, namely, (Dasar Pemakanan to encourage healthy
planning, monitoring, Kebangsaan). in Malaysia nutritional practices.
(NPANM).
promoting and
rehabilitating

nutrition.

Public and private universities

• Drivers and facilitate research and innovation in nutrition.
• Generate human capital (modal insan) and talent with knowledge and

skills related to nutrition.
• Contributing policy advises.
• The hub of government, business networks and industrial cluster.

The Industry

• Dual role of food industry

• providing products that meet consumers' needs in terms of taste,
convenience, quality, nutrition, and value

• communicating to consumers about the importance of good nutrition,
including the contribution of specific foods to a balanced diet

• The food industry contributes to educational efforts regarding healthy
diets and lifestyles

• directly

• through product labelling, advertising, educational materials, on-line communications,
and information

• indirectly

• through active involvement and participation in educational programs pursued in
collaboration with nutrition and health education authorities

Fortification and enrichment of food product

• enrichment

• adding nutrients back to a food product that were lost during processing

• fortification

• adds additional nutrients not present (or present in small amounts) prior to
processing

World Health Organization (WHO)

• Malnutrition presents significant threats to human health.
• Today the world faces a double burden of malnutrition that includes

both undernutrition and overweight

• especially in low & middle-income countries

• WHO provides scientific advice and decision-making tools

• that can help countries take action to address all forms of malnutrition to
support health and wellbeing for all, at all ages

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

• The vision and strategy for FAO’s Work in Nutrition (FAO Nutrition
Strategy) is part of the Organization’s strategic framework

• aims at achieving the goal of reducing malnutrition
• through efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems

• Seeks to tackle malnutrition in all its forms by accelerating policies
and actions across agriculture and food systems to enable healthy
diets for everyone.

• Seeks to improve diets and raise levels of nutrition through a people-
centered approach leveraging all FAO expertise in different areas of
the food system.

United Nations (UN)

• The UN Decade of Action on Nutrition
• a commitment by UN to undertake 10 years of sustained and

coherent implementation of policies, programmes and increased
investments
• to eliminate malnutrition in all its forms, everywhere, leaving no one
behind

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• Nutrition-related responsibilities:

• ensuring the safety of food supply
• ensuring the security of the food supply

• Regulatory authority, including for

• Foods: e.g., dietary supplements, food additives, infant formulas

1.3.
Malaysian dietary guidelines

Malaysian Dietary Guidelines (2010)

• Aims to provide advice on how to promote
healthy eating and active lifestyle.

• Has 14 key messages

• 55 key recommendations
• Some additional recommendations for special

population groups.

Key Message 1:
Eat a variety of foods within your recommended

intake

Key Recommendations:

1. Choose your daily food intake 2. Choose your daily food intake
from a combination of foods according to the serving size
based on the Malaysian Food recommended.
Pyramid.

Piramid Makanan Malaysia

2010 2020

Among the changes made:

• Vegetables and fruits group at the
bottom of pyramid

• Recommend lower carbohydrate intake
(50-65%) compared to previously (55-
75%)

• Recommendation intake of 6-8 glasses
of plain water/day is added to the
illustration

Key Message 2:
Maintain body weight in a healthy range

Key Recommendations:

1. Maintain body weight 2. Weigh yourself 3. If you are an adult,
in the healthy range by regularly, at least once a prevent gradual weight
balancing calorie intake
with physical activity. week. gain over time.

4. If overweight, aim for 5. If underweight,
a slow and steady increase energy intake
weight loss.
as recommended.

Key Message 3:
Be physically active everyday

Key Recommendations:

1. Be active everyday in as 2. Accumulate at least 30
many ways as you can. minutes of moderate

intensity physical activity
on at least five to six days
a week, preferably daily.

3. Participate in activities 4. Limit physical inactivity
that increase flexibility, and sedentary habits.
strength and endurance

of the muscles, as
frequent as two to three

times a week.

Key Message 4:
Eat adequate amount of rice, other cereal products

(preferably whole grain) and tubers

Key Recommendations:

1. Consume at least four 2. Choose at least half of 3. Choose cereal products
servings of cereal foods your grain products from that are high in fibre, low

daily. whole grains. in fat, sugar and salt.

Key Message 5:
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables everyday

Key Recommendations:

1. Eat a variety of fruits 2. Eat a variety of 3. Eat at least five servings
everyday. vegetables everyday. of fruits and vegetables
everyday.

Key Message 6:
Consume moderate amounts of fish, meat, poultry, egg,

legumes and nuts

Key Recommendations:

1. Consume fish more 2. Consume meat, 3. Practice healthier
frequently, if possible, poultry and cooking methods for
fish, meat poultry and
daily.
egg dishes.

4. Choose meat and 5. Consume legumes 6. Include nuts and
poultry that are low in daily. seeds in weekly diet.

fat and cholesterol.

Key Message 7:
Consume adequate amounts of milk and milk products

Key Recommendations:

1. Consume milk and milk products 2. Replace sweetened condensed
everyday. milk and sweetened condensed
filled milk with unsweetened liquid

or powdered milk.

Key Message 8:
Limit intake of foods high in fats and minimise fats and

oils in food preparation

Key Recommendations:

1. Limit the intake of 2. Increase the intake of 3. Limit the intake of foods
unsaturated fats to less unsaturated fats with high cholesterol.
than 10% of total daily
monounsaturated fatty
calorie intake. acids (MUFA) and

polyunsaturated fatty acids
(PUFA).

4. Limit foods containing 5. Minimise the use of fat 6. When eating out,
trans fatty acids (TFAs). in food preparation in choose low-fat foods.

order to keep total daily fat
intake between 20% to
30% energy.

Key Message 9:
Choose and prepare foods with less salt and sauces

Key Recommendations:

1. Limit salt intake to one 2. Reduce consumption of
teaspoon a day. highly salted foods and
condiments.

Key Message 10:
Consume foods and beverages low in sugar

Key Recommendations:

1. Eat foods low in 2. Drink beverages
sugar. low in sugar.

Key Message 11:
Drink plenty of water daily

Key Recommendations:

1. Drink six to eight 2. Maintain fluid intake 3. Avoid alcoholic
glasses of plain water from other food sources. beverages.

daily.

Key Message 12:
Practise exclusive breastfeeding from birth until six
months and continue to breastfeed until two years of
age
Key Recommendations:

1. Prepare for 2. Initiate 3. Breastfeed 4. Give only breast
breastfeeding during breastfeeding within frequently and on milk to baby below six

pregnancy. one hour of birth. demand. months with no
additional fluid or

food.

5. Continue to give 6. Introduce 7. Lactating mothers 8. Husbands and
babies breast milk complementary foods should get plenty of family members
even if the baby is not to baby beginning at rest, adequate food should provide full
with the mother. and drink to maintain support to lactating
six months of age.
health. mothers.

Key Message 13:
Consume safe and clean foods and beverages

Key Recommendations:

1. Choose safe and 2. Store foods 3. Prepare foods
clean foods and appropriately. hygienically.
beverages.

4. Cook foods 5. Hold foods 6. When eating out,
thoroughly. appropriately. choose safe and clean

premises.

Key Message 14:
Make effective use of nutrition information on food

labels

Key Recommendations:

1. Use Nutrition 2. Make use of 3. Educate children
Information Panel nutrition claims on the use of NIP.
(NIP) as a guide in
making food choices. wisely.

Malaysian Dietary Guidelines for Children
and Adolescents (2013)

• 15 key messages and 67 key
recommendations for healthy children and
adolescents from birth to 18 years of age.

1. Practise exclusive 2. Give appropriate 3. Eat a variety of foods 4. Attain healthy weight
breastfeeding from birth complementary foods to within your for optimum growth.

until 6 months and children between the recommended intake.
continue to breastfeed age of 6 months to 2

until 2 years of age. years.

5. Be physically active 6. Eat adequate amount 7. Eat fruit and 8. Consume moderate
everyday. of rice, cereals or vegetables everyday. amounts of fish, meat,
tubers. poultry, egg, legumes

and nuts.

9. Consume milk and 10. Include appropriate 11. Limit intake of salt 12. Consume foods and
milk products everyday. amounts and types of and sauce. beverages low in sugar.

fats in the diets.

13. Drink plenty of 14. Consume safe and 15. Educate children on
water daily. clean foods and the use of nutrition
beverages. information on food
labels.

RECOMMENDED NUTRIENT INTAKES (RNI) for
MALAYSIA (2017)

• RNI are the level of intake of essential
nutrients

• Provide standard nutrition guidelines for
various target groups



MALAYSIAN FOOD COMPOSITION DATABASE
(MyFCD)

• Food composition data of Malaysian food.



1.4.
Nutritional assessment

• Nutritional assessment

• is the interpretation of anthropometric, biochemical (laboratory), clinical and
dietary data

• to determine whether a person or groups of people are well nourished or
malnourished (over-nourished or under-nourished).

Types of assessment – ABCD Anthropometric
Biochemical
Clinical
Dietary

Anthropometric assessment

• Anthropometry is the measurement of the size, weight, and
proportions of the body.

• Common anthropometric measurements include weight, height, head
circumference, etc.

Biochemical assessment

• Assess levels of nutrients in blood, urine, or stools.
• Lab test results can give useful information about medical problems

that may affect nutritional status.