Hi, I'm Cathy with Level Up RN.
And in this video, I am going to go into more detail about our macronutrients.
So this includes carbohydrates, lipids, and protein.
And at the end of this video, I'm going to give you a little quiz, a little knowledge
check to be sure you've been listening.
And if you find value in our videos here at Level Up RN, be sure to subscribe to our channel,
and tell your classmates and friends in nursing school about us.
Alright.
Let's start off talking about carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are our primary source of energy for the body.
And they control blood glucose levels as well as insulin metabolism.
You can find carbohydrates in a variety of food sources, which include vegetables, fruits,
dairy products, as well as whole grains.
There are simple carbohydrates as well as complex carbohydrates.
Our simple carbohydrates are easy to digest, and they provide quick energy, and they also
cause your blood glucose levels to go up very quickly.
So examples of simple carbohydrates can include fruit juice, honey, and candy.
Then we have our complex carbohydrates which provide more fiber, which we'll talk about
in just a minute here.
They take longer to digest and they cause a slower increase in blood glucose levels.
So some examples of complex carbohydrates include apples, brown rice, and lentils.
Another type of carbohydrate energy that I want to talk about here is glycogen.
Glycogen is stored carbohydrate energy in the liver and in the muscles.
And it is broken down and released in the bloodstream when your body needs it through
a process called glycogenolysis.
So if you're working as a nurse on a floor and you're working a 12-hour shift, and maybe
for a big chunk of that, you're not eating anything, when your blood glucose levels get
low enough, your body will start breaking down this glycogen to help provide glucose
for your muscles, your brain, for basically your whole body.
So again, glycogen is that stored carbohydrate energy.
Okay.
So as I mentioned before, complex carbohydrates are often richer in fiber.
And fiber is so important for the body, and it provides a number of health benefits.
This includes an increase in healthy bacterial growth in the colon.
It helps to soften and bulk the stool to allow for easier defecation.
It helps to stabilize blood glucose levels.
It decreases the risk for diverticulitis, for hemorrhoids, for colorectal cancer, as
well as coronary artery disease.
So getting enough fiber is definitely important.
Current recommendations are for 38 grams per day for men and 25 grams per day for women.
Alright, let's now talk about our next macronutrient, which are lipids.
So lipids represent the main source of stored energy in the body, and they help provide
cell structure and function.
Your cell membrane is a phospholipid bilayer, so lipids are going to be a key part of that.
They are also super important for temperature regulation as well as protection for the organs.
You can find lipids in food sources such as fats, oil, dairy, and meat.
And within lipids, we have saturated fats, trans fats, and unsaturated fats.
So saturated fats are mostly found in animal products, such as meat or dairy.
And saturated fats in general can cause an increase in LDL levels - which we'll talk
more about LDL and HDL here shortly - and they also increase an individual's risk for
heart disease.
Trans fats are mostly found in processed foods.
So if you read the ingredient label and you see the words partially hydrogenated oil or
shortening, then chances are that that product has trans fat.
Trans fats have been shown to increase levels of LDL and to decrease HDL levels, which is
the good cholesterol, which we'll talk about in just a minute.
And then we have unsaturated fats.
Unsaturated fats are considered our heart-healthy fats.
So they're found in foods such as avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil as well as vegetable
oil.
So in general, the medical experts really emphasize that we consume more of those heart-healthy
unsaturated fats versus the saturated and trans fats.
Alright, let's talk a little bit more about LDL and HDL, which are types of cholesterol.
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is produced by the liver and is also
found in dietary sources, and it plays an important role in the body.
It's needed as a cell membrane component.
It's also needed for vitamin D and hormone synthesis as well as digestion.
So we have our high-density lipoproteins and our low-density lipoproteins.
So our LDLs are those low-density lipoproteins.
Those are our bad cholesterol, so L for LDL, L for lousy.
Our high-density lipoproteins, or HDL, those are our good cholesterol, so H for HDL and
H for happy.
That's how I remember the difference between those two.
So in terms of the recommended intake of cholesterol per day, in general, it's recommended that
our cholesterol intake stay below 300 milligrams per day.
However, for individuals who are at high risk for heart disease, recommendations are to
keep those levels below 200 milligrams per day.
Alright, now let's talk about our third macronutrient, which is protein.
Protein is very important in the body.
It's needed for tissue building and repair.
So as a wound nurse, that's one of the first questions I ask the patient, is, "How is your
nutrition?
How is your protein intake?"
Because having sufficient protein is so important for wound healing.
Protein is also needed for immune system functioning as well as energy.
You can find protein in food sources such as seafood, meat, poultry, eggs, soy, nuts,
seeds, and dairy products.
So proteins are made up of amino acids, and there are 9 essential amino acids and 11 non-essential
amino acids.
So the 9 essential amino acids cannot be made by the body.
We have to get them from food sources.
So the little Cool Chicken hint that I have on this particular card is that it's essential
to get essential amino acids from your diet.
On the other hand, non-essential amino acids can be produced by the body under normal physiologic
conditions.
So when it comes to eating protein, we have complete proteins, which contain all of the
9 essential amino acids.
And these complete proteins usually come from sources such as animal sources like meat ,as
well as soy.
Then we have our incomplete proteins.
So an incomplete protein means that this protein source lacks one or more of the essential
amino acids that we need.
However, we can eat complementary proteins.
So if we have this incomplete protein over here which is lacking in 2 essential amino
acids, and then we have this other incomplete protein which is lacking in different amino
acids that are essential, if we eat these two foods together, then we get all of the
essential amino acids we need.
So, for example, rice and beans.
Rice and beans by themselves are incomplete proteins, but they contain complementary protein,
so if you eat those two things together, you get all of your essential amino acids.
The last thing I want to touch on in this video is protein metabolism and the concepts
of anabolism, catabolism, and nitrogen balance.
So anabolism is where we are assembling amino acids to create proteins.
So we are doing protein synthesis.
Catabolism is where we are breaking down proteins for energy.
And there are some great Cool Chicken hints here to help you remember those two things
on card seven.
The nitrogen balance is the balance between anabolism and catabolism.
And in a healthy adult, we expect a neutral nitrogen balance.
However, there are some periods of time where we may see a positive nitrogen balance.
So a positive nitrogen balance happens when protein synthesis exceeds protein breakdown.
This can happen during growth spurts in your teenagers and it can happen during pregnancy.
On the other hand, sometimes we see a negative nitrogen balance.
This is where protein breakdown exceeds protein synthesis.
And this can be seen in patients who are starving, who basically are having insufficient calorie
intake, and it can also be seen in patients who have severe injuries such as burns.
Okay, you guys ready for your quiz?
First question.
What do you called stored carbohydrate energy in the liver and muscles?...If you said glycogen,
you are correct.
Okay.
Second question.
Which macro nutrient is the main source of stored energy in the body?...All right.
The answer is lipids.
And then last question for you guys.
What do you call the breakdown of protein for energy?...It is catabolism.
Hope you got those three questions right.
If not, go back and review my video.
It'll be here when you need it.
And definitely take those cards on a walk because repetition is key with this stuff.
So thanks so much for watching.
If you enjoyed this video, leave me a comment.
And if you have any suggestions for improvement, would love to hear those too.
Take care!