Nutrition
Some notes on nutrition.
Nutrients
Sodium
According to Health Canada, the recommended intake per day for an adult is 1500 mg/day.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/sodium/index-eng.php
Sugar
Comes under various names:
- glucose
- fructose
- sucrose (glucose + fructose)
According to the American Heart Association, added sugar intake per day (question: does this include fruit?):
- Men: 150 calories, 37.5 grams
- Women: 100 calories, 25 grams
See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19704096
There are approximately 4 grams per teaspoon, and 4 calories per gram.
Glycemic Index
How fast food turns into glucose in your blood. Affected by the amount of fiber.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates in the context of saccharide (biochemistry) includes: sugars, starch, and cellulose.
Polysaccharides is a way to store energy (starch and glycogen). (Question: How is this tied in with ATP generation?)
The recommended daily intake is, according to http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/recommended-amount-percent-carbohydrates-per-day-7287.html:
Carbs_daily = ((Daily_Calories * x) / 4), where 0.45 < x < 0.65.
eg. 2000 * 0.5 / 4 = 250 g/day.
Question: But... Some say carbs are bad (see keto diet). Why?
There's also 'good' and 'bad' carbs. Bad being those that are refined such as refined grains or refined (ie. added) sugars.
Cholesterol
Both good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL) are found in your blood.