CHAPTER 2 NUTRITIONS

2.2 THE IMPORTANCE OF A BALANCED DIET

A BALANCE DIET contains the right amounts of the seven classes of food to meet
the daily requirements of the body
FACTORS DETERMINE A BALANCED DIET
AGE
Adolescents and
children need more
energy in their diet for
growth

PHYSICAL
ACTIVITIES
An active athlete needs
more energy and
proteins than a
sedentary office
worker

BODY SIZE
Larger-sized
individuals need to
supply more energy to
more body cells

CLIMATE
A person living in a
cold climate needs
more energy to keep
his body warm
compared to a person
living in a warm
climate

SEX
OCCUPATION
Males generally
A construction worker
need more energy needs more energy than
in their diet than
an office worker
females because
because he loses
males have less
energy at a faster rate
fatty tissues in their than the office worker
body
STATE OF
HEALTH
A pregnant woman
needs a diet that
provides more
energy, proteins
and essential
minerals for her
and her baby

ENERGY VALUE OF FOOD

The amount of energy released from one gram of a particular type of food is knowns as
its calorific value or energy value.
Class of food
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Fat

Energy value (kJ/g)

17
18
39

CALORIFIC VALUE or energy value is measured in joules (J) or calories (cal)

1 calorie (cal) = 4.2 joules (J)
1 kilocalorie (kcal) = 4.2 kilojoules (kJ)

Table 1 contains the calorific values of some food

Table 1
Food
Tose
nasi lemak
orange juice
meat
milk
guava

Calorific value per 100g (kJ)

154
492
202
235
276
290

1. Use the information in Table 1 to calculate the calories food in Meal A and B
Meal A
Meal B
100 g Tose
180 g meat
150 g nasi lemak
100 g milk
200 g orange juice
120 g guava
Meal A
= 154 + [150x492] + [200x202]
100
100
= 154 + 738 + 404
= 1296 kJ
Meal B
=
=
= ..........kJ
2. The calorific value of pizza is 12kJ/g. Calculate the calorific value in 100g of pizza.

3. Table 2 shows the caloricfic value of some food

TABLE 2
Food
Quantity
Nasi lemak
1 plate
Ice cream
1 scoop
Banana
1 piece
Milk
1 glass

Calorific value (kJ)

1630
980
326
275

A students takes the following food for breakfast.

Nasi lemak
Ice cream
Banana
Milk

1 plate
1 scoop
2 pieces
1 glass
TOTAL

Use the information in table 2 to calculate the calorific value taken by the student for
breakfast.