Carbohydrates

o Fuel – energy
o All cells use energy:
- Heart
- Breathing
- Digestion
- Brain

o Carbs – sugars – dispensed around the body

o Every normal body functioning comes from energy from the carbohydrates
o Wide range of sugars and starches found in a variety foods

o Classified into 3 groups:

- Monosaccharides
- Disaccharides
- Polysaccharides

Monosaccharides
- There are 3 sugars that make up carbohydrates they are: glucose, fructose
and galactose
- They are single sugar molecules and all have similar chemical structures
- Monosaccharides are the simplest carbohydrates
o Fructose – found in fruit
o Glucose – jellybean
o Galactose – dairy

Disaccharides
- Sucrose, lactose and maltose are 3 sugar molecules made up of different
pairs of monosaccharides
- Sucrose contains glucose molecules connected to a fructose molecule
- Lactose contains glucose molecules connected to a galactose molecule
- Maltose consists of two glucose molecules joined together
o Sucrose – cake
o Lactose – cheese, yogurt
o Maltose – bread, malt, sweet potatoes
Polysaccharides:

Polysaccharides are monosaccharides that are joined together

- Starch is a polysaccharide found in plants to glucose in the gut
- Glycogen is a glucose polysaccharide that stores glucose in the liver and
muscles
- Pectin is a polysaccharide found in the cells of fruits and vegetables
o Starch – potatoes, rice, pasta
o Glycogen – bananas, papaya, apples
o Pectin - Pears, apples, guavas, quince, plums, gooseberries

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 Proteins

What are proteins:

o Proteins are molecules made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and
sulfur.
o Each protein consists of chains mostly of carbon in groups called amino acids.
o They build in different structures to create different types of proteins.

Structure of proteins:
o 22 different amino acids and all have the same basic structure.
- This includes amino group (NH2) and carboxyl group (COOH).
- Each amino acid has a unique side chain attached.
o They can join together in long chains and can form a crumpled three-
dimensional shape called globular proteins.

Food sources of protein:

o Large variety in how much protein each food has.
o The body needs all the amino acids to carry out all the protein functions
properly.
o Some amino acids cannot be synthesised by the body and are called essential
amino acids so, if the diet lacks these amino acids, a deficiency may develop.
o Some amino acids don’t can be synthesised and are called nonessential amino
acids.
o A food is considered to provide complete protein is it contains adequate
amounts of all eight essential amino acids.
o Incomplete protein foods lack one or more essential amino acids.
o Limiting amino acids is a food that has all the essential amino acids but not the
right quantities.

Vegetarianism
o It is possible to maintain a healthy and balanced vegetarian diet.
o Adults usually store amino acids.

Unsaturated fatty acids

What is it?
An unsaturated fat is a type of fat containing a high proportion of fatty acid molecules with
at least one double bond, and is considered to be healthier in the diet than saturated fat.

What is its function?

Lower cholesterol and lowers risk for heart disease.

What is its structure?

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Food examples
Avo, nuts and seeds.

Cholesterols

What is it?
Cholesterols is another type of lipid (fat)
It is a sterol, with a molecular structure very different from that of a triglyceride
It is essential for many of body's metabolic processes, including the production of
hormones, bile and vitamin D.
Cholesterol is produced by the liver and also made by most cells in the body
It is carried around in the blood by little ‘couriers’ called lipoproteins

What is its function?

All your body cells contain cholesterol. It is needed in your body for:
Making bile acids, they break down lipids into your gut during digestion
Absorbing and using lipids for your food
Making some important hormones
Body can make its own cholesterol in the liver
Animals can also make their own cholesterol, therefore it is found in animals
If you eat a lot of cholesterol in your diet, the amount made in your body usually decreases
A high intake of saturated fat, gives you high cholesterol in the blood, which can cause
heart disease

What is its structure?

Food examples
The cholesterol in your diet comes mainly from eggs and from animal products that are rich
in fat such as meats and full fat dairy foods. All foods from animals contain some
cholesterol. Foods from plants do not contain cholesterol.

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 Saturated Fats

What is it?
A saturated fat is a type of fat in which the fatty acid chains have all or predominantly single
bonds. A fat is made of two kinds of smaller molecules: glycerol and fatty acids.

What is its function?

Loss of sufficient saturated fatty acids in white blood cells hampers their ability to
recognize and destroy foreign invaders, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi.

What is its structure?

They have as many hydrogen atoms as can fit on the following chain.

Food examples
animal fat products such as:
cream cheese
butter
other whole milk dairy products
fatty meats which also contain dietary cholesterol.

Dietary fibre
Dietary fibre or roughage is the portion of plant-derived food that cannot be completely
broken down by digestive enzymes.
Dietary fibre isn’t one of the 6 nutrients but is required in our diet to survive.
It passes through our digestion and helps with it, but it isn’t used for our body like
proteins so isn’t absorbs
Fibre helps moving around in an easy manner
Peristalsis is the movement of your intestines
Reduces constipation

Lipids
Lipids are a group of substances that include fats, oils, fatty acids phospholipids, sterols,
glycolipids and waxes
Fat cells in your diet and are necessary to survive and live healthily
Some are plant sources and animal sources
There are foods that are better fats than worse (almonds vs fries)
Important store of energy, retain body heat and protects organs
Lipid = fat= adipose tissue
Transports fat soluble vitamins and minerals around the body

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Provides fatty acids and used for brain function
Healthy skin and hair
They provide 37 kJ per gram