Nutrition

3.1 Classes of Food

Classes of Food

1. Carbohydrate
2. Protein
3. Fat
4. Vitamin
5. Mineral
6. Fibre
7. Water

1) Carbohydrate

• Carbohydrate contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

• It supplies a lot of energy
• Examples: Starch - food stored in plants, Glycogen - food stored in animals,
Cellulose - forms the cell wall of plants

2) Protein

• Protein contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen

• Required for growth, repair damaged tissues and to replace dead cells
• Used to synthesise enzymes, hormones and antibodies
• Example : Chicken, Meat and Seafood

3) Fat

• Fat contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

• Formed from glycerol and fatty acid
• Fat is a high energy source and storage
• Protects the organs, act as transporter for vitamin A,D,E and K and a heat insulator
to regulate body temperature

4) Vitamin

• Vitamin is needed in small quantities to maintain good health

 Vitamins
Water-soluble vitamins Fat-soluble vitamins

(Vitamin B and C) (Vitamin A,D,E and K)

Types, sources, importance and effects of vitamin deficiency

Vitamin Function Effects of deficiency

A

Milk Maintains skin health Skin diseases

Egg yolk
B
Beri-beri
Yeast Formation of blood cells
Anaemia
Liver
C
Maintains the health of gums
Fruits Scurvy (bleeding gums)
and mouth
Vegetables
D
Rickets
Butter Strengthens tooth enamel
Toothache
Eggs
E
Sterility
Maintains the functions of the
Grains
reproductive system
Foetus miscarriage
Green vegetables
K
Speeds up the blood-clotting
Milk Prolonged bleeding
process
Egg yolk

5) Fibre

• Fibre comprises of cellulose that is found in the cell wall of plants

 • Very important to stimulate peristalsis which prevents constipation
• Example : Vegetables, Grains and High fibre bread

6) Mineral

• Minerals do not supply energy,but are required in small quantities to regulate body
process to maintain health

7) Water

• Water contains hydrogen and oxygen

• Acts as a chemical solvent, transportation medium and regulates body temperature

Types, sources, importance and effects of mineral deficiency

Mineral Importance and effects of defienciecy

Calcium Strengthens bones and teeth

Milk,Anchovies Effect:

Rickets

Osteoporosis
Sodium Maintains the functions of the nervous system

Salt,Meat Effect: Muscle cramps

Iron Build haemoglobin in the blood

Liver,Meat Effect: Anaemia

Iodine Helps with the functions of thyroid gland

Seafood,Fruits Effect: Goiter

Phosphorus Forms nucleic acid in DNA and RNA

Cheese,Meat Effect:

Brittle teeth

Cannot build DNA and RNA

Potassium Helps with muscle contraction

Plants and animals Effect: Paralysis

3.2 Importance of a Balanced Diet

 What is a balanced diet?
↓
A balanced diet is a diet that contains all the food classes in the right quantities that are required
by the body.

Food Pyramid

Factors that Influence Calorific Requirement

1. Body size
2. Age
3. Work
4. Gender
5. State of health
6. Climate

Calorific Value of Food

• The total amount of energy released when 1 g of of food is burned is called energy
value or calorific value.

1 calorie (cal) = 4.2 joule (J)

1 kilocalorie (kcal) = 4.2 kilojoule (kJ)

3.3 Human Digestive System

• Food digestion is a process of breaking down food that is complex into small molecules
and soluble so that they can absorbed by the body cells

Digestion
↙ ↘

Physical
The process of breaking down food into smaller particles with the help of teeth,tounge and saliva.
Involves peristalsis
Happens in the mouth
Does not involve enzymes

Chemical
The process of breaking down food from complex molecules into simple molecules with the help of
enzyme
Happens in the mouth,stomach,duodenum and intestine
Involves enzymes

The Structure of the Human Digestive System

1)Mouth

• Food is chewed by teeth.

• Salivary amylase in saliva breaks down starch into maltose.

2) Oesophagus

• Food that enters oesophagus is called bolus.

• The process of peristalsis pushes the food into the stomach.

3)Stomach

• Wall of stomach secrete protease and hydrochloric acid.

• Hydrochloric acid activates protease which breaks down protein into polypeptides. Semi-
liquid food is called chyme.
4) Duodenum

• Liver produces bile which emulsifies fat into small droplets and neutralises the acid in the
chyme.
• Pancreas produces pancreatic juice which contain enzymes amylase, protease and
lipase.
• Pancreatic amylase digests starch into maltose
• Protease digests polypeptides into dipeptides
• Lipase digests fat into fatty acids and glycerol

5) Small intestine

• Maltase digests maltose into glucose

• Protease digests dipeptides into amino acids

6) Large intestine

• Undigested food enters large intestine

• The process of water reabsorption happens

7) Rectum

• Food that is undigested, known as faeces, enters the rectum and is stored here

8) Anus

• Faeces are excreted from the body through the anus

Process of Absorption and Transportation

3.4
of Digested Food and Defecation

The wall of small intestine has millions of fine projection called villi which increases the surface
area for the process of digested food.

Villi on the walls of the small intestine

• Wall of the villus is very thin. It is one-cell thick to increase the rate of absorption
 • The surface of small intestine has many folds to add to the surface area and increase the
absorption rate of the products of digestion
• The function of the blood vessels in the small intestine is to transport nutrients to all parts
of the body

Process of Transporting the Products of Digestion

• The molecules that are absorbed into the villus will undergo assimilation.
• Assimilation is a process of distributing the end products of digestion for the use of the
cells in our body
• Our body uses the end products of digestion as follows:

Glucose is used to produce energy

Amino acid is used to form component of cells

Fatty acid and glycerol combine to form fat which is used as heat insulator and to protect
internal organs

Defecation

• Food that is not absorbed by the small intestine will move into large intestine
• While moving, water and minerals are reabsorbed into the blood stream
• This makes the food to become solid waste called faeces
• Faeces are stored temporarily in the rectum before eliminated through anus
• The process of elimination of faeces from the body is called defecation