Balanced Diet : A diet consisting of all food groups in correct proportions

Main Food Groups :

Carbohydrates : Source of energy
Proteins : Growth and repair
Fats : insulation and energy storage, production of new cell membranes
Vitamins : maintain health
Minerals : maintain health
Fiber : provides bulk for intestine to push food through
Water: needed for chemical reactions to take place in cells and acts as a solvent for waste materials

Vitamin C : needed to make collagen( found in our skin, hair), deficiency is scurvy ( bleeding gums, loss
of teeth, muscle and joint pain )
Vitamin D : needed to absorb calcium so required for strong bones and teeth, deficiency is rickets ( soft
deformed bones)
Calcium : needed for strong teeth and bones and involved in clotting of blood
Iron : needed to make hemoglobin

Lack of iron causes anemia, where there are not enough red blood cells so tissues do not get enough
oxygen delivered to them ( tiredness and lethargic, shortness of breath and pale skin)

Malnutrition

Caused by not eating a balanced diet

Starvation: taking in less energy than is used ( over a long period ) which results in break down of fats
then muscle tissue leading to severe weight loss and damage to heart and immune system
Coronary heart disease : a result of a diet too high in saturated fat and cholesterol, fat deposits
( plaque ) build up in arteries reducing blood flow to the heart and leads to lack of oxygen in heart and
heart attacks

Constipation : caused by a lack of fibre in the diet and food lacks bulk for muscles to push it through the
alimentary canal

Obesity : taking in more energy than used which results in it being stored in the form of fat deposits
leading to heart disease and diabetes.

Kwashiorkor – caused by a lack of protein in the diet and causes a swollen abdomen and a low body
weight.

Marasmus – lack of protein and energy causing a much lower body weight and even death.

What do dietary needs depend on?

Age : Amount of energy young people increases towards adulthood as energy is needed for growth
Activity levels : the more active, the more energy is required to replenish energy stores as muscles are
contracting more and respiring faster.
Pregnancy : Energy is required to support the fetus as well as the larger mass that the mother needs to
carry around. Extra calcium and iron are also needed in the diet for bones/teeth/blood.
Breastfeeding : energy requirements increase and extra calcium is need to make high quality breast milk.

Digestion :

Food passes through 5 different stages during its passage through the alimentary canal:
1. Ingestion : taking in of substances into body by mouth
2. Mechanical digestion : breakdown of food into smaller pieces without chemical change to food
molecules
3. Chemical digestion : breakdown of food into smaller soluble pieces using enzymes
4. Absorption : Movement of small food molecules and ions through the wall of intestine into the blood
5. Assimilation : movement of digested food molecule into cells of the body where they are used
6. Egestion : passing out of undigested food as feces through the anus

Diarrhoea Causes/Treatment:
Loss of watery faeces from the anus
It can be effectively treated by oral rehydration therapy ( salt and sugar solution ), there are many
causes of diarrhoea one of which is infection with the bacteria Vibrio Cholerae, which causes disease
cholera.

The bacteria is ingested via infected food or water, it:

1. Attaches to the wall of the small intestine

2. Produces a toxin
3. Toxin stimulates cell linings to release chloride ions from inside the cells into the lumen of the
intestine
4. Chloride ions accumulate in the lumen of the small intestine and lower the water potential there
5. Once the water potential is lower than that of the cells lining the intestine, water moves out of the
cells into the intestine
6. Large quantities of water are lost from the body in watery faces
7. Blood contains too little chloride ions and water.

Mechanical Digestion:

Breakdown of food into smaller pieces without chemical change

Teeth are used for chewing to increase the surface area of the food to expose it to saliva and other
digestive juices to be broken down more quickly

Incisors – chisel-shaped for biting and cutting

Canines – pointed for tearing, holding and biting
Premolars and molars – larger, flat surfaces with ridges at the edges for chewing and grinding up food

Emulsification = breakdown of large fat globules into smaller ones

Tooth decay and gum disease are both caused by bacteria. Sugar left in the mouth after eating is used in
respiration and is turned into acids, the acids dissolve the enamel coating ( hard coating ) working its
way into the dentine. The dentine is softer than the enamel and dissolves more easily, tooth decay can
cause painful infections and loss of teeth if not dealt with.

How to reduce tooth decay?

Reduce amount of sugar eaten
Brushing teeth regularly
Brushing with a fluoride toothpaste to strengthen enamel and reduce acidic damage
Regular visits to the dentist

Chemical digestion:

breakdown of large insoluble food molecules into smaller soluble ones than can be absorbed in the
blood stream. Chemical digestion is controlled by enzymes produced in different areas of the digestive
system ( carbohydrases, proteases and lipases )

carbohydrase’s:
amylase is produced in the mouth ( salivary glands ) and the pancreas ( secreted into the duodenum )
amylase digest starch into maltose ( smaller sugar ). Amylase is secreted into the alimentary canal in the
mouth and the duodenum( from the pancreas ). Maltose is digested by the enzyme maltase into
glucose.

Proteases:
Group of enzymes that break down proteins into amino acids in the stomach
Protein digestion takes place in the stomach and duodenum:

Pepsin is produced in the stomach, trypsin is produced in the pancreas and secreted into the duodenum

Lipases:
Lipase enzymes are produced in the pancreas and secreted into the duodenum to digest fats into fatty
acids and glycerol

Why is HCL important?

The stomach produces several fluids which together are known as gastric juices, HCL kills bacteria and
gives an acid PH for enzymes to work in the stomach ( Pepsin works best at PH 2)

Bile:
Cells in the liver produce bile which is then stored and secreted by gallbladder
Bile is alkaline to neutralize the HCL which comes from the stomach as enzymes in intestine have a
higher optimum PH than those in stomach. Bile also breaks down large drops of fat into smaller ones by
emulsification. The larger surface area allows lipase to chemically break down the lipid into glycerol and
fatty acids faster.
Absorption:

Movement of digested food molecules from the digestive system into the blood and lymph
Water is absorbed in both the small intestine and the colon, but most absorption of water happens in
the small intestine
Absorption takes place in the second section of the small intestine, the ileum.

How is ileum adapted for absorption:

Ileum is very long and has a highly folded surface with millions of villi. These adaptations increase the
surface area of the ileum allowing absorption to take place faster.

Microvilli on the surface of the villus further increase the surface area for faster absorption, the walls of
the villus are one cell thick meaning there is only a short distance for absorption to happen by diffusion
and active transport. Villi are well supplied with a network of blood capillaries that transport glucose
and amino acids away from the small intestine in the blood. The lacteal runs through the centre of the
villus to transport fatty acids and glycerol away from the small intestine in the lymph. The villi also are
covered with goblet cells that release mucus.