Abdul Kadir Molla

International School
Chapter: 2
A healthy diet
Nutrients: Nutrients are the chemical substances in food used by an organism that facilitate growth & repair, and helps to
carry out different life processes.
The nutritive substances in food perform mainly three functions of our body:
1. Growth, repair and maintenance of the body.
2. Provide heat and calories
3. Prevent disease and ensure sound health.

Food elements/Components of food:

The human body need a large number of different nutrients to keep it healthy. Depending on the principle ingredients,
nutrients are divided into six group.
1. Carbohydrates; Help in producing energy.
2. Proteins; Help in growth & repair.
3. Fats and oils; Produce heat and energy.
4. Vitamins; Increase immunity power.
5. Minerals; Takes part in various organic functions.
6. Water; Keeps the balance of water and temperature & Carries dissolved materials around the body.
Another food component is fibre, needed by the body.

 Carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The human body used them as a store of energy. The
commonly used carbohydrates are:
a. Glucose: Glucose is the simplest sugar. It is our body’s main source of energy, with some tissues like the
brain requiring a constant supply. It travels easily in blood plasma to the cells of the body. Then the cell used
them in respiration to produce energy.
b. Sucrose: Sucrose is considered as Table sugar, used in food.
c. Starch: Plants store energy as starch. That means starch is the storage food of plants.
d. Glycogen: Glycogen is the storage food of animals.
e. Cellulose: Plant used cellulose to make cell walls. It forms the parts of our diet called fibre.

 Fats
Fats are made from carbon and hydrogen. They are used as store of energy. Fats are classified into two groups.
a. Solid fats: Solid fats are produced by animals, such as lard. Fats are the store energy of animals. They are
used as insulation beneath the skin. It keeps the bodies of animals warm.
b. Liquid fat or oils: They are produced by plants, such as sunflower oil. They are considered as energy store in
plants.
 Many mammals increase their body fat in the autumn, they used it in the winter.
 Fats contain more energy than carbohydrates. But the body can not release the energy in fats as quickly as
the energy in carbohydrates.
 Fats leave a translucent.

 Proteins
Proteins are made from carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Some proteins contain sulphur. They are found
in both animals and plants. The most common functions of proteins are:
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 Abdul Kadir Molla
International School
i. Proteins form most of the structure of our body, such as muscle and bone.
ii. They are needed for growth of the body.
iii. They repair any damage due to illness or accident.
iv. Proteins help form immunoglobulins, or antibodies, to fight infection.

 Fibre: The cellulose in food is known as dietary fibre. It is found in cereals, pulses, whole meal bread, fruits and
vegetables.
How fibre reduce bowel problems? Our body cannot digest fibre but it helps the body to move food along
intestines. As the fibre moves through the large intestine, bacteria feed on it. Together they form bulk of food. They
help the large intestine to push the food along. Besides, fibre takes up water like a sponge and this makes the
undigested foods soft and easy to release from the body. If a person’s diet lacks fibre, they may experience bowel
problems such as constipation.

 Vitamins: Vitamins are nutrients your body needs in small amounts to work properly and stay healthy. The
body may need to get from food.
Vitamins Effect on body Deficiency symptoms Source
a. Helps vision in dim light.  Dryness of the eyes Milk, Liver, cod-liver
b. Makes a mucus lining for the and blindness oil, tomatoes, carrot
Vitamin A respiratory, digestive and excretory  Night blindness
system. Thus vitamin A prevents  Dry skin
pathogen entrance and fight against
infection.
c. Stimulates the production and
activation of WBC.
Vitamin D a. Promotes calcium absorption from  Rickets Egg yolk, butter, cod-
food to make bones and teeth strong  Bones become thin, liver oil, sea fish
b. Strengthen our bones brittle and misshapen.
c. Prevents rickets in children and  Bone curvature is
osteomalacia in adults. main reason of vit D
deficiency
Vitamin C a. Controls infection  Scurvy (bleeding and Blackcurrant, orange,
b. Heals wound bruising occurs at the lemon, guava, papaya,
c. Neutralize harmful reactive molecules gums in the mouth, strawberries
in our body under the skin and
into the joints.
 Swelling or bleeding
of gums leads to loss
of teeth.
 Delayed healing of
skin wounds
Vitamin B I. Prevents beriberi  Beriberi (Symptoms: Skin of rice or
nerves fails to work, unpolished rice.
action of muscle
become weak,
walking is difficult,
hearth rhythm
abnormality

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 Abdul Kadir Molla
International School

 Minerals
The body needs 20 different minerals to keep it healthy.
 Calcium is needed to make strong bones and teeth. Besides, it helps blood to clot.
 Iron is needed by the RBC, to transport oxygen. If a diet lacks iron, the RBC carries less oxygen around the
body and a person can become tired and weak. This condition is called anemia. This condition can be
reverted by increasing the amount of iron in the diet.
 Iodine needs us in order to repair damaged cells, control cells growth and to produce energy. If it is lacking
in the diet, it causes a swelling in the neck called goiter. It changes the heart rhythm and causes felling of
tiredness and dizziness.

 Water
About 70% of the human body is water. All the food substances dissolved in water. Water is found in all cells and
helps conduct all the chemical reactions. The blood is made mainly from water. It is the liquid that transport all the
other blood components around the body. Water is used to cool down the body by evaporation of sweat from the
skin.

Energy in food: A bomb calorimeter is used to find out how much energy there is in food.

For example, bread and egg can provide 1025 kj and 612 kj energy respectively.

Food pyramid: Everybody should aim to eat a balanced diet. Consumption of high energy diet such as
sweets, chocolate, crisps and ice cream can lead to a number of unhealthy conditions such as obesity and
tooth decay. So, food pyramid provides information about balanced food and which food should consume and
which should not. The Healthy Eating Pyramid is a simple visual guide to the types and proportion of foods
that we should eat every day for good health. The foundation layers make up the largest portion of the
Pyramid because plant foods should make up the largest portion of our diet.

The foundation layers include the three plant-based food groups: vegetables, grains, fruits and legumes. The middle layer
includes the milk, yoghurt, cheese & alternatives and the lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes food groups.
Foods in the milk, yoghurt, cheese & alternatives group primarily provide us with calcium and protein, plus other vitamins
and minerals. The top layer refers to healthy fats. We need small amounts of healthy fats every day to support heart health
and brain function.

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 Abdul Kadir Molla
International School

Self-practice questions

1. What does the body need the following for?

a. Glucose
b. Fats
c. proteins
2. What foods can people eat to prevent them getting scurvy?
3. What foods can people eat to prevent them getting rickets?
4. What are the symptoms of rickets?
5. What is a balanced diet?
6. What is food pyramid?
7. Make a pyramid representing your diet.
8. What is the necessity of hemoglobin in blood?
9. What are the function of water in food?
10. How fibre reduce bowel problems?
11. What is the problem if the diet is low in protein?
12. What is the problem if the diet is low in Vitamin A?
13. What is the problem if the diet is low in the Mineral Iron?
14. What is the problem if the diet is low in the mineral Calcium?
15. What is the problem if the diet is low in fibre?
16. What are the units that are used for measuring the energy content of food?
17. Describe how food is moved along the small intestine.
18.

MCQ

1. A person’s diet contains food material that is needed for growth and repair. What is the food material?
a. Proteins b. Fat c. Carbohydrate d. Vitamin
2. A person is suffering from a disease. He has bleeding at the gums is the mouth. The symptom is for the deficiency
of…
a. Vit C b. Vit B c. Vit A d. Vit B
3. Our body needs vitamins and minerals because……………………………
a. They give the body energy
b. They help carry out metabolic reactions
c. They insulate the body’s organs
c. They withdraw heat from the body
4. Food passes through the stomach directly by…………………………..
a. The large intestine
b. The small intestine
c. The heart
d. The pancreas
5. Citrus fruits are an excellent source of………………………………..?
A. Calcium b. Vitamin C c. Vitamin B d. Iron
6. Which of the following nutrients is needed to build and maintain the structural components of the body?
a. Proteins b. Fat c. Carbohydrate d. Vitamin

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