NECESSITY FOR A BALANCED

DIET
 Balanced diet : contains the correct
proportions of all the different food
requirements (7 classes of food) of the
body
 Should supply enough energy for each
day’s activity (60% carbohydrates, 20%
fats & 20% protein)
 Food requirements in a balanced diet
1. Carbohydrates & lipids to provide energy for all
activities in the body
2. Proteins to build new tissues for growth & repair
damaged or dead tissues
3. Vitamins to prevent diseases & for normal
healthy development
4. Mineral salts which are essential for normal
healthy & development
5. Fibres as roughage to stimulate peristalsis &
prevent constipation
6. Water which is needed as the medium for all
chemical reactions in the cells. It helps to
transport substances, to distribute & regulate
body heat
 DAILY ENERGY REQUIREMENT
 Energy required to carry out all living processes (the
heart beating, breathing, growing, excreting & maintaining
body temperature

 The energy is obtained from the oxidation of molecules from

food during cellular respiration
 Unit for energy : Joule (J)

 Energy value / caloric value : the quantity of heat produced

when one gram of food is completely oxidised

 Unit for energy value : joules per gram (J g-1)

 Energy value = mass of water (g) x increase in
temperature (oC) x 4.2 J g-1 oC-1
mass of food (g)
 FACTORS
AFFECTING THE
DAILY ENERGY
REQUIREMENT OF
THE BODY
 AGE
 Children & adolescent need more energy
for growth compared to the adults

 They have a higher metabolic rate to

produce more energy
 SEX
 Males need more energy than females
of the same age and body size

 Generally, basal metabolic rate of male

is higher than female because they are
more active
 BODY WEIGHT
 The basal metabolic rate is proportional to
the surface area of the body

 Calculated from the height & weight

 Hence individuals with big body weight need

more energy
 OCCUPATION
 More energy is needed for the
muscular activities of the person doing
heavy physical work.
 VITAMINS
 Important in the physiology (the process that occur
in the organisms) & metabolism (the biochemical
reactions in the body cell) of the body
 Two classes : water-soluble vitamins & fat-soluble
vitamins
 Fat-soluble vitamins cannot be excreted out in
urine, stored in the body
 Important for metabolic processes in animals
 Water-soluble vitamins cannot be stored in the
body, excrete through urine
 Vitamins B & C in plants, animals & m/organisms
function as coenzymes.
 Properties of Vitamins
 Cannot be digested or broken down to produce
energy
 Easily destroyed at high temperatures or when
exposed to ultraviolet rays
 Needed in small quantities only
 Cannot be synthesised in our body except D.
 Easily oxidised by oxygen in the air, especially
vitamin C
 Needed for chemical reactions in the body as co-
enzymes
 FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMINS
Vitamin Source Functions Effects of deficiency
Milk, tomatoes, For healthy epithelium, including Night-blindness
A carrots, fish the skin Xerophthalmia (cornea
(retinol) For night vision disorder)
liver oil
For growth Stunted growth
Fish liver oils, Needed for absorption of calcium Rickets (weak bones)
D cheese, butter, and phosphorus in the intestines Osteomalasia in adults
(calciferol) Helps to build strong bones &
eggs, Dental caries/ tooth
healthy teeth
synthesised by decay
skin
Wheat germ, As antioxidant Deterioration of
E green Prevents sterility in animals muscles & degeneration
(tocopherol) of nerves
vegetables, Maintains the function of the
palm oil, reproductive system infertility
mustard, Preserves healthy muscular
system, nervous system & blood
cabbage circulatory system
Liver, Helps in blood clotting Anaemia
K tomatoes, Slow blood-clotting/
(naphtha-
green vege, extensive bleeding
quinone)
cabbage
 WATER-SOLUBLE VITAMINS
Vitamin Source Functions Effects of deficiency

Liver, yeast, As a co-enzyme in Beri-beri (fatigue,

B1 meat, cereals, carbohydrate metabolisms weakness & muscular
(thiamine) Needed in cellular respiration cramps)
beans, peas,
green vege For growth Disorder of the nervous
For healthy nervous system system

Yeast, liver, Needed in cellular respiration Peeling of skin around

B2 milk, whole For growth the nose, ears & mouth
(riboflavin) Swollen tongue
grains, eggs, For healthy nervous system
vegetables Stunted growth

Yeast, liver, Needed in cellular respiration Pellagra (inflammation

B3 cereals, eggs, For healthy nervous system, of skin, diarrhoea &
(niacin) mental disturbances)
vegetables skin and intestine

Eggs, meat, Needed in cellular respiration Stunted growth

B5 liver, yeast, For healthy nervous system Dermatitis
(pantothen
ic acid) wheat germ, For the formation of antibodies Grey hair
fresh Damage to adrenal
vegetables glands
 WATER-SOLUBLE VITAMINS

Vitamin Source Functions Effects of deficiency

Liver, eggs, For the synthesis of amino Stunted growth
B6 meat, cereals, acid
(pyridoxine Anaemia
) beans, nuts, Low resistance to
milk infection
Diarrhoea
Milk, eggs, For the formation of red Anaemia
B12 meat, liver, fish, blood cells
(cobalamin
) cheese

Citrus fruits & For maintaining healthy Scurvy (bleeding

C green blood vessel gums, bruised skins,
(ascorbic
acid) vegetables For healthy skin & efficient swollen joints)
healing of wounds
Increases resistance to
infections
 MINERALS
 Inorganic substances that are present in the form
of ions
 Required in small quantities to preserve healthy
growth & maintenance
 Do not provide energy
 Lack of minerals can cause various disease
 Divided into two groups : macronutrients (large
quantities) micronutrients (small quantities)
 MACROMINERALS
Mineral Source Functions Effects of deficiency
Calcium Milk, cheese, Form strong & healthy teeth & Rickets
anchovies, bones Osteoporosis
cereals Assists in blood clotting
Prolonged bleeding
Necessary for muscle contraction
& transmission of nerve impulses
Magne- Cereals, green Necessary for muscle contraction Weak muscles
sium vegetables, Necessary for transmission of Convulsion (Sawan)
milk, meat nerve impulses
As a cofactors for various
enzymes
Phospho- Milk, meat, Forms strong bones and teeth Brittleness of bones
rus Cereals, eggs Form ATP in cell respiration Tooth decay
Sodium Table salt, Maintains the balance of water in Muscular cramps
meat, eggs, the body
milk Maintains the osmotic pressure in
the body
Needed for transmission of nerve
impulses
 MACROMINERALS
Mineral Source Functions Effects of deficiency
Potassiu Milk, meat, For transmission of nerve Disorder in the nervous
m bananas, green impulses system
For muscle contraction
vegetables
 MICROMINERALS

Mineral Source Functions Effects of deficiency

Iodine Prawns, Produces thyroxine hormone Goitre
cockles, Cretinism in children
seafood,
seaweed
Iron Liver, spinach, Forms haemoglobin Anaemia
nuts, egg yolk
Fluorine Drinking water, Harden enamel of teeth, bones Dental caries
tea, vegetables
 ROUGHAGE
 Dietary fibre in the diet that cannot be
digested
 Made up of cellulose (cell wall of plant
cells)
 Sources : cereals, fruits, nuts & vegetables
 Functions :
1. Stimulate peristalsis in alimentary canal & prevent constipation
2. Helps to avoid from feeling hungry frequently
3. Soluble fibre from vegetables & fruits can help to reduce
cholesterol levels in the blood
 Deficiency : can cause constipation and
other disorders of the large intestine
 WATER
 Makes up about 70% of the total body
weight
 Found in all natural food
 Sources : fruits, vegetables, milk, soup
& drinking water
 A large amount of water is lost through
urine, sweat & faeces  must be
replaced
 Need to drink 2 litres a day (8 glasses)
 FUNCTIONS OF WATER
1. As a solvent for all organic compounds & minerals in
the body
2. As a medium for chemical reactions in the body
3. As a medium of transport
4. For excretion of waste products
5. Controls & maintains body temperature
6. As a lubricant to reducing friction between bones in
joints
7. Determine the osmotic concentration of blood and
tissue fluid.
 APPROPRIATE DIET MENU
FOR TARGET GROUP
Pregnant women Infants
 Adequate nutrients are  Rapid growth – need more
needed for her own self & protein
the foetus in the womb  More calcium &
 More calcium & phosphorus
phosphorus are needed to  Mother’s milk contain all
form strong bones & teeth the nutrients & antibodies
for the baby
 More iron – to build red
blood cells to prevent
anaemia
 Avoided nicotine, caffeine
& alcohol
APPROPRIATE DIET MENU FOR TARGET GROUP
Children
 Have slower growth rate
compared to babies
 Need more protein for growth,
should be more than their body
mass (eg.: 1.2 g per kg for 8
year-old child)
 Need more carbohydrates & fats
to supply energy because very
active
 Vitamins especially vitamin D
 Minerals (iodine) to produce
thyroxine hormone – for
physical & mental development
 More calcium & phosphorus
Teenagers
 Between the ages 12-19
 Grow very fast
 For girls, puberty begins at 12
years  rapid growth. For boys,
begins at 14 years  rapid growth
 Need a lot of protein to build new
protoplasm as well as calcium &
phosphorus
 Very active, need more energy 
need more carbohydrates
 Female teenagers need food rich
in iron (18 mg a day) compared to
male (10 mg a day). They lose
blood during menstruation each
month, needed to form
haemoglobin in erythrocytes & to
prevent anaemia
APPROPRIATE DIET MENU FOR TARGET GROUP
Athletes People with specific
 Include more diseases
carbohydrates to supply  Such as osteoporosis 
enough energy to carry need more calcium &
out the vigorous activities phosphorus, vitamin D
in sports
 More protein to build new
tissues to replace tissues
that are dead or damaged
 Calcium, sodium &
potassium are also
needed to strengthen the
bones & to prevent
muscular cramps
APPROPRIATE DIET MENU FOR TARGET GROUP
Age related Vegetarians
 55 years & above  undergo
the process of aging & slow  Has to consist of all types
growth of food nutrient that are
 Lose their appetite, less active obtained from only plants
 Their diet should be rich in
protein, vitamins & minerals to
maintain good health & to repair
tissues
 Have weaker & more brittles
bones, need more calcium &
phosphorus
 Less active, need less
carbohydrates & fats
 Avoid food contains a lot of fats,
sugar & salt  heart diseases,
diabetes mellitus & high blood
pressure
 Lot of vegetables & fresh fruits
to replenish water in their body