CHAPTER 2: NUTRITION

2.1 Classes of Food

Fats

Carbohydrate Proteins
s
Classe
Minerals s of Vitamins
Food

Fibre Water

Classes Functions Examples

sugars: cakes, cholates, fruits

starch: rice, bread, potatoes
Carbohydrates Supply main energy to body
cellulose: vegetables, fruit
glycogen (stored in the liver & muscle)
Fats Supply more energy & give heat to body butter, cheese, margarine
For growth, repair and replace damaged
meat, fish, milk, eggs, beans,
Proteins cells
peas, nuts
Vitamins Maintain good health vegetables & fruits
Minerals For proper growth & development of body meat, milk, banana, seafood, eggs
Fibre To stimulate peristalsis fruits & vegetables
Medium for chemical reaction in the body
Water Regulate body temperature water
Transport digested food & waste materials

1
  Excess carbohydrates stored as fat in the body.

 Vitamins A, D, E, K – fats soluble

 Vitamins B, C – Water soluble

 Vitamins – required in small quantity for body

Deficiency
Vitamins Functions Examples diseases
carrot, tomatoes, green Dry skin , night
A To promote healthy skins & eyes
vegetables blindness
Maintain healthy skin & nervous Beri-beri, Pellagra,
B yeast, liver, vegetables
system Anaemia
To increase immunity against
guavas, grapes, tomatoes, Scurvy
diseases
C
Maintain healthy skin, teeth,
citrus fruit, vegetables
gums
Maintains healthy & strong teeth Rickets, softening of
& bones bones
D milk, eggs, fish
Promotes calcium & phosphorus
& teeth
absorption
Maintain healthy reproduction seeds, nuts, egg yolk, whole
E Sterility
system grain
liver, egg yolk, green
K Blood clotting prolong bleeding
vegetables

Deficiency
Minerals Functions Examples diseases
cheese, meat, table
Sodium Maintain body fluid balance muscle cramps
salt
paralysis, weak
Potassium For nerve & muscle activities bananas, fish, meat
muscles
Maintain strong & healthy teeth &
milk, eggs, anchovies, Rickets, Osteoporosis,
Calcium bones
Helps blood clotting green vegetables prolong bleeding
Formation of haemoglobin in red blood
Iron liver, egg yolk, meat Anaemia
cell
Iodine Make the hormones of the thyroid seafood, seaweed Goitre

2
 gland
Help in muscle contraction, make
Rickets, tooth decay,
Phosphorus healthy cheese, milk, eggs
bones, and teeth weak muscle

Beri-beri (disease of nervous system)

Pellagra (skin disease)

Anaemia (shortage of red blood cell)

Scurvy (bleeding gums)

3
 Rickets (stunted growth) Goitre (swollen
neck)

Kwashiorkor (lack of protein)

Classes Type of test Reagent Result

brown colour Iodine change into blue

Starch Iodin test Iodine
black
Benedict's test / Benedict's
Glucose Food Testbrick-red precipitate formed
Fehling's test solution
Millon's
Proteins Millon's test white precipitate - red colour
reagent
4
milky solution or white emulsion
Etanol
 Factors affecting balanced diet

 Balanced diet – Diet which contains all seven types of food classes in the right
quantities & proportions.
Factors Explanation Reason

babies, children, & teenagers need more Babies, children, and teenagers
Age
energy than adults more active & life process faster
Men need more energy than woman Men are more active than woman
Gender
of the same age & body size
Body Big size individuals need more energy Big size individual need more
size than small size individual energy for life process
Health Patients’ needs more energy than Patients need more energy to
condition someone who is healthy recover from diseases.
Type of Heavy work need more energy Heavy work need more
job than light work energy to perform
Climate Individual live in cold weather need more More energy required in cold weather
energy than individual live in warm weather to maintain body temperature

5
 Calorific value of food

Human digestive system

6
1. Digestion – process of breaking down large food molecules into smaller molecules that can be
absorbed by body.

2. Physical digestion – breaking down food into smaller particles by teeth.

3. Chemical digestion – breaking down food by enzymes.

Mouth Oesophagus Stomach Duodenum

Organs Functions

Anus
Mouth Rectum
Cut & chews Large
the food into smaller intestine
molecules Small intestine
Oesophagus Channels food (bolus) to stomach through peristalsis action

Stomach Begins the digestion of protein

Duodenum Secret pancreatic juices to digest protein, carbohydrate, & fats

Small intestine Complete the food digestion and absorb end product of digestion

Large intestine Reabsorb water & minerals from indigested food

Rectum Store the faeces

Anus Removes faeces from body

Salivary glands Produce saliva which contain amylase enzyme

Liver Secrets bile to emulsify fats

Gall bladder Store bile which is secreted by liver

Pancreas Produce digestive enzymes (amylase, protease, lipase)

7
4. Peristalsis – Contraction & relaxation of digestive tract to channel the food throughout the
digestive tract.

Organs Juices Enzyme Functions

Mouth Saliva (alkaline) Amylase Starch - Maltose

Gastric juice Protease Protein - Polypeptide or Peptone

(acidic) Casein/Rennin Liquid milk protein - Solid form

Stomach
Hydrochloric
Kills bacteria in the food
acid
Pancreatic juice Amylase Starch - Maltose

(secreted by pancrease) Protease Protein - Polypeptide or Peptone

Duodenum (Alkaline) Lipase Fat - Fatty acid + Glycerol
Bile (alkaline greenish
Emulsify fats & oils into globules
fluid secreted by liver)
Maltase Maltose - Glucose
Small
Protease Peptone - Amino acid 8
intestine Intestinal juice
Lipase Fat - fatty acid + Glycerol
  Water, minerals, vitamins are need not to Food class End product
Carbohydrate Glucose
be digested because these food are very
Protein Amino acid
small and simple molecules that can be
Fat Glycerol + fatty acid
absorbed into body.

Absorption of digested food

1. Absorption of end product take place in small intestine through the diffusion process .

2. Length of small intestine – 6 metre. Walls of small intestine is folded to increase its surface
area.

3. Features of small intestine:

a. Have many finger-like projections known as villi (singular: villus) .

b. Have many blood capillaries to facilitate absorption.

c. Very long about 6 m allows greater absorption.

d. Very thin so that small molecules can enter the blood capillaries.

e. Moist lining enables food molecules to dissolve easily.

4. Vilus or Villli – the surface of small intestine covered with millions of tiny finger-like projections.

5. Functions of vilus – Absorb digestion food effectively.

9
 Reabsorption of water & defecation

1. Undigested food enters the large intestine .

2. Reabsorption of water & minerals from undigested food (e.g cellulose, fibre) take place.

3. Defecation – process where faeces removed from body.

4. Faeces is formed and stored in the rectum. Then, removed through anus.

Good eating habits

1. Good eating habits – Eating nutritious food in right quantities & proportion.

2. Healthy eating habits:

a. Eat plenty of vegetables & fruit.

10
 b. Consume less sugar & salt

c. Eat in moderation

d. Drink plenty of water

e. Chew food thoroughly before swallowing

f. Eat nutritious food

g. Avoid junk food

3. Unhealthy eating habits:

a. Consume high sugar lead to diabetes

b. Consume high salt lead to blood pressure

c. Consume too much fat lead to high blood cholesterol and heart diseases

4. Constipation – difficulty to defecate hard faeces from body.

5. Causes of constipation – lack of water & roughage in diet. To avoid constipation, must eat
food such as fruits, vegetables, and grains .

6. Over weight/ Obesity – Excess body fat which can cause health problem such as diabetes,
hypertension, heart diseases, cancer, & failure in respiratory and excretory
systems.

7. Causes of obesity – Genetic, lack of exercise, unbalanced nutrition

8. Saturated fat is bad for body because fat will accumulate in the blood stream and cause
blockage of blood vessels and lead to heart attack and stroke.

11