Human Nutrition

• A good diet on its own will not make you skilled or physically fit as a performer or a sportsperson, but will help you make the most of your abilities through nutrition; hence, nutrition is very important
• Endothermic


  Able to maintain a constant body temperature
• Nutrients required for a balanced diet

  • Carbohydrates
  • Fats
  • Proteins
  • Vitamins
  • Minerals
  • Fibre
  • Water
• Carbohydrates

  The body's main source of energy
• Types of carbohydrates


  • Simple sugar (Monosaccharide)
  • Complex sugar (Disaccharide and Polysaccharide)
• Simple sugar (Monosaccharide)


  Can provide a lot of energy for immediate usage, but contain no other useful nutrients
• Simple sugars

  • Glucose
• Complex sugar (Disaccharide and Polysaccharide)


  Good sources of energy, the body can easily store this form of energy for rapid use in future
• Complex sugars


  • Disaccharide: Maltose
  • Polysaccharide: Starch, Glycogen
• Foods containing carbohydrates


  • Rice
  • Bread
  • Root vegetables
  • Potatoes
  • Pasta
  • Milk
• Energy from carbohydrates


  1. Converted into glycogen and stored in the liver and muscles

  2. Glycogen changed into glucose and used during aerobic respiration

  3. If a lot of carbohydrate is eaten, it will be stored as fat
• Types of fat


  • Saturated Fat
  • Unsaturated Fat
• Saturated fat


  Usually found in foods such as milk, butter, cheese and meat
• Unsaturated fat


  Usually found in foods such as fish oils, cooking oils and vegetable oils
• Saturated fats


  Converted to cholesterol by the liver
• Types of cholesterol


  • HDL (High Density Lipids)
  • LDL (Low Density Lipids)
• HDL


  Must be in greater amounts as it is beneficial and good
• LDL


  Must be in controlled amounts or else the person may get infected with Coronary Heart Disease
• No more than 10% of your energy should come from eating saturated fats
• Increase in percentage level of saturated fats in diet

  Fat deposits begin to build up inside blood arteries, making them stiffer, less elastic, and narrower
• Narrowing of coronary artery that supplies oxygen to the heart


  Very less oxygen is supplied to the heart, decreasing its performance and increasing the risk of coronary heart disease
• Eating too much fat leads to obesity, coronary heart disease and diabetes
• Proteins


  Used to generate energy only when the body has exhausted its store of fat and carbohydrates
• Our muscles and other tissues, Haemoglobin, fibrin, keratin, collagen, DNA, enzymes etc. are all made up of proteins
• Proteins


  Broken down into amino acids and used by the body to build and repair cells and to make blood cells
• Foods containing proteins


  • Eggs
  • Fish
• Kwashiorkor


  Characterized by a protruding abdomen due to lack of proteins
• Fat soluble vitamins


  • A
  • D
  • E
  • K
• Water soluble vitamins


  • B
  • C
• Vitamin A


  Found in fish, milk, vegetables, eggs and cheese, needed for good eyesight and healthy skin
• Vitamin C


  Found in citrus fruits and vegetables, needed for healthy teeth, gums, and to prevent scurvy
• Vitamin B1


  Found in whole-grain food, nuts and meat, needed for breaking down carbohydrates
• Vitamin D


  Found in animal products such as milk and egg, also made in the presence of sunlight by the skin, crucial for absorbing calcium and phosphorous and to avoid rickets
• Minerals needed by the body

  • Calcium
  • Iron
  • Iodine
• Calcium


  Present in vegetables, dairy products and dried fish, significant for keeping our bones strong
• Iron


  Found in red meat, liver, beans, lentils and green leafy vegetables, crucial for making blood and for the prevention of anaemia
• Iodine


  Found in seafood and dairy products, needed to maintain the thyroid gland
• Fibre


  Cellulose found in the cell walls of plants, beneficial for the smooth working of the digestive system
• People who eat too little fibre often suffer from constipation and may acquire high risk of bowel cancer
• Water


  The body is majorly composed of water, approximately 60% of adult's weight, dehydration can seriously damage performance of body