health and diet 2.2.6

• a balanced diet is composed of the right amounts of water, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, minerals, salts, vitamins and dietary fibre
• malnourishment is where the body does not get a balanced diet in order to remain healthy, this could mean too much or too little food, or too much or too little of the 7 nutrient groups
• a lack of protein caused kwashiorkor which is fluid retention in the abdomen and weakness
• a lack of iron causes anaemia which is pale skin and tiredness
• a lack of vitamin d causes rickets which is poor bone growth and weakened bones
• a lack of vitamin c causes scurvy which is the ulceration of gums and tooth loss
• a lack of vitamin a causes night blindness which is a lack of formation of eyes and white eyes
• from food labels we can gain information on the mass of each nutrient to a standardised mass of 100g so you can make comparisons
• food label colour coding is used to allow people to make better choices in a visual way
• GDA means guideline daily amount and is the mass of nutrient that is recommended you eat every day
• carbohydrates - starch - are found in cereals, bread, pasta, rice and potatoes and are used as an energy source - when digested into sugars and 140g is required a day
• carbohydrates - sugars are found in fruits, sweets, biscuits and cake and are used as an energy source, 90g is recommended a day
• protein is found in meat, fish, pulses and nuts and it is used for growth and repair as amino acids are used to make new proteins and 45g is recommended a day
• fats are found in dairy and meat and are used as energy stores and sources and for insulation, 70g is recommended a day
• fibre is found in fruit and veg and it prevents constipation by giving gut muscles something to push against 24g is recommended a day
• vitamins are found in fruit and veg and are used in a variety of ways, usually <1g is needed a day
• minerals are found in fruit and veg, nuts and dairy and are used for a variety of things, <1g is needed a day
• water is found in drinks and is used as a solvent for chemical reactions and as a transport medium, 1.5-2 litres are needed a day
• you can calculate the mass of a nutrient in a food or the energy content by using: energy/nutrient content = value per 100g x mass of food / 100
• you can calculate the percentage of the GDA by using: % of GDA = energy/nut content in food x 100 / GDA