Unit 2: Food (Nutrition) & Body Systems

Statement of Inquiry: The health and well-being of our systems is a consequence

of our balanced lifestyle.

Global Context: Identities and Relationships (Health and well-being; Lifestyle choices)
Key Concept: Systems
Related Concept: Consequence, Balance
Dr. Mona Al Sayed
I. Nutrition & Digestion
Nutrients and Nutrient Deficiency
 Macronutrients
• Macro simply means large or whole. Macronutrients need to be eaten in larger quantities than
micronutrients.

• There are three macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein and fats.

• Macronutrients are essential for proper body functioning, and the body requires large amounts of them.
All macronutrients must be obtained through diet; the body cannot produce macronutrients on its own.

Purpose Example
Proteins Make new cells and repair damaged tissues, such as muscles– Animal products – meat, fish, dairy; plants
known as the body's building blocks. Athletes frequently consume
protein in their diet and will consume protein immediately after
training.

Carbohydrates Source of energy. Athletes need to consume larger quantities of Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes.
carbohydrate to fuel their training and performance.

Fats Source of energy. Three types: Unsaturated, saturated and trans Unsaturated – olive oil, avocados; oily fish,
fats nuts, sunflower oil, soya beans; Saturated –
full-fat dairy, fatty meats; and Trans fats –
many snack foods.
 Micronutrients

 Micro simply means small. Micronutrients need to be eaten in smaller quantities than
macronutrients but are absolutely essential to health.

Purpose Example

Minerals Essential for many processes, e.g. bone growth/strength, Calcium – milk, canned fish, broccoli; iron –
nervous system, red blood cells, immune system. Need small watercress, brown rice, meat; zinc – shellfish,
amounts only. cheese, wheat germ; potassium – fruit, pulses,
white meat.

Vitamins Essential for many processes, e.g. bone growth, metabolic A – dairy, oily fish, yellow fruit; B – vegetables,
rate, immune system, vision, nervous system. Need small wholegrain cereals; C – citrus fruit, broccoli,
amounts only. sprouts; D – oily fish, eggs, fortified cereals.
Macronutrients
 Carbohydrates
 Carbohydrates are the sugars, starches and fibers found in
fruits, grains, and vegetables.

 Carbohydrates are macronutrients, meaning they are one of

the three main ways the body obtains energy, or calories.

 Carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy.

 One gram of carbohydrates equals about 4 calories.

How does your body use carbohydrates?

 Carbohydrates provide fuel and energy for working muscles.

They also prevent protein from being used as an energy
source.

 Carbohydrates are broken down by the body into glucose,

which can be absorbed into the bloodstream.
 Diabetes
What’s Diabetes?
 Diabetes is a health condition that occurs when the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin.
 Insulin is a hormone that acts like a key to let glucose (sugar) from the food we eat pass from
the blood stream into the cells in the body to produce energy. This leads to raised glucose
levels in the blood.
 Over the long-term high glucose levels are associated with damage to the body and failure of
various organs and tissues.
 Carbohydrate Deficiency

 Not getting enough carbs can cause problems. Without

sufficient fuel, the body gets no energy.

 Additionally, insufficient glucose may cause dizziness or

mental and physical weakness.

 If the body has insufficient carbohydrate intake or stores, it

will consume protein for fuel.

 People who don't consume enough carbohydrates may also

suffer from insufficient fiber, which can cause digestive
problems and constipation.
 Proteins
The Power of Protein:

 Protein is an important component of every cell in the

body. Hair and nails are mostly made of protein.

 Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues. Protein is an

important building block of bones, muscles, skin, and blood.

 Proteins are made up of amino acids that join together to form

long chains.

Important functions of protein in your body:

• Your body needs protein for growth and maintenance of

tissues.

• Protein can serve as a valuable energy source but only in

situations of fasting, exhaustive exercise or inadequate
calorie intake.
 Protein Deficiency
What Is Protein Deficiency?
• Protein deficiency is when people do not get adequate amounts of
protein from their diet.

• Kwashiorkor, its most severe form, is most commonly seen in

children in developing countries.

Symptoms of deficiency include:

• Skin, Hair and Nail Problems: splitting skin, hair loss (alopecia) and brittle
nails.
• Loss of Muscle Mass: Protein is essential for muscle growth and
maintenance. Loss of muscle mass is one of the first signs of inadequate
protein intake.
• Greater Risk of Bone Fractures: Not consuming enough protein may
weaken your bones and increase the risk of fractures.
• Stunted Growth in Children: Insufficient protein intake may delay or
prevent growth in children.
 Fats
 Fats are important part of your diet but some types are healthier than
others.

 Choosing healthy fats from vegetable sources more often than less
healthy types from animal products can help lower your risk for heart
attack and other major health problems.

Why we need Fat?

• The fats you eat give your body energy that it needs to work
properly. Fat has 9 calories per gram. Fats also keep us warm.

• Fat helps the body absorb vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and

vitamin K. These vitamins are fat-soluble, meaning they can only be
absorbed with the help of fats.
 Fats Deficiency

As healthy fats help our bodies build and maintain cell membranes and absorb and transport vitamins,
inadequate intake results in functions of these processes being impaired.

Signs of inadequate fat intake include:

 Dry skin
 Dry eyes
 Feeling constantly cold
 Dry hair and/or hair loss
 Issues concentrating and/or mental fatigue
 Deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins
 Constant fatigue
 Energy Needs
 Maintaining a healthy weight requires a balance between energy in and
energy out.

 Each person needs a different amount of energy depending on factors such as:

• Gender (male or female)

• Age
• amount of daily activity (People who are active tend to need more
energy than sedentary)

Too thin, too fat:

If the amount of energy you get from your food is different from the amount of
energy you need, your diet will be imbalanced:

 too little food may lead to a person being underweight

 too much food may lead to a person being overweight

Starvation happens if you eat so little food that your body becomes very
underweight. This can eventually cause death.

Obesity happens when you eat so much food that your body becomes very
overweight. This can also cause death, for example through an increased chance of
heart disease.
Micronutrients
  Vitamins

Vitamin Effect on body Sources

• Helps eyes see in dim light.

A
• Helps your immune system work
(Retinol) properly.
  Vitamins

Vitamin Effect on body Sources

• Prevents the disease Beriberi.

Symptoms:
Dry Beriberi (damages the nerves):
• Difficulty walking,
B1 • Loss of feeling in hands & feet,
• Tingling
(Thiamine) Wet Beriberi (affects the heart):
• Waking up short of breath
• Rapid heart rate
  Vitamins

Vitamin Effect on body Sources

• Prevents the disease Scurvy.

C Symptoms:
• Bleeding at the gums in the mouth
(Ascorbic acid) • Tooth decay
• Bleeding under the skin
• Anemia
 Vitamins

Vitamin Effect on body Sources

• Prevents the disease Rickets in

children.
Symptoms:
• Pain in the bones of the arms & legs.
• Bone fractures
• Teeth deformities
• Skeletal deformities (bowlegs)
D • Prevent the disease Osteoporosis in
adults.
Symptoms:
• Bone pain (lower back, legs)
 Vitamins

Vitamin Effect on body Sources

• Helps maintain healthy skin and eyes.

• Vitamin E acts as a powerful

antioxidant in the body (antioxidants
are substances that prevent or delay
cell damage).

E Deficiency Symptoms:

• Muscle weakness, and vision

problems.
 Vitamins

Vitamin Effect on body Sources

• Vitamin K plays a key role in helping

the blood clot, preventing excessive
bleeding.

• It is also found to be involved in tissue

renewal and could also improve the
K wound healing.

Deficiency Symptoms:

• The main symptom of vitamin K

deficiency is bleeding.
  Minerals

Vitamin Effect on body Sources

• Calcium is needed to make strong

bones & teeth.

Ca • Calcium is also needed to enable

muscles to contract.
(Calcium)

• Calcium is also an important part of

the blood clotting process
 Minerals

Vitamin Effect on body Sources

• Iron is an important component

of hemoglobin, the substance in
red blood cells that carries oxygen from
your lungs to transport it throughout
your body.

•
Fe A lack of red blood cells due to
insufficient iron is called iron
deficiency anemia.
(Iron) Symptoms:
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Headache
 What is a Healthy Diet?

• To keep healthy, it is vital to eat a balanced diet. People need to

manage the quantity, type and proportion of foods that they eat
as part of a healthy lifestyle. This means eating foods that
contain nutrients in the correct amount.

Nutrients:

• Nutrients are essential substances that the body needs. The

body needs a balance of nutrients to stay healthy. There are five
groups of nutrients. There are different types of nutrient,

• There are different types of nutrient each with its own purpose,
which include carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins and
minerals.
 What is a Healthy Diet?

Fiber:

• Fiber is an important part of a healthy diet. Fiber cannot be absorbed by the

body and contains no calories or vitamins.

• Fiber and helps food to pass through the digestive system. Fiber also prevents
constipation. Fruit, vegetables and wholegrain cereals are high in fiber.

Water
• The body needs to be hydrated to stay healthy. Failing to replace lost fluids can
result in dehydration. Around 70% of your body is water.

• You need to frequently drink water to replace the water lost in urine, sweat and
breathing out.
 Diet

 Diet is the variety of foods that are eaten over a period of

time. As no single food provides all of the body's required
nutrients, an individual's diet should be balanced across a
variety of foods.

 Healthy eating requires a balanced diet.

 A balanced diet includes different foods from each of the five

main food groups. (should include appropriate proportions of
carbohydrate, protein, lipid, vitamins, minerals, water and
dietary fiber)

 People should eat a balanced diet every day. Each meal does
not necessarily have to be balanced.
The Digestive System
 Digestive system

 Digestion is the complex process of turning the food you eat into
nutrients, which the body uses for energy, growth and cell repair
needed to survive.

 The digestion process also involves creating waste to be eliminated.

 Without digestion, we could not absorb food into our bodies and use
it.

 Digestion happens in the digestive system, which begins at the mouth

and ends at the anus.

After we swallow, our food passes through these organs in turn:

 esophagus
 stomach
 small intestine
 large intestine
 Digestive system

Stages of digestion:

Different things happen to food as it passes through the digestive system:

 Food is digested in the mouth, stomach and small intestine
 Digested food is absorbed into the bloodstream in the small intestine
 Excess water is absorbed back into the body in the large intestine
 Any undigested food passes out of the anus as faeces when we go to the
toilet

Liver and pancreas:

 The liver and the pancreas play an important part in digestion. The liver
produces bile, which helps the digestion of lipids (fats and oil). The pancreas
produces digestive juices which speed up the digestive reactions.
 Food's Journey Through the Digestive System

Stop 1: The Mouth:

 The mouth is the beginning of the digestive system.

 The smell of food triggers the salivary glands in your mouth to secrete saliva,
causing your mouth to water. When you actually taste the food, saliva
increases.

 Once you start chewing food is broken down into pieces small enough to be
digested and more saliva is produced.
Stop 2: The Esophagus:

 The esophagus carries food to the stomach.

 The act of swallowing pushes food to enter into the esophagus.

 The esophagus is a muscular tube. Food is pushed through the esophagus

and into the stomach by means of a series of contractions called peristalsis.
 Food's Journey Through the Digestive System

Stop 3: The Stomach and Small Intestine:

 The stomach is a sac-like organ with strong muscular walls. The stomach
secretes acid that continue the process of breaking the food down and
changing it to a consistency of liquid or paste.

 From there, food moves to the small intestine.

 The small intestine also breaks down food using digestive juices released by
the pancreas and bile from the liver.

 The duodenum (first part of the small intestine) is responsible for the
continuing breakdown process. While the rest of the small intestine is mainly
responsible for absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream.

 Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. What's leftover (the waste)
moves into the large intestine.
 Food's Journey Through the Digestive System

Stop 4: The Colon, Rectum, and Anus:

 The colon (large intestine) is a long muscular tube that connects the small
intestine to the rectum.

 Stool, or waste left over from the digestive process, passes through the
colon. As stool passes through the colon, any remaining water is absorbed.

 The rectum receives stool from the colon, lets the person know there is
stool to be evacuated, and holds the stool until evacuation happens.

 The anus is the last part of the digestive tract.

 Food's Journey Through the Digestive System

Accessory Digestive Organs:

 Pancreas is the chief factory for digestive juices that are secreted into the
duodenum, the first segment of the small intestine. These juices break
down protein, fats, and carbohydrates

 Liver has multiple functions, but one of its main functions within the
digestive system is to make and secrete an important substance called bile.
Bile is a fluid that is made and released by the liver and stored in the
gallbladder.

 The gallbladder is the storage sac for excess bile. Bile made in the liver
travels to the small intestine. Bile helps breaks down fats in the diet into
fatty acids.
 Digestion and Nutrients

Carbohydrates

 Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose.

Proteins:

 Proteins are broken down into amino acids.

Lipids (fats and oils):

 Fat is broken down into fatty acids.

Substances that are not digested:

 Digestive enzymes cannot break down dietary fiber.

 References

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zq349j6/revision/3

2. “Respiratory System - Revision 5 - GCSE Biology (Single Science) - BBC Bitesize.” BBC News, BBC,
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z6h4jxs/revision/5.

3. “Heart Beat - The Circulatory System - GCSE Biology (Single Science) Revision - BBC Bitesize.” BBC News,
BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zhnk7ty/revision/5.

4. “Lungs and Health - Health - KS3 Biology Revision - BBC Bitesize.” BBC News, BBC,
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zy2hpv4/revision/1.