Micronutrients

• Vitamins and minerals that are needed by the body in small amounts
Vitamin Function Sources Examples of deficiencies
• Needed for good eyesight (especially in Carrot
the dark) Foods made from milk
A • Helps white blood cells fight pathogens Green vegetables Night blindness
(immune response) Pumpkin
• Helps with healthy skin and tissues Egg yolk
Nuts
• Essential for energy and Whole grains Beri-beri (Vitamin B12
B
cell metabolism Beans deficiency)
Meat
• Helps immune system
Scurvy (swollen, bleeding
C • Helps skin health Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons)
gums; teeth can fall out)
• Keeps blood vessels and bones healthy
• Helps bone and teeth strength Sunlight (absorbed by skin)
D Rickets (soft, bent bones)
• Helps to absorb calcium Oily fish (cod liver oil)
Oils (canola oil, olive oil)
• Antioxidant (prevents cell damage) Nerve and muscle damage
E Margarine
• Helps immune system Muscle weakness
Nuts (peanuts, almonds)
K • Important for blood clotting Leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach) Excessive bleeding
Fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, K Water-soluble vitamins: B, C
Mineral Function Sources Examples of deficiencies
Making red blood cells (haemoglobin) Red meat Anaemia (lack of blood cells →
Iron
(important for delivering oxygen to cells) Leafy green vegetables lack of oxygen)
Milk
Cheese (milk products) Osteoporosis (weak bones →
Calcium Promoting strong bones and teeth
Sardines bones can break easily)
Kale
Bananas
Regulate blood pressure Increased blood pressure
Potassium Apricots, prunes
Ensure proper function of muscles and nerves Muscle cramps
Potatoes

Fibre Different energy requirements

• Not a nutrient – does not get digested by the body
• Helps to keep the digestive system healthy
o Not enough fibre leads to constipation (build up of
feces in the large intestine, difficulty eliminating
feces)
• Mostly made up of cellulose (like in plant cell walls)
• Sources: vegetables, fruits, grains, cereals
• Different people use different amounts of energy
• Some people use more energy than others
o People who do a lot of sports need more energy
o Some people genes cause them to use more energy
than others doing the same activity
o Tall people use more energy
 Example 2: An office worker
o Does not need as much carbohydrate or fats →
doesn’t move around much, so little energy neede

Different nutrient requirements Example 3: A pregnant woman

• Different people need different diets based on their o Needs a lot of protein → make new cells for the
lifestyle and body growing baby
Example 1: A young child o Needs a lot of iron → to make red blood cells for
o Needs a lot of protein → to make new cells since her blood and her baby
they are still growing o Needs a lot of calcium → to build the baby’s bones
o Needs a lot of carbohydrate → if they are active, for
playing
o Needs some fat → for energy, for making cell
membranes
1 A weightlifter asks his trainer for advice on his diet. The
trainer gives the following advice:
• Eat some protein with every meal (b) Why does the weightlifter need to eat plenty of
• Eat plenty of starch or other carbohydrates proteins and carbohydrates?

(a) Using the words in the list below, complete the

following sentences:
digestion contract fat
protein glucose respiration

The weightlifter uses his muscles to lift weights. The (c) List four other nutrients the weightlifter should

muscles ________________ to make the weights include in his diet aside from protein and

move. This uses energy. The muscles get the energy carbohydrates.

by breaking down ___________ in a reaction called

______________.
2 Sandra is a doctor. She sees four patients with nutritional 3 Andrew has broken his leg twice after falling over. The
deficiencies. State which nutrient each patient needs more doctor takes an X-ray of his legs. The X-ray shows the bones
of: in his legs are bent.

(a) Patient A finds it difficult to see objects in dim light

but her vision is fine in well-lit rooms.

(b) Patient B feels weak when she exercises and is often

tired during the day.

(a) Andrew spends a lot of time indoors. How does this

(c) Patient C has bleeding gums and is missing a few explain appearance of the bones in the X-ray?

teeth.

(d) Patient D finds it difficult to defecate and has some (b) Name two nutrients that Andrew can take to treat

abdominal pain. this symptom.