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634120818986427866
634120818986427866
What food does in the body does through the
nutrients it contains. The body utilizes these
nutrients to grow and keep healthy and strong. All
nutrients needed by the body are available
through
food.
Carbohydrates
Main function is energy production in the body.
Largest source of energy: 40 - 80 percent of the total
energy intake in different countries. Neither extreme
is good. The ideal contribution is 60 percent.
One gram of carbohydrate provides 4 Kcal.
Grains (rice, wheat, maize), roots and tubers (potato,
sweet potato, guam, banana) and legumes (pulses,
nuts) are rich sources of carbohydrates.
Protein
Protein is the building material for all body parts, such as
muscle, brain, blood, skin, hair, nails, bones and body
fluids.
It is essential for growth, repair of worn-out tissues,
replacement of used-up blood and resistance against
infections.
Protein comes from both animal and plant foods.
Meat, fish, egg, and milk and milk products are rich
sources of animal protein.
Pulses, nuts and beans are rich sources of plant protein.
Cereals are low in protein (e.g. rice: 6 8%, wheat: 12
14%), but because of their large quantities in the diet, they
meet a major portion of total dietary protein requirement.
Protein
Digestion in the
gastro-intestinal tract
Amino acids
Fats/Oils
Fats/oils are concentrated sources of energy needed
by the body.
The term fat is commonly used to refer to a family
of compounds called lipids which are waterinsoluble.
They include triglycerides, phospholipids and sterols
such as cholesterol. Triglycerides predominate both in
the food and in the body.
1 gm of fat provides 9 kcal, i.e. more than double the
energy given by carbohydrate or protein per unit
weight.
HC O CO fatty acid
Fats
A triglyceride may be a FAT or OIL, depending on
the predominant type of fatty acids it contains:
saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.
When predominant fatty acids are saturated and
monounsaturated, then it is solid at room
temperature and is termed as FAT.
Oils
When polyunsaturated fatty acids predominate, then
it is liquid at room temperature and is termed as OIL.
Usually, triglycerides of plant sources are OILs.
Examples are vegetable oils - mustard oil, soybean
oil, sunflower oil, corn oil and other cooking oils.
However, coconut and palm oil contain large
proportions of saturated and monounsaturated fatty
acids.
Cholesterol
Some food items are rich in preformed
cholesterol. Examples: egg yolk, liver, brain,
chicken skin.
Good cholesterol
LDL
Bad cholesterol
Vitamins
Function
Rich sources
Thiamin
(vitamin B1)
Riboflavin
(vitamin B2)
Pyridoxine
(Vitamin B6)
Folic acid
Niacin
Vitamin C
Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Minerals
Minerals are inorganic chemical elements present
throughout the body in varying amounts. Like the
vitamins, they cannot be synthesized in the body and
must be taken with food.
Minerals act as co-factors of enzymes for metabolism.
Minerals form part of the structure of body tissues,
such as bones, teeth and nails, blood, nerves and
muscles.
Some of the key roles of minerals are shown in the table below.
Mineral
Function
Calcium
Phosphorous
Sodium
Chloride
Chromium
Copper
Fluoride
Iodine
Iron
Sulfur
Zinc
Magnesium
Dietary Fibre