Animal Nutrition

IGCSE Biology
Specification
Balanced Diet
What is a balanced diet?
• Your diet must include seven groups of
food substances
– Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals,
vitamins, fibre and water.
• A balanced diet is a diet that provides
enough of these substances in the correct
proportions to keep the body healthy.
Carbohydrates
• Carbohydrates give us energy.
• Chemical elements – C, H and O.
• Starch is made from simple sugars.
Proteins
• Proteins are needed for growth and
repair.
• Proteins are made from amino
acids
• Chemical elements – C, H, O, N
(and S)
Fats and oils
• Fats are an energy store,
protecting vital organs and
providing insulation.
• Fats contain C, H and O
• Fats are made from a glycerol
molecule and three fatty acids.
 Summary of Main Nutrients

Nutrient Elements Use in body Good food sources

present
Carbohydrate Carbon, Source of Rice, potato, bread
hydrogen, energy
oxygen
Fats and oils Carbon, Source of Butter, milk, cheese,
hydrogen, energy egg yolk
oxygen Insulation
Protein Carbon, Growth and Meat, fish, eggs,
hydrogen, tissue repair soya, milk
oxygen,
nitrogen
Vitamin C
• Function
– Maintain healthy skin and gums
• Good Food Source
– Citrus fruits, black currants, cabbage, tomato,
guava, mango
• Effect of deficiency
– Scurvy
• Bleeding under skin
• Bleeding gums
Vitamin D
• Function
– Needed to maintain hard bones
– Helps absorb calcium from small intestine
• Good Food Source
– Milk, cheese, egg yolk, fish liver oil
– Made in skin when exposed to sunlight
• Effect of deficiency
– rickets
Calcium
• Function
– Healthy teeth and bones
– Normal blood clotting
• Good Food Source
– Milk, cheese, fish
• Effect of deficiency
– Rickets
– Slow blood clotting
Fibre
• Function
– This is cellulose which we cannot digest
– It adds bulk to the undigested food in the intestines,
maintaining peristalsis
• Good Food Source
– Vegetables, fruit, wholemeal bread
• Effect of deficiency
– Constipation
– Long term deficiency may lead to bowel cancer
Water
• Function
– Formation of blood, cytoplasm
– Solvent for transport of nutrients and removal
of waste
– Enzymes only work in solution
• Good Food Source
– Drinks, fruits, vegetables
• Effect of deficiency
– dehydration
Student activity
• Design a mind map to summarise the
information you have been taught so far on
Nutrients.
 water
fibre
minera
ls

Nutrie
nts

vitami
ns

Main
Nutrients
 What happens if you don’t eat a
balanced diet.
What is this cartoon trying
to demonstrate?

Can you think of any

examples of health
problems that arise from not
eating a balanced diet?

Give three examples and

explain the effects on health.
Dietary requirements
• Adequate diet
– Provides sufficient energy for the performance
of metabolic work
• Balance diet
– Provides all the dietary requirements in the
correct proportions
Dietary requirements
• Energy is provided by fat and carbohydrate intake
• Dietary requirements depend on
– Age
• Energy demand increases until we stop growing
– Sex
• Males use up more energy than females
– Activity
• Physical work will use up more energy than office work.
Compare the daily energy requirements of the people shown
in the table.
Try to explain the differences
Unbalanced diet - Malnutrition

• An unbalanced diet could lead to

– Obesity
• Risks include coronary heart disease and diabetes
– Too much animal fat can lead to high cholesterol
• Risks include coronary heart disease and angina
– Lack of protein in diet can lead to kwashiorkor
– Lack of fibre can lead to constipation and bowel cancer
– Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
Pupil Activity
• Calculating BMI

• Follow the instructions on the sheet to

calculate your own BMI
• Answer the questions