B1b

Question 1

What should a balanced diet include and why?

Answer 1

Carbohydrates such as glucose for providing energy.
Fats for providing energy, acting as an energy store and providing insulation.
Proteins for growth and repair of tissue, and to provide energy in emergencies.
Vitamins such as vitamin C are needed for preventing scurvy.
Minerals such as iron are needed for making haemoglobin for healthy blood.
Water is needed for preventing dehydration.
Fibre for keeping the digestive system healthy and working.

Question 2

What are carbohydrates made up of?

Answer 2

Simple sugars like glucose.

Question 3

What are fats made up of?

Answer 3

Fatty acids and glycerol.

Question 4

What are proteins made up of?

Answer 4

Amino acids.

Question 5

How will a balanced diet vary depending on age?

Answer 5

Children and teenagers need more protein for growth. Older people need more calcium to protect against degenerative bone diseases like osteoporosis.

Question 6

How will a balanced diet vary depending on gender?

Answer 6

Females need more iron to replace the iron lost in menstrual blood.

Question 7

How will a balanced diet vary depending on activity?

Answer 7

Active people need more protein for muscle development, and more carbohydrate for energy.

Question 8

How will a balanced diet vary depending on religion?

Answer 8

Hindus don’t eat cows because they believe they are sacred.

Question 9

How will a balanced diet vary depending on personal choice?

Answer 9

Vegetarians don’t eat meat for various reasons - some think it’s cruel to animals, some don’t like the taste, some think it’s healthier and some think it’s trendy. Vegans don’t eat any products from animals, e.g. milk, eggs and cheese.

Question 10

Describe the storage of carbohydrates.

Answer 10

They are stored in the liver as glycogen or converted to fats.

Question 11

Describe the storage of fats.

Answer 11

They can be stored under the skin and around organs as adipose tissue.

Question 12

Describe the storage of proteins.

Answer 12

They don’t get stored.

Question 13

When is the only time proteins are used as an energy source?

Answer 13

When fats or carbohydrates are unavailable.

Question 14

What are the increased health risks of being overweight?

Answer 14

Arthritis, heart disease, diabetes and breast cancer.

Question 15

Why is protein deficiency, kwashiorkor, common in developing countries?

Answer 15

Overpopulation means the demand for protein rich food is greater than the amount that’s available, so not everybody gets enough.
There isn’t a lot of money to invest in agriculture - without the best farming techniques it’s difficult to produce enough protein rich food for everyone.

Question 16

What formula can you use to calculate a persons estimated average daily requirement of protein?

Answer 16

EAR(g) = 0.6 x body mass (kg)

Question 17

What formula can you use to calculate a person’s body mass index?

Answer 17

BMI = body mass (kg)/(height)squared (m)

Question 18

What is body mass index used as a guide for?

Answer 18

To help decide whether someone is underweight, normal, overweight or obese.

Question 19

How does low self esteem and desire for perfection lead to a poor diet and what are the increased risks involved?

Answer 19

They cause anorexia nervosa leads to self starvation and bulimia nervosa involves bouts of binge eating, followed by self induced vomiting. These disorders result in a poor diet, which can cause a host of other illnesses, e.g. liver failure, kidney failure, heart attacks, muscle wastage, low blood pressure and mineral deficiencies. Bulimia can lead to tooth decay as the acid in vomit eats away at the tooth enamel. Both disorders can be fatal.

Question 20

Why do vegetarians need to eat protein from a wide range of sources compared to who eat proteins of animal origin.

Answer 20

Some amino acids can’t be made by the body, so you have to get them from your diet - these are called essential amino acids. Animal proteins contain all the essential amino acids - plant proteins don’t. So vegetarians need to eat proteins from a wide variety of plant sources to make sure they get a complete range of amino acids in their diet.

Question 21

What does EAR tell you?

Answer 21

How much protein the average person of a particular body mass should eat each day - it is just an estimate though.

Question 22

Why does EAR vary with age, pregnancy and lactation?

Answer 22

Teenagers need to eat more protein than adults because they are still growing. Pregnant women need extra protein to help their baby grow. A woman who is breast feeding needs extra protein in order to produce milk.