micronutrients Flashcards
What are Fat soluble vitamins ?
- found in fatty foods EG. meat,fish,vegetable oils
Four of them are Vitamin-A,D,E,K - any that aren’t used up by body r stored in fat tissue 4 future use
Why do we need Vitamin A?
- good eyesight,growth,healthy immune system+skin - also is an antioxidant
- Main source- retinol found in - liver,butter,oily fish+eggs but can be made from carotene-in margarine+orange+ yellow fruit+veg
-too much-weaken bones
-to little- night blindness,weaker imune system+ stunted growth
-Recommended-o.7mg fr men 0.6mg-for women
Why do we need Vitamin D?
- helps the body absorb various minerals,including calcium - important for development of healthy bones + teeth
- found in oil fish + egg yolks produced when skin is expsed to sunlight
- too much - absorb too much calcium-kidney damage
-too little- bone disease like osteomalacia,tickets+ osteoporosis (bones become brittle) - 0.01mg recommended in
-in summer you should be able to get this through natural sunlight
Why is vitamin E important?
- keeps skin+eyes healthy +improves immune system - antioxidant protect us from free radicals
-found in leafy greens EG.spinach and kale)
-too much- can interfere with blood clotting,cause nausea+blurred vision
-too little-rare but leads 2 weak mucles+sight problems
-recommended-4mg for men 3mg for women each day
Why do we need vitamin k?
- helps clot blood,heal wounds+maintain our imunne system+bones
-found in leafy greens ,cereals + vegtable oils+ meats + dairy foods - no excessive level of vitamin K
-too little - very rare - but can cause uncontrolled bleeding in newborns
-recommended- 0.001mg for evergy kg of body weight
What are ‘water-soluble vitamins ?
- disolve in water
- lost in urine ( unlikely they’ll have serious side effects.
- Excessive amounts-stomach pain+diarrhoea
What is Vitamin B1 ?
- function-helps nervous system w energy release from foods
-Sources-bread,pasta,rice,peas,eggs+liver
-diifficiency- Tierdness,weak muscles + beriberi(in severe cases)-disease that affects the heart blood vessels and nervous system
What is Vitamin B2 ?
- function-energy release from foods + repair of tissues
-sources-milk,eggs,cheese + leafy greens
Difficiency- Dry skin, sore throat,sores around mouth
What is Vitamin B3?
- function- helps with energy release from foods + maintaining a healthy nervous system+skin
What is vitamin B9?
- Function-crucial 4 growth,healthy babies + works w vitamin B12 to make red blood cells
- Sources-meat,eggs,milk,fish
Deficiency- Tiredness, nerve damage in extreme cases
vegans are most likely to have too little as they don’t eat meat
What is Vitamin C?
-protects the body from infection and allergies,keeps blood vessels healthy +heals wounds
- Sources - citrus fruits,tomatoes,strawberries,green veg and potatoes
Deficiency- Anaemia+scurvy(tiredness and bleeding gums) Is an antioxidant,to little can increase risk of cancer
How to prepare fruit and veg s you keep vitamins?
- once exposed to air - fruit + veg star losing VC so prepare just before you need them
- dont leave in H2O because VB+C will dissolve into it.- steaming / microwaving are best ways to keep water-soluble vitamins.
-Don’t chop fruit+veg into small pieces a it exposes more of surface to air and water
What are Free Radicals?
-chemicals that can damage body cell’s leading to disease like cancer+heart disease.
-Antioxidants EG. vitamins-A,C+E- found in fruits + veg many believe they help protect our bodies from these damaging free radicals
What are minerals?
- chemical elements our need in small amounts
-help in various chemical reaction in our body+are needed for a variety of reasons
Why do we need calcium?
-for strong bones and teeth
- found in-milk,cheese,tofu,hard H2O+sesame seeds
excess- rare but - stored in organs EG.kidneys,increase risk of kidney stones and even stop kidney working
deficiency- during childhood- rickets + osteoporosis because bones become weaker, slows down blood clotting.
Why do we need Iron?
- form part of haemoglobin-gives blood cells their red colour
found- dark green veg(spinach),meat(liver+Kidney)
Excess- toxic- stomach pains,nausea+constipation extreme cases-death
deficiency-anaemia
Why do we need sodium?
-Sodium chloride (salt)control’s body water content +helps our nerves+muscles function
-found in most foods-many add it 2 food as well
- excess-high blood pressure+heart disease
too little- nausea+muscle cramps
Why do we need Phosphorus?
- healthy bones+teeth
-found in - protein rich food EG. meat,fish,dairy products,nuts
Excess- harder to absorb calcium
deficiency- weak muscles+painful bones
What is trace element?
- minerals but we need them in an even smaller amount
- can be taken through multivitamin supplements
Why do we need flouride?
- strengthens teeth+helps prevent tooth decay
-found in fish,tea,flouridated H2O + dental products
Excess- toxic- brown coloured teeth,bone problems +caner
defficiency- weak teeth +enemal - tooth dacay
Why do we need Iodine?
- make some hormones used by body
-found- seafood,veg+dairy
-Deficiency- goitre(neck swelling) + complications in unborn babies
what is fibre?
- sometimes called NSP- type of carb helping digestive system keep working properly and keeps food running through it
found - veg- peas,beans broccoli,carrots
Fruit/Fruit juice- bananas,prunes,apples
How much fibre is recommended per day?
-you have to eat a lot as if u dont it can cause -constipation,bowel+colon cancer,heart disease+ high blood pressure
-average adult-30g per day
young children- less as the fullness of fibre can stop them eating foods containing other important nutrients.
How much of your body is water?
- around 60%
-found in evry cell of your body as well as - blood,sweat +siliva
Why do we need water?
-Eliminate waste from body(excretion)
-control body temp(sweating)
-aid the process of digestion
Where do you get water from?
- drinks-H2O,fruit juice,lemonade
-fruit+veg +meat contain H2O as well
How does our body loose water?
-sweat,breath,urine+feaces
- if yu dont frink enough to replace what you have lost id causes - dehydration
What happens if you have dehydration?
-slower reactions + poor decision making-brain needs H2O to function well
-Blood thickens-harder 4 heart to pump it round the body
Increase in body temp- body can’t sweat
How much water should you drink everyday?
-2 Liters a day
-more on a hot day day
What happens if you overhydrate?
- caused by drinking huge amounts of H2O in a short amount of time- headaches,nausea + confusion
-dilutes concentration of nutrients in our blood-affects function of organs(EG.kidneys) - can be fatal
