Nutrients Flashcards
What are the macronutrients
Proteins, Fats, carbohydrates
What is a protein
A macronutrient needed by all animals
What are proteins made of?
Amino acids - there are about 20 of them
What happens when we eat protein
Our body breaks down the protein into the amino acids and then uses them to make proteins the body needs
What are essential amino acids?
Amino acids we need to et ready made from food as the body can;t make them
How many essential amino acids are there?
8 in adults
10 in children as they are growing
What are foods that contain all the essential amino acids called?
High biological value (HBV) foods
eg Meat, fish, eggs, dairy, soya beans, quinoa
What are low biological value (LBV) foods?
Foods that do not contain all of the essential amino acids
eg nuts, seeds, cereals, beans, lentils, gelatine, sorghum
What is protein complementation
Where you eat two low biological foods together and between them they have all the essential amino acids
eg beans on toast, peanut butter on toast, rice and bean salad, vegetarian tortilla wrap, lentil soup, rice desert set with gelatine
What are the functions of proteins in the body
- Growth
- Repair
- Energy - if no fat or carbohydrate
Also makes enzymes, hormones and antibodies
What are protein alternatives
Manufactured proteins used instead of meat
They have high protein, low fat content
They have little flavour but take it up from other foods
eg tofu, tempeh, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), mycoprotein (Quorn)
What are the effects of protein deficiency?
Children don’t grow properly
Hair loss - use protein for more important things
Poor skin and nails
Easily develop infections - due to lack of antibodies
Poor digestions - due to lack of enzymes
What are the effects of excess protein
Liver and kidney damage
Proteins contain nitrogen and too much is harmful so the liver and kidneys remove it. If there is too much they have to work harder.
What groups need extra protein compared to others of their age and sex?
Pregnant and lactating women as need to grow and feed a baby
What is a fat
A macronutrient needed by all animals
Whats are fats like?
Fats are solid at room temperature
Oils are fats that are liquids at room temperature
Do fats have the same basic chemical structure and same amount of energy
Yes
What is the basic structure of a fat/oil
Fat molecules are made of one unit of glycerol and three fatty acids.
The molecule is called a triglyceride
What types of fatty acid are there?
Saturated or Unsaturated
Unsaturated can be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated
What are saturated fats
Fats with lots of saturated fats
Usually solid fats
eg butter, ghee, meat coconut, chocolate, lard, suet
What are foods with lots of unsaturated fats called
Unsaturated or polyunsaturated
eg plant oils, avocados, oily fish, nuts, seeds
Can solid vegetable fat spreads be made from liquid vegetable oils?
Yes
What happens when we eat fats
The body breaks down (digests) the fat molecules they contain and makes new fatty acids and fat molecules the body needs
Can the body make all the fatty acids it needs
No there are two we must get from food these are essential fatty acids
Where are essential fatty acids found
Oily fish, meat eggs, plant and seed oils
What does fat do in the body
- Stores energy
- Insulates from cold
- Protects bones and kidneys like a cushion
- Gives fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E and K)
What does lipid mean
It is another word for fat
What are visible fats
Fats in food that are easy to see eg oil in fish can, fat on meat
What are invisible fats
Fats combined with other things in food so we can’t see them eg biscuits, crisps, cakes, chocolate, nuts
What types of fat are there
- Solid animal eg meat, cheese, meat products
- Solid plant eg vegetable fat spread (margarine), coca butter, chocolate, cakes
- Liquid animal eg oily fish, egg yolk, milk
- Liquid plant eg sunflower oil, nuts, avocados, seeds
What happens if there is fat deficiency
Weight loss
Get cold
Bruise easily and bones hurt if knocked
not enough vitamins A,D,E,K
What are the effects of excess fat
Weight gain
High saturated fatty acids leads to heart disease
What are energy dense foods
Foods that contain alot of fats as fats provide energy
What happens if we eat more fat than we need to use
It is stored in adipose tissue under the skin and around organs
How much fat do we need in a day
A percentage of our daily energy intake
For adults no more than 35%
11% saturated, 13%monounsat, 6.5% polyunsat, 2% trans fatty acids
What is a vitamin
A micronutrient, a chemical substance found in naturally occurring animals and plant foods which the body needs in small amounts to function and stay healthy
Can vitamins be stored?
Some can
What happens if we do not have enough of a vitamin
A deficiency disease develops, symptoms depend on the vitamin
What groups of vitamin are there?
Fat soluble - in foods containing fat
Walter soluble - in foods with high water content
Which are the fat soluble vitamins
A,D,E,K
Which are the water soluble vitamins
B1, B2, B3, B9, B12, C
What is the proper name for vitamin A and where is it found
Retinol - milk (not skimmed), butter, cheese, egg yolk,liver, kidney, oily fish, added to vegetable spreads by law
Beta carotene - body converts to retinol - dark green leaves, orange/yellow/red vegetables and fruits eg peppers, mango, pumpkin, tomato
Why does the body need vitamin A
Healthy skin
See in dim light
Growth in children
Makes mucus for mucus membranes
Beta carotene is an antioxidant
Can vitamin A be stored
Yes in the liver
What are the effects of vitamin A deficiency
Children don;t grow
Skin and mucus membranes get dry and infected
Night blindness - can lead to total blindness. Insufficient visual purple is produced in the retina which is needed to see in dim light
What are effects of vitamin A excess
This is rare
Builds up in liver and poisons body
Can damage unborn baby - pregnant women are told not to eat vitamin A rich foods eg liver
What is the proper name for vitamin D.
Cholecalciferol
Where does vitamin D come from
Comes from reaction of sunlight on the skin and vitamin D made under the skin
Oily fish, meat, eggs, liver, butter, fortified cereals
Why do we need vitamin D
Enables calcium to be absorbed in small intestine
Helps calcium be deposited in bones and teeth
What happens in vitamin D deficiency
Children: bones and teeth do not strengten. Bones bend under weight
