Nutrition Flashcards
Why is a balanced diet important?
A balanced diet is important to ensure you get all of the right nutrients, in the right quantities.
What 6 groups are needed for a balanced diet?
Carbohydrates, proteins, fats/lipids, fibre, vitamins and minerals.
What is the function of carbohydrates in the diet?
To provide energy.
What are the functions of proteins in the body?
For growth and repair.
What are the functions of lipids in the body?
As an energy store.
What is vitamin A used for?
To aid with eyesight and vision.
What is vitamin C used for?
To help with growth and repair of tissues in the body.
What is vitamin D used for?
To help with the internal absorption of calcium.
What is calcium used for in the body?
For bones and teeth.
What is iron used for in the body?
For making haemoglobin for red blood cells, which carries oxygen.
What is dietary fibre used for?
To help all food pass smoothly through the digestive system.
What is water used for in the body?
As a transport medium, as a reaction medium, and for thermoregulation.
Compare the energy requirements of more and less active people
The more active a person is, the more energy they require.
Describe how energy requirements change as we age
The energy we require increases as we reach adulthood.
What is the alimentary canal?
The tube through which food passes in the digestive system, comprising the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus.
What is the difference between the alimentary canal and the digestive system?
The digestive system includes accessory organs, like the liver, gallbladder and pancreas.
Describe the passage of food through the alimentary canal
Food enters in the mouth, passes down through the oeseophagus by peristalsis, then moves to the stomach, the small intestine, the large intestine, before being stored in the rectum and leaving the body through the anus.
What is the function of the mouth?
To mechanically digest food by chewing, and to produce saliva containing enzymes to start to chemical digest food.
What is the oesophagus?
The muscular tube which connects the mouth and the stomach.
What does the stomach do?
The stomach produces acid which chemically digests food, proteases which digest protein, and mechanically digests with the muscular wall.
What role does the pancreas play in digestion?
The pancreas produces digestive enzymes and digestive juices.
What are the two parts of the small intestine called?
The duodenum and the ileum.
What is the function of the duodenum?
Bile and digestive juices are added here.
What is the function of the ileum?
To absorb nutrients.
How is the ileum adapted for absorption?
Folds in the lining called villi increase surface area, and a vast capillary network provide a good blood supply.
How are villi adapted for absorption?
Good capillary network, so a good blood supply to maintain concentration gradient, and microvilli which increase the surface area.
What is the function of the large intestine (colon)?
To absorb water.
What is the function of the rectum?
To store faeces before they are removed from the body.
How does peristalsis work to push food through the gut?
Peristalsis refers to muscular contractions which push food along.
