NUTRITION

OBJECTIVES
By the end of the topic I should be able to
 Define a balanced diet
 List components of a balanced diet
 Name functions of nutrients.

Balanced diet
What is a balanced diet?
-A balanced diet is a meal that contains all the nutrients in their proper proportions.
-Or a balanced diet is defined as the correct proportion and amount of all necessary nutrients
for a healthy living.
-The correct proportion or amount means there should be neither too much nor less than
necessary.
Food constituency of a balanced diet
-Nutrients needed in the body are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and mineral salts,
NOTE Roughage or fibre and water though not generally considered as nutrients are also an
important component of a balanced diet.
1.Carbohydrates = energy giving foods
-These are energy giving foods.
- The body requires energy for various functions including moving, keeping warm and for all
the chemical reactions in the cells of the body.
-Energy is by far the most important requirement of all living things.

Sources of carbohydrates
-Sources include sadza, rice, bread, potatoes, cassava, paste and cereals.
2. Proteins = growth foods
- Used for growth - They form the building block of body tissues.
- They are made of amino acids
- If there is a shortage of protein in your body you will not grow properly and your wounds
will not heal well.
Sources of proteins
-Meat, fish, eggs, soya beans, dairyproducts, mopane worms ( amacimbi,) nuts, insects
(inhlwa, ishwa) and milk.
-Deficiency disease caused by lack of proteins kwashiorkor.
3. Fats = energy foods
-Fats are also energy giving foods.
-They are however used as energy reserves which can be used for energy when carbohydrates
are not available.
-They contain more energy than carbohydrates but the energy is not easy for the cells to
release.
- Fats have many other uses in the body, for example they form an insulating layer under the
skin, and keep us warm.
-Fats cushion important body parts like the liver and the heart from injury and they are
components of cell membrane.
Sources of fats.
-Include margarine, meat fat for example pork, fried foods, ground nuts, cheese and avocados
4. Vitamins
-Small amounts of vitamins are needed by the body to keep it healthy.
-They help to protect the body against diseases.
-They are different types of vitamins, the table shows some of the vitamins, why we need
them and deficiency diseases that occur when vitamins are missing from our diet.
Table
Vitamin Food source Use in the body Deficiency disease
A Carrots, milk, butter For good eyesight Poor night vision
and healthy skin
B Broccoli, cabbage, Create new blood Beriberi, pellagra
peas,kidney cells, maintain and anemia
beans,spinach healthy skin cells,
brain cells an other
body tissues
C Citrus fruits such as Prevents disease Scurvy (a disease
oranges where the gums
bleed)
D Dairy foods (like Strengthen bones Soft bones , rickets
milk and butter), and teeth
made by the body in
sunlight.
 Minerals
-Minerals are needed to build hard and soft body tissues.
-They are also used in bodily processes such as enzyme action.
-Some minerals are used in large amounts and others are only needed in small amounts.
-Calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium and potassium are a few examples of minerals

Table
Mineral Food source Use in the body Deficiency disease
Calcium Milk and dairy Helps blood to clot, Soft bones, rickets
products, green keeps bones and
vegetables teeth healthy and
strong
Iron Red meat, termites, To make red blood Anemia ( which
black jack, spinach cells makes you feel tired)
Iodine Fish, iodised salt Used by the thyroid Goitre (where the
gland and has other thyroid gland in the
important functions neck enlarges)
in the body

Roughage or fibre
-Fibre does not contain any nutrients.
-Fibre is the indigestible part of the plant food found in cereals, such as oats and bran.
-Roughage is not a nutrient as it is not absorbed by the body, but it is important in a balanced
diet.
-Fibre binds with cholesterol (a fat) to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. This helps to
prevent cholesterol from clogging up in the arteries.
-It provides bulk for the muscles of the gut to push against and so helps food to move along
the alimentary canal, thus preventing constipation.
-Constipation is a condition in which the sufferer has difficulties passing faeces.
Sources of roughage
-Straight run maize meal, (umgayiwa), rice, whole wheat and brown bread, vegetables and
fruits are good sources of roughage.

Water.
-Water is also not a nutrient, but it is an important component of a balanced diet.
-Water is very important because it forms a large part of the blood and tissues of the body.
-Water softens food so that it can move along your alimentary canal easily.
-Water transports nutrients and flushes toxins and wastes from your body.
-It also plays an important role in regulating your body temperature.
-On a hot day, water is released as sweat to cool your body down.
-It is essential that you drink at least eight glasses of water every day to replace water that is
lost through sweat and urine.
-All chemical activities of the cell occur in a watery solution.
Sources of water
-The main source of water for the human body is drinking water.
-Some water may be obtained from the food we eat.
-Foods like fruits, watermelon and drinks contain lots of water.