Nutrition/healthy eating

Essential Nutrients

NUTRITION AND HEALTHY EATING

Essential nutrients

NUTRITION AND HEALTHY EATING

There are seven essential nutrients that we must include in our diet, in order to remain healthy. These are listed below. In this series of lessons, we will learn about each essential nutrient.

Carbohydrates

Proteins

Fats

Fibre

Water

Minerals

Vitamins

Carbohydrates

NUTRITION AND HEALTHY EATING

Carbohydrates are found in the following foods.

Bread

Pasta

Rice

Cereals

Beans/pulses

Fruit

Vegetables

Sugar

Carbohydrates

NUTRITION AND HEALTHY EATING

The main function of carbohydrate foods is to provide energy. Carbohydrates are made up of building blocks of glucose and other simple sugars. Glucose is the main energy source used in the human body. Carbohydrates provide us with approximately 4 calories of energy per gram. Carbohydrate foods are often a rich source of fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Carbohydrates

NUTRITION AND HEALTHY EATING

There are three different types of carbohydrate in the human diet.

Starchy carbohydrates

Rice Pasta

Cereals Bread

Beans/pulses Noodles

Sugars Sugar Honey Treacle Syrup

Jam/marmalade Milk sugar (lactose)

Non-starch polysaccharides

(NSP)/fibre Vegetables

Fruit

Carbohydrates

NUTRITION AND HEALTHY EATING

You can see the carbohydrate-rich foods on the Eatwell Guide – fruit and vegetables (the NSPs) are in the green section, and starchy carbohydrates are in the yellow section. Foods high in sugar are not included in a health diet, but are added in small amounts, shown in the bottom left corner.

NUTRITION AND HEALTHY EATING

Do you think you can find carbohydrates in your diet? Using the Essential Nutrients worksheet, write down a typical breakfast, lunch and tea that you often eat – it could be what you ate today, or yesterday, or a favorite meal. Once you’ve done that, see if you can find examples of the following types of carbohydrate, and make a note of them.

• Starchy carbohydrates

• Non-starch carbohydrates (fibre-rich foods)

• Sugars

Carbohydrates

NUTRITION AND HEALTHY EATING

All types of carbohydrate are made up of simpler units of sugars, known as monosaccharides.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5q8NXSDV0s

Sugars, fruits and sweet tasting foods are made of simple sugars (monosaccharides and disaccharides), and starchy carbohydrates and fibre-rich foods contain chains of sugars, called polysaccharides. Watch this animation to find out more.

Carbohydrates

NUTRITION AND HEALTHY EATING

It is recommended that approximately 50% of our diet is made up of carbohydrate foods, but this should come mostly from starchy carbohydrates, and vegetables and fruit (the fibre, or NSPs). No more than 5% of our carbohydrate intake should come from added sugar.

Starchy carbohydrates (also called complex carbohydrates) take longer to digest and provide energy for longer; sugars are absorbed quickly and give a quick spurt of energy.

Carbohydrates

NUTRITION AND HEALTHY EATING

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zf339j6/articles/zfqg4qt

Find out more about carbohydrates, and watch the short animations at this web link. The first one talks about carbohydrates in sport, and the second shows how large polysaccharide molecules are broken down into sugars during digestion. Then you can have a go at the quiz on this weblink!

NUTRITION AND HEALTHY EATING

Now see if you can remember the answers to these carbohydrate questions in this quick fire classroom quiz! 1. What are the 3 types of carbohydrates? 2. How many calories are in 1 gram of carbohydrate? 3. What is the main function of carbohydrates? 4. What percentage of carbohydrate should we have

in our diet? 5. What is the maximum percentage of added sugar

we should include in our diet?