Calcium
Calcium is crucial for strong bones and teeth, and it is especially important for children and young adults to have the mineral. Calcium has also been effective in women’s weight loss. Also an adequate intake of calcium can prevent many cancers such as colorectal, ovarian and breast cancers. You can get calcium from foods such as milk, cheese, yogurt, broccoli, soya beans and bread.
Iron
Iron is a trace mineral that is essential for good health. It forms part of haemoglobin, the pigment that gives blood its dark red colour. Iron helps transport oxygen to the cells. It is also important for muscle protein and traces of it occur in the liver, spleen, bone marrow and muscles. Iron deficiency can cause anaemia, lethargic and constipation. You can get iron from foods such as red meat, green leafy vegetables, spinach, liver, fish, nuts and eggs.
Sodium
Sodium is vital component of nerves as it stimulates muscle contraction. Sodium also helps to keep calcium and other minerals soluble in the blood, as well as stimulating the adrenal glands. High sodium levels can cause high blood pressure. Sodium aids in preventing heat prostration or sunstroke. Too little sodium in the diet disturbs the tissue-water and acid-base balance that is important to good nutritional status. Sodium mineral is readily absorbed from the small intestine, and normal storage is accomplished by muscle and cartilage tissue. The hormone aldosterone controls the balance of sodium and water in the body. You can get sodium from eating foods such as salt, fish and bacon.
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that develops when the body does not get the right amount of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function. Malnutrition is a serious condition that occurs when a person’s diet does not contain enough nutrients to meet the demands of their body. This can affect growth, physical health, mood, behavior and many of the functions of the body. You can also become malnourished if your diet does not contain the right balance of nutrients.
It is possible to eat a diet high in calories but containing few vitamins and minerals. This means you can become malnourished, even though you might also be overweight or obese. Being malnourished does not always mean that you are skinny.
Some symptoms of malnutrition are:
- Lack of strength or energy to undertake routine activities, or poor physical performance.
- Lack of energy and breathlessness (due to anemia).
- Changes to the skin and nails.
- Inability to concentrate or becoming unusually irritable.
- failure to grow to their expected adult height (stunted growth)
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Your body mass index is calculated on your age, height and weight. Once calculated it will tell you if you are underweight, average, or overweight. Knowing this about yourself, you decide whether you want to do something about it. Being underweight has many health risks, such as stunted growth, lack of strength, lack of energy, breathlessness, inability to concentrate. But being overweight also has its health risks, such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, cancer, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease, fatty liver disease and pregnancy complications.
Dietary reference values (DRV)
The human body needs a variety of nutrients and the amount of each nutrient needed is called the nutrient requirement. These are the groups who require DRV’s.
Reference Nutrient Intakes (RNI)
An estimate used as part of the Dietary Reference Value (DRV) in the UK as a standard of the amounts of each nutrient needed by different groups of people in the population to maintain good health. The Reference Nutrient Intake is defined as:
An estimate of the levels of protein, vitamins and minerals that should meet the needs of most of the group to which they apply. The RNI is the amount of a nutrient that is enough to ensure that the needs of nearly all the group (97.5%) are being met. By definition, many within the group will need less.
Eat well plate and food groups
The eat well plate is based on the five food groups:
- bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods
- fruit and vegetables
- milk and dairy foods
- meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein
- foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar
The eat well plate applies to most people – whether they're a healthy weight or overweight, whether they eat meat or are vegetarian, and no matter what their ethnic origin. But it doesn't apply to children under the age of two because they have different nutritional needs. Between the ages of two and five, children should gradually move to eating the same foods as the rest of the family, in the proportions shown on the eat well plate. As babies and toddlers only drink breast milk/instant formula their nutritional needs differ to adults.
The eat well plate is a visual representation of how different foods contribute towards a healthy balanced diet. The plate model has been tested extensively with consumers and health professionals, and has been proven to help people maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.
Food labeling
Labelling is an important process in the food processing chain and should not be overlooked. The label is the first point of contact between a consumer and the producer. It is used to identify one product from another and also to make a decision over which product to purchase. The label is therefore the most important marketing tool for a product.
Important points of food labelling:
- Product name
- Manufactures name and address
- Date of manufacture, and best before date
- Ingredients (in descending order of weight)
- If product contains nuts, additives, wheat, gluten etc.
- If product is vegan/vegetarian approved
M1
A pregnant woman, and a teenagers diet varies greatly. Due to the nutrient and vitamins needed to keep the specific person fit and healthy.
As well as many differences in diet, there are also many similarities including:
- A healthy intake of calcium. Due to the mother breastfeeding she is in need of extra calcium, and teenagers require it for growing and thickening.
- Both require folic acid. This can be found in green leafy vegetables, oranges, bread and fortified cereals. This is needed for rapid cell division, and growth.
- Teenagers will need 80% more protein than an adult, and a pregnant woman will need 10% more than when not pregnant.
Whether a pregnant or a teenager, both require a healthy balanced diet.
A pregnant woman’s healthy eating guidelines consist of:
- 4 - 6 servings from the bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles group.
- 5 - 6 servings from the vegetables, legumes group.
- 4 servings of fruit.
- 2 servings from the milk, yoghurt, cheese group.
- 1 1/2 serving from the meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts and legumes group.
- Energy requirements are increased with pregnancy to allow growth of the unborn baby and placenta.
- Doing regular physical activity has health benefits during pregnancy and also helps to prepare the body for childbirth.
- Eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruits
- Eat plenty of cereals (including breads, rice, pasta and noodles), preferably wholegrain
- Include lean meat, fish, poultry and/or alternatives
- Include milks, yoghurts, cheeses and/or alternatives.
- Reduced-fat varieties should be chosen, where possible
- Drink plenty of water
- Limit saturated fat and moderate total fat intake
- Choose foods low in salt
- Consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars
- Pregnancy can deplete a mother's iron stores. Therefore, it is important to have an appropriate intake of iron to help build and maintain these stores. Low iron levels in early pregnancy have been linked to premature birth and low birth weight.
- Folate is a B vitamin that is needed for healthy growth and development. Its requirements are increased during pregnancy for normal growth of the unborn baby. Adequate folate intake helps to prevent birth defects in the baby, such as spinal bifida.
- Iodine is an essential mineral that we get from the food we eat. The developing baby in the womb, babies and young children are at greatest risk from a diet deficient in iodine
- Zinc is a component of various enzymes that help maintain structural integrity of proteins and help regulate gene expression, so getting enough is particularly important for the rapid cell growth that occurs during pregnancy.
- The need for vitamin C is increased in pregnancy due to larger blood volume in the mother and the growth of the unborn baby. Vitamin C is important for the formation of collagen which is especially important in blood vessels.
- Some women experience constipation especially during the later parts of pregnancy. A high fibre intake combined with plenty of fluid is encouraged to help prevent this.
- Apart from the recommended folate supplement, it is best to obtain nutrients from a healthy diet. Multivitamins not designed for pregnancy should be taken with care as there are dangers associated with excessive doses of nutrients such as Vitamins A, D and B6.
Teenage girls Healthy eating guidelines consist of:
- 5-11 servings from the bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles group
- 4 servings from the vegetables, legumes group
- 3 servings of fruit
- 3 servings from the milk, yoghurt, cheese group
- 1 serving from the lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts and legumes group
Teenage boy’s healthy eating guidelines consist of:
- 5–11 servings from the bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles group
- 4 servings from the vegetables, legumes group
- 3 servings of fruit
- 3 servings from the milk, yoghurt, cheese group
- 1 serving from the lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts and legumes group
Both male and female teenagers:
- limit saturated fat and moderate total fat intake
- Choose foods low in salt.
- Consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars.
- Calcium is important for the development and maintenance of bones and teeth, neuromuscular function and heart function. Getting enough calcium and exercise in is important for increasing bone mass to prevent osteoporosis in later life. Calcium is also important for maintaining normal blood pressure.
- Iron is important for transporting oxygen around the body and helps to prevent infection. Adolescents who have low intakes of iron are often tired, lack concentration and suffer more from infection
- Always serve main meals with cooked vegetables or a salad
- Adolescents tend to ‘eat out’ more often than children or adults. Many take-away foods are high in salt, sugar and/or fat. Try to choose healthy options when eating out.
GDA
Special Requirements – pregnant women
The number of calories needed in a day varies. This number depends on many factors such as her current weight, her activity level and the number of pounds her health care provider suggests that she gain throughout the pregnancy. A woman's caloric requirements will increase by about 100 to 300 calories per day.
Folic acid is an important nutrient during pregnancy. 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid are needed every day during and even before pregnancy. Folic acid is part of the vitamin B family and prevents serious birth defects associated with the baby's brain and spine
Iron requirements double during pregnancy to 30 mg per day. There are many food sources of iron, such as red meat, fish and poultry.
Calcium supplementation may not be required for all pregnant women. Women need about 1,000 mg of calcium per day during pregnancy.
Many foods and other consumable products should be avoided or limited during pregnancy. This includes eliminating alcohol, raw fish and fish high in mercury. Women should also limit caffeine intake to about one cup of coffee per day. Constipation is a common complaint during pregnancy and can be avoided by increasing fiber intake, by eating green leafy vegetables, fruit and whole grains. Water intake is also important in preventing constipation and maintaining a healthy diet overall.
Special Requirements – teenagers
Milk, cheese, yoghurt, soya beans and nuts are rich in calcium which is needed for healthy bones and teeth.
Iron is needed for healthy blood. Research has shown that some children have low intakes of iron, particularly older girls. Meat, particularly red meat and liver, and fish are rich sources of iron.
Fish are a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals and they are low in saturated fat. Oily fish also contain omega 3 fatty acids. Young men can have up to four portions of oily fish a week, but young women should avoid having more than two portions of oily fish a week if they might have a child one day.
Milk, margarine, butter, green vegetables, carrots and apricots are all good sources of vitamin A, which is important for good vision and healthy skin.
Avoid eating shark, swordfish and marlin because these contain relatively high levels of mercury which, until the age of 16, might affect a young person's developing nervous system.
P2 (2)
Mouth: The mouth is the starting point of digestion. Here the process of chewing starts to break down food, ready to be swallowed.
Oesophagus: Once you swallow the food moves into the Oesophagus where continual waves push the food into the stomach.
Stomach: The stomach is a large, sack-like organ that churns the food and bathes it in a very strong acid (gastric acid). Food in the stomach that is partly digested and mixed with stomach acids is called chyme.
Small intestine: After being in the stomach, food enters the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. It then enters the jejunum and then the ileum (the final part of the small intestine). In the small intestine, bile (produced in the liver and stored in the gall bladder), pancreatic enzymes, and other digestive enzymes produced by the inner wall of the small intestine help in the breakdown of food.
In the large intestine - After passing through the small intestine, food passes into the large intestine. In the large intestine, some of the water is removed from the food. Many microbes in the large intestine help in the digestion process. The first part of the large intestine is called the. Food then travels upward in the ascending colon. The food travels across the abdomen in the transverse colon, goes back down the other side of the body in the descending colon, and then through the sigmoid colon.
The end of the process - Solid waste is then stored in the rectum until it is excreted via the anus.
Where macronutrients are broken down
Carbohydrates are broken down by the digestive system into simple sugars. These sugars are taken to the bloodstream and then delivered to cells in your body with the help of a hormone called insulin. In the cells, these sugars provide energy to your body.
Protein is what makes up bodily tissues, like the muscles, skin and organs. When you eat food containing protein, your digestive system breaks it down into smaller parts called amino acids. These amino acids are later used by the body to build and repair cells and tissues.
Fat is good for you. Your body needs it for proper brain development and to absorb certain vitamins.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Health and social care Level 3 book 1 BTEC
- Nutrients booklet
- Macronutrients booklet
- Micronutrients booklet
- NHS.com