1. Understanding the Nutritional Properties of Food
Don’t Panic – You have been learning this since Y7 

2. What nutrients do foods give us?
Why we need it
Where it is found (sources)
Protein
To build and repair muscle
Meat, fish, pulses, eggs, quorn, lentils, oats, peas, tofu, nuts
Fats
To keep us warm and to help absorb vitamins A and D
Butter, margarine, meat, fish, oils, nuts, cream, seeds
Carbohydrates
To give us fuel, keep us going. 2 types, sugars and starches.
Pasta, Rice, Potatoes, Cous cous, flour, bread (starchy), sugar, fruit, vegetables (sugar). Fibre (NSP).
Vitamins
A = Healthy Eyes and Bones
B = Releases energy from food
C = Helps us absorb iron
D= Strong teeth and bones
Liver, egg yolk, carrots
Wholegrain, yeast, meat
Citrus fruits, green veg
Cereal, sunlight, margarine
Minerals
Calcium – strong bones / teeth & blood
Iron – transports oxygen round body
Dairy, bones in fish, green veg
Meat, cocoa, green veg

3. Current Advice / Guidelines
Do research on / check your knowledge of
High Fibre diets. NSP means Non Starch Polysaccharide and is just a way of saying high fibre. A low fibre diet causes constipation and potentially bowel cancer or diverticulitis
Go to for information.

4. What happens if we eat too much or too little?
Nutrient
Why we need it
Too much /not enough?
Protein
To build and repair muscle
Too much: Is used for energy or stored as fat
Fats
To keep us warm and to help absorb some vitamins
Can cause obesity, stroke or coronary heart disease
Carbohydrates
To give us fuel, keep us going. 2 types, sugars and starches.
Can cause obesity if not burned off because they are stores as fat. Too much sugar can also cause dental decay
Vitamins
A = Healthy Eyes and Bones
B = Releases energy from food
C = Helps us absorb iron
D= Strong teeth and bones
Not enough can cause
A: vision problems, dry skin
B: beri beri
C: scurvy / slow healing
D: rickets / osteoporosis
Minerals
Calcium – strong bones / teeth & blood
Iron – transports oxygen round body
Calcium: Rickets, weak teeth, muscle and nerve problems
Iron: Anaemia

5. You might need to explain or show how recipes can be adapted to meet the needs of the following target markets:
Special Diet
Reason for diet
Food to be avoided
Vegetarians
Moral, ethical, religious, health
Meat, fish, gelatine, a vegan would avoid eggs and even wine or beer filtered over fish bones. Meat alternatives like pulses, soya, quorn and tofu will be eaten.
Diabetics
Health, insulin produced not enough to control glucose level in blood
High salt, sugar, fat. Diet should be high in fruit, vegetables and starchy carbs.
Coeliacs
Allergic to gluten
Wheat and wheat products
Calorie controlled
Need to lose or control weight
High fat and high sugar – portion control important
Nut allergies
Allergic to nuts
Any food possibly in contact with nuts
Lactose intolerance
Allergic to dairy (lactose is a sugar in dairy food)
Milk, butter, yoghurt, etc. May use soya milk as an alternative.

6. Now go to
To check your knowledge Be confident – you already know this!