Human nutrition

Topics

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Sample objectives

What this unit covers

• Diet: Explain what a balanced diet entails.
• Diet: Identify the main dietary sources and explain the significance of: (a) carbohydrates (b) fats and oils (c) proteins (d) vitamins, specifically C and D (e) mineral ions, specifically calcium and iron (f) fibre (roughage) (g) water.
• Digestive system: Recognize the primary organs of the digestive system in diagrams and images, including the alimentary canal (mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine - duodenum and ileum, and large intestine - colon, rectum, anus) and associated organs (salivary glands, pancreas, liver, and gall bladder).
• Digestive system: Explain the roles of the digestive system organs mentioned in 7.2.1, focusing on: (a) ingestion - taking in substances like food and drink, (b) digestion - breaking down food, (c) absorption - transferring nutrients from the intestines to the bloodstream, (d) assimilation - using nutrients in cells, and (e) egestion - eliminating undigested food as feces.
• Physical digestion: Explain physical digestion as the process of breaking down food into smaller pieces without altering the chemical structure of the food molecules.
• Physical digestion: Indicate that physical digestion enhances the surface area of food, facilitating the action of enzymes during chemical digestion.
• Chemical digestion: Explain that chemical digestion involves breaking down large insoluble molecules into smaller soluble ones.
• Chemical digestion: Identify the importance of chemical digestion in creating small soluble molecules that can be absorbed by the body.
• Absorption: Identify the small intestine as the area where nutrient absorption occurs.
• Absorption: Recognize that the majority of water absorption takes place in the small intestine, with some occurring in the colon.