This document provides information on macro and micronutrients that are important for human nutrition. It discusses the key macronutrients of fats, proteins, carbohydrates and water, and describes their functions and food sources. It also examines micronutrients including vitamins and minerals, outlining water and fat soluble vitamins as well as important minerals like calcium, iron and sodium. The roles and dietary sources of these nutrients are presented.

1. Fats
Water
Protein
Macro nutrients
Carbohydrates
NUTRIENTS
Vitamins
Micro nutrients
Minerals

2. VITAMINS MICRONUTRIENT
WATER SOLUBLE FAT SOLUBLE
 B group vitamins (B1, B2, B3,  A, D, E & K vitamins
B6, B12)  Found in fat soluble foods such
 Vitamin C as chees, meat, eggs and
 Found in watery food such as yellow and green vegies
vegetables, milk and meat  Soluble in fat
 Soluble in water  Travels via the lymph system
 Travels via the blood  Stored in the body
 Not stored within the body

3. VITAMIN A
 Normal vision
 Healthy lining cells e.g. skin, lungs
 Bone and teeth formation
 Healthy skin, hair, mucous membranes
 Essential in reproduction by helping to produce new
cells
 Liver, butter, cheese, eggs

4. VITAMIN D
 Helps absorption of calcium and
phosphorus
 Increases deposits of calcium and
phosphorus into bone
 Both of these functions contribute to bone
growth
 Sunlight, eggs, butter, cream

5. VITAMIN E
 Acts as an antioxidant – substances that prevent
damage to the body by free radicals
 substances produced when oxygen is metabolised, an
overload causes build up of cholesterol deposits in the
arteries, which can cause cancer and heart disease
 Vegetable oils, wholegrain
cereals, nuts

6. VITAMIN C (ASCORBIC ACID)
 Collagen production
 Assists the absorption of iron
 Healing wounds, protecting against injury and
infection
 Production of hormones
 Citrus fruits,
tomatoes, capsicum

7. CALCIUM MICRONUTRIENT
 Formation, hardening and maintenance of bones
and teeth. Calcium is stored in the skeleton, but is
not static
 Nerve and muscle functioning e.g. heart
 Blood clotting
 Dairy products,
 green leafy vegetables, fish

8. IRON
 Formation of haemoglobin to carry oxygen in the
blood. Most iron in the body is in haemoglobin, but
is also stored in bone marrow, spleen and liver
 Formation of myoglobin which stores oxygen in
muscle cells
 Liver, kidney, green leafy
veges, wholegrain cereals

9. SODIUM
 Transmission of nerve impulses and muscle
contraction
 Controlling blood pressure
 Maintains osmotic pressure and water balance
within the cell
 Table salt, meat

10. FLUORIDE
 Strengthens tooth enamel against dental caries,
especially in developing teeth
 Seafood, fluoridated water

11. PHOSPHORUS
 Mineralisation (hardening) of bones
 Energy metabolism
 Balance of body fluids
 Cereals, peanuts, chicken

12. WATER MACRONUTRIENT
 The body is made up of 60% water within and surrounding cells
 6 – 8 glasses a day is required
 Inadequate water consumption causes dehydration, resulting in
headaches, fatigue
 Important for chemical reactions to occur in the body. Every body
function requires water
 Water is needed to
 transport the nutrients to the cells
 for excretion
 lubricates the joints
 helps regulate body temperature
 Sources are tap water, meat, fish, milk, tea

13. FATS MACRONUTRIENT
 One gram of fat provides the body with 37 kilojoules
of energy
 Small amounts of fat have very important functions
 Helps protect vital organs
 Unsaturated fats are better for you then saturated
fats
 4 types of fats: saturated, trans, monounsaturated,
polyunsaturated
 Assists in the absorption and transport of fat soluble
vitamins A, D, E and K

14. PROTEIN MACRONUTRIENT
 One gram of protein provides the body with 17
kilojoules of energy
 Protein is especially important during times of
growth such as adolescence and pregnancy
 Protein is made of many amino acids
 Two types of protein:
 Complete (meat, fish, cheese, milk)
 Incomplete (vegetables, grains, nuts)
 Protein is required for the growth, repair and
maintenance of all body tissues
 It also helps regulate body processes like water
balance

15. CARBOHYDRATES MACRONUTRIENT
 Eating one gram of CHO provides the body with 16 kilojoules of
energy
 55% of our energy should come from complex carbohydrates
such as wholegrain cereals, fruit and vegetables. Complex CHO
assist with digestion and help with disease prevention
 There are two main groups of CHO:
1. simple sugars (monosaccharides)
 From honey, fruit & vegetables
 An example of a simple sugar is glucose (most soluble, easily
absorbed CHO)
2. complex CHO (polysaccharides)
 From wholegrain cereals, fruit and vegetables (raw and skin),
nuts, legumes
 Examples of complex CHO are starch and fibre

16. CARBOHYDRATES
 Carbohydrates are a major source of energy
 They can be used very efficiently by the body, especially systems
such as the central nervous system
 Eating cellulose (from polysaccharides) provides the body with fibre
or roughage, to speed up the metabolism and prevent constipation
 Fibre can therefore be a preventative/protective factor against dietary
diseases such as heart disease, bowel cancer, obesity and diabetes
 Cereals, pasta, rice, fruit,
vegetables, sugar, jam