This document provides information about important nutrients including macronutrients like carbohydrates, protein, and fat as well as micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. It lists common food sources of each nutrient and their main functions in the body. For example, it states that carbohydrates from foods like fruits, vegetables and grains provide an important source of energy, while proteins from animal and plant foods are essential for growth and repair. The document also notes vitamins and minerals needed for bone health, immune function, energy production and more.

1. © Food – a fact of life 2013
Nutrients
Complete the table below.
Nutrient Food sources Main functions Notes
Macronutrients
Carbohydrate Sugars Fruit, vegetable,
milk, honey.
Sugar carbohydrate is
an important source of
energy.
Intrinsic sugars are within
the cellular structure of the
food.
Intrinsic sugars aren’t bound
in the cellular structure of
the food.
Starch Potatoes , pasta, rice,
bread.
Starchy carbohydrates
is an important source
of energy.
Cereal and cereal products
are the main source of
carbohydrate for adult in
England.
Protein Protein from animal sources:
meat, fish, eggs and dairy
products.
Protein from plant sources:
nuts, seeds, pulses and soya
products.
Protein is essential for
growth and provides
energy.
Protein also provides
energy: 1 gram of protein
provides 4 kcal
Protein is made up of
building blocks called
amino acids. Different foods
contain different amounts
and different combinations
of amino acids.
Student name: I.S.I.S.S G.B.
NOVELLI
Date:

2. © Food – a fact of life 2013
Fat Saturated Milk, meat, eggs, fried
potatoes, cereals.
High intakes of saturated
fat may raise blood
cholesterol and increase
the risk of heart disease
and stroke.
Most saturated fats are solid
at room temperature and
tend to come from animal
sources.
Unsaturated Potatoes cooked, fat &
spreads, milk & milk
products.
A diet high in unsaturated
is associated with a lower
level of blood cholesterol
and reduces the risk of
heart disease
Most unsaturated fats are
liquid at room temperature
and are usually from plant
sources.
Nutrient Food sources Main functions Notes
Micronutrients - vitamins
Vitamin A Liver and whole milk, in
cod liver oil, liver, gg
yolk, butter and in many
vegetables like carrot,
It is a fat-soluble vitamin,
which can be stored in the
body. It is needed for
dim light vision, healthy
In the UK,
margarine must
be fortified with
vitamin A. It is also

3. © Food – a fact of life 2013
spinach, pumpkin,
tomato and lettuce.
skin and eyes and for
resistance to infection.
often voluntarily
added to reduced
fat spreads.
Vitamin D We get most of our
vitamin D via the action of
sunlight on skin during the
summer months. Vitamin
D is also provided by the
diet from oily fish, meat,
eggs, fortified breakfast
cereals and
margarine/spreads.
It is needed for the
absorption of calcium
from foods to keep bones
and teeth healthy.
A lack of vitamin D
causes rickets in
children, where
the legs are bent,
and osteomalacia
in adults, which
causes pain in
bones and
muscles.
The B Vitamins vitamin B1: whole grains,
nuts, meat (especially
pork), fruit and vegetables,
fortified breakfast cereals.
vitamin B2 :milk, eggs,
rice, fortified breakfast
cereals, liver, legumes,
mushrooms, green
It has properties very
useful to the human body.
In fact, it constitute an
essential role in the
normal functioning of the
nervous system and the
muscular tone of the
gastrointestinal.
vitamin B1 :in the
UK, white and
brown bread flour
are fortified with
thiamine by law
(and also with
calcium, iron and
niacin).

4. © Food – a fact of life 2013
vegetables.
Vitamin B3: meat, wheat
and maize flour, eggs,
dairy products, yeast.
They are also essential for
the correct functioning
processes of the skin and
hair but also for the mouth
and eyes, especially for the
proper functioning of the
liver.
Vitamin B3: niacin is
required for the release of
energy from food.
Niacin is also required for
the normal function of the
skin, mucous membranes
and nervous system.
vitamin B2:
riboflavin is
required to release
energy from
protein,
carbohydrate and
fat.
It is also involved
in the transport
and use of iron in
the body.
Legumes are the
fruits or seeds of
anything that
comes in a pod,
e.g. beans, peas,
lentils.

5. © Food – a fact of life 2013
Vitamin C Fresh fruit especially
citrus fruits and
berries like lime,
orange, grapefruit,
tangerine, lemon,
Clementine,
Blackberries,
blackcurrants,
strawberries,
raspberries,
blueberries,
cranberries.
Green vegetables,
peppers, tomatoes,
new potatoes.
It is needed to make
collagen. This is required
for the structure and
function of skin, cartilage
and bones.
It is an important nutrient
for healing cuts and
wounds.
It can help with
the absorption of
iron when foods
or drink
containing both
vitamin C and iron
are eaten at the
same meal.
Micronutrients - minerals
Calcium Milk, cheese and other
dairy products, white
bread, broccoli,
Cabbage, fortified soya
products,
The body contains more
calcium than any other
mineral. It is essential for a
number of important
functions such as the
The skeleton
contains about
99% of the body’s
calcium with
approximately 1kg

6. © Food – a fact of life 2013
fish eaten with the
bones, e.g. sardines,
tinned salmon and
whitebait.
maintenance of bones and
teeth, blood clotting and
normal muscle function.
present in adult
bones.
Iron Liver, red meat, pulses,
nuts, eggs, dried fruits,
fish, whole grains, dark
green leafy vegetables.
It is essential for the
formation of haemoglobin
in red blood cells.
It is also required for
normal metabolism and
removing waste
substances from the body.
There are two
types of iron; one
from animals
sources and the
other from plant
sources.
A lack of iron in
the diet means
that the stores in
the body will run
out.
This can lead to
anemia.
Women and
teenage girls need
to ensure they
have enough
because their

7. © Food – a fact of life 2013
requirements are
higher than those
of men of the
same age due to
menstruation.
Sodium Most raw foods contain
very small amounts of
sodium chloride (salt).
Salt is often added during
the processing,
preparation, preservation
and serving of foods.
It is is found in all cells and
body fluids.
It is needed for regulating
the amount of water and
other substances in the
body.
Sodium is a
component of
table salt, known
as sodium
chloride (NaCl).
High sodium
intake is
considered to be
one of the risk
factors for high
blood pressure,
which may lead to
heart disease and
stroke.
It is recommended

8. © Food – a fact of life 2013
that adults and
children 11 years
and over not to
have more than
6g of salt per day.
Young children
should eat less.