Name: ________________________________ Date: ____________ Class Period: _______
Nutrient Reading
Directions: Read the following about nutrients and annotate as you read. Fill in the notes on the
second sheet after you are finished.
Diet affects the body’s health.
What makes a meal healthy? The choices you make about what you eat are
important. Nutrients from food are distributed to every cell in your body. You use
those nutrients for energy and to maintain and build new body tissues. Nutrition is
the study of the materials that nourish your body. It also refers to the process in
which the different parts of food are used for maintenance, growth, and
reproduction. When a vitamin or other nutrient is missing from your diet, illness
can occur. Your body’s systems can function only when they get the nutrients they
need.
Getting Nutrients.
In order to eat a healthy diet, you must first understand what good nutrition is.
There are six classes of nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals,
and water. All of these nutrients are necessary for your body cells to carry out the
chemical reactions that sustain life.
Proteins are molecules that build tissues used for growth and repair. Proteins
provide the building blocks for many important hormones and make up most of the
structure of cells, including organelles. Proteins are made of carbon, hydrogen,
oxygen, nitrogen, and sometimes sulfur.
Good sources of proteins are poultry (such as chicken), red meat, fish, eggs, nuts,
beans, grains, soy, and milk. Protein should make up at least 20% of your diet.
Carbohydrates are the body’s most important energy source and are made of the
elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Carbohydrates are found in starch (like
potatoes), sugar, and fiber. Natural sugars such as those found in fruits and
vegetables are the best kinds of sugars for your body. Carbohydrates are found in
bread, pasta, fruits, and vegetables. Carbohydrates should make up about 40-50%
of your diet.
The energy that is in the bonds between atoms that makes up carbohydrates give
off a lot of energy (ATP). Some carbohydrates are better than others. Complex
carbohydrates have a lot of natural fiber to keep them from turning into sugars too
quickly. Other carbohydrates, like candy, cookies, potato chips, etc. quickly turn to
sugars. This is a problem because if the energy from these sugars is not used by the
body right away, the ATP (energy) will end up converting to fat to be used later.
Fats are essential for energy and should account for about 10 to 15 percent of your
diet. Fats are also called lipids, and are made of the elements carbon, hydrogen,
and oxygen. They are energy rich and contain even more energy than
carbohydrates. Cells store energy in lipids for later use. Fats have twice the amount
of energy as carbohydrates, but unfortunately you need to use twice as much
energy to burn off a pound of excess fat.
Many people eliminate fats from their diet in order to lose weight, but a certain
amount of fat is necessary. Fats made from plants have the greatest health benefits.
For example, olive oil is better for you than the oil found in butter.
Water is necessary for life. A human being could survive for about a month
without food, but only about one week without water. Water has several functions.
Water helps regulate your body temperature through evaporation when you sweat
and breathe. Without water, important materials such as vitamins and other
nutrients could not be transported around the body. Water helps your body get rid
of the waste products that move through the kidneys and pass out of the body in
urine.
Water also helps your cells keep their size and shape. It keeps the temperature of
cells from changing rapidly. Water helps carry substances into and out of cells.
Water is also one of the raw materials used by plants in photosynthesis.
To make sure your body can function and maintain itself, you need to drink about
eight glasses of water each day. You also get water when you eat food with water
in them, such as fresh fruit and vegetables.
Name: ______________________________ Date: _____________ Class Period: _______________
Nutrient Notes
Type of Nutrient
What percent of your diet
should it be?
What it does for your body Examples
Proteins
Carbohydrates
Fats/Lipids
1. _____________________ form parts of cell membranes and many of the cell’s
organelles.
2. Are some carbohydrates healthier than others? ________________
Why?___________________________________________________________________
3. What happens if you do not use the energy from a carbohydrate?
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4. True or False. Starch is a kind of carbohydrate. _______________
5. How are lipids like carbohydrates?
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6. Cells store ________________in lipids to use later.
7. List two ways your body uses water.
a. _______________________________________________________________________
B. _______________________________________________________________________
Selecting Survival Nutrients
Your ship has run aground on a small, bare, rocky island, and you are its only survivor. You
have only moments to gather supplies from the ship before it breaks up. Since many boats pass
by this island, you are confident that you will be rescued in a few days, but want to make sure
you have enough nutrition for a month – just in case.
Assignment: Select six items from the list below to take with you on the island. Your selections
should reflect your knowledge of your nutritional needs to survive one month. You can use your
notes and handouts to assist you. List the items in the order of their importance and explain why
you chose it in that place.
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Large barrel of fresh apples
30 cans of beans
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Box of hotdogs
Box of dried fruit
Large barrel of water
Box of dried biscuits
Case of canned tuna fish
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Large barrel of oranges
Desalinating water pump (device that
removes salt from salt water)
Knife and fishing tackle
Box of candy bard
Barrel of potatoes
Tub of solid vegetable shortening
Case of tofu
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