Food Technology GCSE: Ingredients and Nutrition
Nutrition
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Not only does food taste good - you need it to live. Food contains substances that
enable your body to function, some foods are used by your body to create other
substances your body needs and some foods provide substances directly that your
body cannot create for itself.
Below is a list of important substances that your body needs and details of why we
need them and where they can be found...
Fats
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Gives energy and vitamins A, D, E and K
Found in oils, solid fats, fatty meat, cream, cheese and nuts
Animal fats and some vegetables oils contain saturated fat, which may raise
blood cholesterol levels
Vegetable fats such as sunflower and soya and those in oily fish are
polyunsaturated and better for the heart
Gives a rich source of energy that can be converted into fat in the body,
which protects organs and gives heat
Carbohydrates
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Provides energy and fibre
Found in cereals, vegetables, sugar, rice, pasta, bread and pastries
If the body receives more energy than it needs, it stores it as fat
Wholemeal/wholegrain cereals are a richer source of fibre than white/refined
ones
Vitamins B and E, calcium and iron are also provided by bread
Protein
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Enables the body to grow and repair
Found in milk, meat, fish, eggs and cheese
Also in soya, beans, cereals, pulses and nuts
If more protein is eaten than is needed for growth and repair, the excess is
converted into glycogen in the liver and used as energy
Animal foods and soya beans are used most efficiently by the body
Many protein foods also provide iron and B vitamins (especially B12)
Tofu (soya bean curd), Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) made from soya
flour, and Quorn (fungus) can all be used to replace animal proteins
Vitamins
A
Fat-soluble
B
C
D
E
K
Helps with night vision. Keeps the linings of the nose, throat and digestive system
moist. Found as carotene in orange and red fruits and vegetables. Found as
retinol in oily fish, liver, butter, margarine, cheese and eggs. Other sources
include, mango, spinach, carrot, sweet potato. Excess may lead to liver damage.
Water-soluble
Thiamin (B1), Riboflavin (B) and Niacin are involved in the release of energy
from foods, healthy nervous system and skin. B12 helps prevent birth defects,
such as Spina Bifida and is needed for red cell production. Found in marmite,
meat, nuts, green leafy vegetables, yeast and dairy products.
Water-soluble
Needed for the formation and maintenance of connective tissue. Helps wounds to
heal, helps prevent infections and aids iron absorption. Found in fruits and
vegetables, especially citrus fruits, potatoes, broccoli, blackcurrants and kiwi fruit.
Fat-soluble
Produced by the action of sunlight on the skin. Needed for the absorption of
calcium in the bones and teeth. Found in butter, margarine, cereal, milk and fish.
Excessive intakes can be dangerous.
Fat-soluble
May be necessary for reproduction. Helps keep skin healthy. Found in eggs,
wholegrain cereals, almonds, sunflower seeds, vegetable margarines and oils.
Fat-soluble
Involved in the clotting of blood. Found in green vegetables, meat, beans, fruit
and cereals.
Minerals
Calcium
Needed for:
Clotting of blood
Strong bones and teeth
Found in:
Cheese, milk, bread, canned fish, green
vegetables
Healthy muscles and
nerves
Iron
Healthy red blood cells
Transporting oxygen
around the body
Red meat (especially liver), green
vegetables, egg yolk, bread, fortified
breakfast cereals
Vitamin C helps iron to be
absorbed by the body
Phosphorus
Iodine
Strong bones and teeth
Healthy thyroid gland
Hormone production
Milk, cheese, eggs, fish, nuts
Seafoods, vegetables, iodised salt
Sodium
Correct concentration of
Salt, most ready-prepared foods, soya
bodily fluids
Healthy nerves and
muscles
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Food Technology GCSE: Ingredients and Nutrition
Functions of ingredients
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It's easy enough (sometimes!) to pick up a cookery book, buy some ingredients and
cook a couple of different dishes, but have you ever stopped to think exactly what
you're putting into those pots and pans?
Why use flour to make bread? Why use eggs to make a meringue?
This Learn-It will help you learn the functions of each ingredient - what they actually
do...
Flour
Wheat flour is the most important ingredient in home baking. There are many
different types of flour, such as stone ground, wholemeal and cookie flour. Flour as
an ingredient has many different and important functions?
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Provides fibre (especially if wholemeal)
If Self-Raising, makes mixtures rise
Thickens sauces
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Forms the bulk of bread, pastry and cake mixes
If wholemeal, provides colour and texture
Gluten in flour produces a stretchy dough
Provides carbohydrate, Vitamin B, calcium and iron
Sugar
Ever tasted a sugar-free cookie? Not nice. Some people may even cringe at the
thought of having no sugar to dip their strawberries into! Well, although it does it
well, making things sweet isn't the only thing that sugars good for. Yes... really!
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Provides sweetness
If brown, provides colour and texture
Large amounts prevent micro-organism growth (for example,
jam/marmalade)
Caramelises to produce a brown colour
Retains moisture
Helps to trap air in cake mixtures
Provides carbohydrate
Eggs
From an Egg Mc Muffin, to a lemon meringue pie... You can use them for anything!
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Hold air when beaten
Coagulate (sets) when heated
Add colour to mixtures
Thickens sauces, custards, etc.
Glaze bread, scones and pastry
Bind ingredients together
Provide protein, fat, iron and Vitamins A, B, and E
Fats/Oils
They may not be that good for you, but fats and oils are definitely essential
ingredients in many, many dishes.
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Provide flavour
Keep products moist and extend shelf-life
Add colour to foods
Make pastry 'short' by coating the flour to stop gluten developing
Hold air when creamed with sugar
Oil forms an emulsion with liquids (for example, mayonnaise)
Provide energy and Vitamins A and D
Give the functions of each of the ingredients in a Lemon Meringue Pie by
dragging the functions next to the relevant food item:
Food Technology GCSE: Ingredients and Nutrition
Nutritional information
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The amount of nutrients required depends on a number of factors...
1. Sex: Men have a larger body mass than women and therefore usually require
larger quantities of each nutrient. For example, a girl aged 16 requires 53g of
protein a day compared to 72g for a boy of the same age.
2. Age: Older people tend to be less active and require less energy, and lower levels
of body building nutrients than busy children and teenagers. For example, a man
over 75 years requires 2150kcal a day compared to a boy of 16 who needs 2880kcal.
3. Activity: People who have very active jobs or who play a lot of sport will have
higher energy requirements. For example, a moderately activeman of 30 requires
2900kcal a day compared to a very active one who needs 3350kcal.
4. Special conditions: For example, pregnancy, lactation (breastfeeding),
teenagers. Each of these groups would require greater amounts of one or more
nutrients. For example, a pregnant woman requires 1200mg of calcium a day
ccompared to an active woman who needs only 500mg.
Measuring the amounts of nutrients needed...
DRV (Dietary Reference Values): These are estimates of the nutritional
requirements of different groups of healthy people of different ages.
EARs (Estimated Average Requirements): These are an estimation of the
needs of most people in a particular group.
RDA (Recomended Daily Allowance): This amount is often used on packaging
to indicate whether or not a food productis a good source of a particular nutrient.
RNI (Reference Nutrient Intake): This is the amount of a nutrient, which will
satisfy 97.5% of the population in a particular specified group.
Healthy eating targets
A paper published by the Government in 1992, entitled 'The Health of the Nation',
set out the following targets, which should be achieved by 2005...
Snack food products
So you know that there are lots of different nutrients that we need, but how do you
know that you're getting the amount you need?
Have a look at the following two tables and then answer the
questionsunderneath...
Sandwiches:
100g provides:
Energy: Protein: Carbohydrate: Fat:
A: Egg mayonnaise
B: Roast chicken salad
C: Tuna and cucumber
D: Prawn mayonnaise
Kj (kcal)
961 (237)
957 (236)
560 (130)
1264
(310)
g
10.7
11.2
9.9
g
17.6
18.5
19.4
g
14.9
13.6
3.2
11.9
18.8
21.8