Different food types - nutrients, water and fibre - Diet and nutrition - Edexcel - GCSE Physical Education Revision - Edexcel

Different food types - nutrients, water and fibre

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An explanation of the foodstuffs needed to have a healthy diet

Nutrients

The body needs a balance of to stay healthy. There are five groups of nutrients.

Macronutrients

Macro simply means large or whole. Macronutrients need to be eaten in larger quantities than micronutrients.

	Purpose	Examples
Proteins	Tissue growth – known as the body's building blocks. Athletes frequently use protein supplements in their diet and will consume protein immediately after training, sometimes as a 'shake'.	Animal products – meat, fish, dairy; plants – lentils, nuts, seeds; protein supplements and shakes.
Carbohydrates	Source of energy. Divided into: simple carbohydrates – sugars and complex carbohydrates – starches. Athletes need to consume larger quantities of carbohydrate to fuel their training and performance. Prior to an endurance event such as a triathlon, athletes might 'carbo-load' to ensure they have enough to finish the race.	Simple – sugar, glucose, fructose; energy gels; complex – bread, pasta, rice, potatoes.
Fats	Source of energy. Four types: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated (omega 3 and 6), saturated and trans fats. Fats are stored under the skin and are essential for health. Too much fat can limit an athlete's performance due to increased weight.	Monounsaturated – olive oil, avocados; polyunsaturated – oily fish, nuts, sunflower oil, soya beans; saturated – full-fat dairy, fatty meats; and trans fats – many snack foods.

Proteins
Purpose	Tissue growth – known as the body's building blocks. Athletes frequently use protein supplements in their diet and will consume protein immediately after training, sometimes as a 'shake'.
Examples	Animal products – meat, fish, dairy; plants – lentils, nuts, seeds; protein supplements and shakes.

Carbohydrates
Purpose	Source of energy. Divided into: simple carbohydrates – sugars and complex carbohydrates – starches. Athletes need to consume larger quantities of carbohydrate to fuel their training and performance. Prior to an endurance event such as a triathlon, athletes might 'carbo-load' to ensure they have enough to finish the race.
Examples	Simple – sugar, glucose, fructose; energy gels; complex – bread, pasta, rice, potatoes.

Fats
Purpose	Source of energy. Four types: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated (omega 3 and 6), saturated and trans fats. Fats are stored under the skin and are essential for health. Too much fat can limit an athlete's performance due to increased weight.
Examples	Monounsaturated – olive oil, avocados; polyunsaturated – oily fish, nuts, sunflower oil, soya beans; saturated – full-fat dairy, fatty meats; and trans fats – many snack foods.

Micronutrients

Micro simply means small. Micronutrients need to be eaten in smaller quantities than macronutrients but are absolutely essential to health.

	Purpose	Examples
Minerals	Essential for many processes, eg bone growth/strength, nervous system, red blood cells, immune system. Need small amounts only.	Calcium – milk, canned fish, broccoli; iron – watercress, brown rice, meat; zinc – shellfish, cheese, wheatgerm; potassium – fruit, pulses, white meat.
Vitamins	Essential for many processes, eg bone growth, metabolic rate, immune system, vision, nervous system. Need small amounts only.	A – dairy, oily fish, yellow fruit; B – vegetables, wholegrain cereals; C – citrus fruit, broccoli, sprouts; D – oily fish, eggs, fortified cereals.

Minerals
Purpose	Essential for many processes, eg bone growth/strength, nervous system, red blood cells, immune system. Need small amounts only.
Examples	Calcium – milk, canned fish, broccoli; iron – watercress, brown rice, meat; zinc – shellfish, cheese, wheatgerm; potassium – fruit, pulses, white meat.

Vitamins
Purpose	Essential for many processes, eg bone growth, metabolic rate, immune system, vision, nervous system. Need small amounts only.
Examples	A – dairy, oily fish, yellow fruit; B – vegetables, wholegrain cereals; C – citrus fruit, broccoli, sprouts; D – oily fish, eggs, fortified cereals.

Water/fluids

The body needs to be hydrated to stay healthy. Failing to replace lost fluids can result in . This is a more serious condition than lack of food. Women should drink around 1.6 litres (approximately 8 glasses) of fluid and men should drink around 2 litres (approximately 10 glasses) of fluid per day. This varies according to the temperature and how rigorous the exercise. All drinks count but water is the healthiest. Fruit juices are fine in moderation but do contain high levels of sugar.

Fibre/roughage

Fibre is an important part of a healthy diet. It is only found in plant-based foods. There are two types and each one helps the body in different ways:

fibre – helps to reduce cholesterol, eg oats, barley, fruit, root vegetables
fibre – keeps the bowel healthy, eg wholemeal cereals, wholemeal bread, nuts

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Diet and nutrition - EdexcelDifferent food types - nutrients, water and fibre