healthy living

2014 - 2015

Healthy Living (I):

Go for Everest Topic 1 Ms. Curmi

Ms. Curmi Topic 1: Healthy Living (I) Page 1

THE 7 BASIC FOOD SUBSTANCES

Our body needs food for:

For our body to do all this, it needs different types of nutrients. We call these the 7 basic food

substances. These are:

Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, Minerals, Vitamins, Fibre and Water

Some foods are richer in particular nutrients. The table below shows why we need each nutrient. Fill in

the table below with 3 examples of food sources:

Nutrient Use in the body Food Sources

Carbohydrates (e.g. starch & sugar)

To give us energy

Protein To grow and repair our body

Fat

To give us energy Fat is the energy store around our body.

Our body also uses fat to help us keep warm.

Minerals (e.g. calcium, iron)

Needed in small amounts to keep up healthy

Examples: Calcium is necessary for teeth & bones. Iron is needed for your red blood cells. Sodium & Potassium are needed by muscles & nerves.

Vitamins (e.g. Vitamin A, B, C)

Needed in small amounts to keep up healthy

Fibre (a.k.a. roughage)

Helps the food move through the intestines. (without it you can get

constipated)

Water Our body is 70% water. Water is

important so that our cells don't dry out

(we don't get dehydrated).

Growth Repair

Energy Health

Ms. Curmi Topic 1: Healthy Living (I) Page 2

A BALANCED DIET

Apart from eating from the 7 Basic Food Substances, one should eat the right amounts of each kind

of food. This can be done by following the food pyramid.

Finding the right balance

It is important to balance the amount of food we eat with who we are and what we do. The amount of

energy we need from our food...