3.2 Food, nutrition and health

This section requires students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the following subject content:

Macronutrients

Protein

Content

Students must know and understand

Suggested application and food preparation skills

  • low and high biological value proteins
  • protein complementation
  • protein alternatives eg textured vegetable protein (TVP), soya, mycoprotein and tofu.
  • the functions
  • main sources
  • effects of deficiency and excess
  • related dietary reference values.
  • Modify recipes for vegetarian diets.
  • Knife skills – meat, fish or their alternatives (S2).
  • How acids denature and coagulate protein (S9).
  • Make a bolognese sauce using meat or a meat alternative such as soya (S8).

Fats

Content

Students must know and understand

Suggested application and food preparation skills
  • saturated fats
  • unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated).
  • the functions
  • main sources
  • effects of deficiency and excess
  • related dietary reference values.
  • Make a pastry, shape and finish a pastry (S10).
  • Use food processor to make pastry (S5).
  • Adapt methods of cooking to reduce fat, eg grilling instead of frying, baking instead of roasting (S4).
  • Modify a recipe to reduce total fat.

Carbohydrates

Content

Students must know and understand

Suggested application and food preparation skills
  • starch (polysaccharides)
  • sugars (monosaccharides/disaccharides)
  • dietary fibre.
  • the functions
  • main sources
  • effects of deficiency and excess
  • related dietary reference values.
  • Use starch to set a mixture (S12).
  • Demonstrate proving to make bread rolls using high fibre flour (S10).
  • Modify a recipe to increase fibre.

Micronutrients

Vitamins

Content

Students must know and understand

Suggested application and food preparation skills

Fat soluble

  • vitamin A
  • vitamin D
  • vitamin E
  • vitamin K
  • the functions
  • main sources
  • effects of deficiency and excess
  • related dietary reference values.

Knife skills – fillet and slice fish and/or fruits and vegetables (S2).

Water soluble

  • B group – B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), folic acid, B12
  • vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
  • loss of water soluble vitamins when cooking (B group and Vitamin C).
  • the functions
  • main sources
  • effects of deficiency and excess
  • related dietary reference values
  • how preparation and cooking affects the nutritional properties of food.
  • Cooking methods – water based using the hob – steaming, boiling, simmering and poaching (S6).
  • Knife skills – cut fruit and vegetables into even size pieces (ie batons, julienne) (S2).

Antioxidant functions of vitamins

  • vitamin A
  • vitamin C
  • vitamin E.

The role of antioxidants in protecting body cells from damage.

Preparing fruit and vegetables eg making different salads inclusive of vegetables, nuts or eggs which contain antioxidant vitamins (S2/S3).

Minerals

Content

Students must know and understand

Suggested application and food preparation skills

  • calcium
  • iron
  • sodium (salt)
  • fluoride
  • iodine
  • phosphorus.
  • the functions
  • main sources
  • effects of deficiency and excess
  • related dietary reference values.
  • Preparing vegetables, meats or alternatives which are high in iron (S2).
  • Preparing dairy foods, which are high in calcium, for example when making a white sauce (S8).
  • Reducing the salt in recipes eg when tasting and seasoning, replace salt with herbs and spices.

Water

Content

Students must know and understand

Suggested application and food preparation skills

The importance of hydration and the functions of water in the diet.
  • functions of water to eliminate waste from the body, cooling and for digestion.
  • how water is lost from the body.
  • how much water/fluid is needed each day.
  • occasions when extra fluids are needed.

Preparing fruit and vegetables, for example in soup making – scissor snip, crush, grate, peel. Make juices and smoothies (S3).

Nutritional needs and health

Making informed choices for a varied and balanced diet

Content

Students must know and understand

Suggested application and food preparation skills

  • the current guidelines for a healthy diet.
  • portion size and costing when meal planning.
  • how peoples’ nutritional needs change and how to plan a balanced diet for different life stages.
  • how to plan a balanced meal for specific dietary groups.
  • how to maintain a healthy body weight throughout life.
  • the current guidelines for a healthy diet eg eatwell plate.
  • nutritional needs for the following life stages: young children, teenagers, adults and the elderly.
  • how to plan a balanced meal for specific dietary groups: vegetarian and vegan, coeliac, lactose intolerant and high fibre diets.
  • Consideration of the nutritional needs and food choices when selecting recipes, including when making decisions about the ingredients, processes, cooking methods and portion sizes.
  • To plan, prepare, cook, modify, and create recipes to meet different dietary groups and life stages.

Energy needs

Content

Students must know and understand

Suggested application and food preparation skills

  • the basal metabolic rate (BMR) and physical activity level (PAL) and their importance in determining energy requirements.
  • the recommended percentage of energy intake provided by protein, fat and carbohydrates (starch and sugar).
  • factors which affect the BMR, such as age, gender and PAL. Their importance in achieving energy balance.
  • the percentage of recommended energy sources from nutrients:
    • protein 15%
    • fat 35% or less
    • carbohydrate 50% (of which 45% from starches, lactose in milk and fruit sugars and a maximum of 5% from free sugars).
  • general practical skills (S1).
  • demonstrate portion sizes according to life stage/PAL level.

How to carry out nutritional analysis

Content

Students must know and understand

Suggested application and food preparation skills

how to plan and modify recipes, meals and diets to reflect the nutritional guidelines for a healthy diet.

how to use current nutritional information and data eg food tables, nutritional analysis software to calculate energy and nutritional value.

Plan, make and modify dishes calculating energy and nutritional values.

Diet, nutrition and health

Content

Students must know and understand

Suggested application and food preparation skills

  • the relationship between diet, nutrition and health
  • the major diet related health risks.

how diet can affect health and how nutritional needs change in relation to:

  • obesity
  • cardiovascular health (coronary heart disease (CHD) and high blood pressure)
  • bone health (rickets and osteoporosis)
  • dental health
  • iron deficiency anaemia
  • Type 2 diabetes.

Select and adjust cooking process to match the recipe and take account of dietary group eg grill meat rather than fry to reduce the fat content as a high saturated fat intake is a risk factor for CHD (S1).