AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition: Revision Guide

Key learning: What you must know about MINERALS (micronutrients) Calcium • Strong bones and teeth • Makes nerves and muscles work • Helps blood clot after injury Milk, cheese, yogurt; green leafy vegetables; canned fish; enriched soya drinks; wheat flour (added by law to plain white flour) • Bones and teeth weaken • Bones bend • Nerves and muscles don’t work properly • Blood will not clot after injury Iron • Makes haemoglobin in red blood cells to carry oxygen to all body cells to produce energy Red meat, kidney, liver; wholemeal bread, added to wheat flour (except wholemeal); green leafy vegetables (e.g. watercress, spinach, cabbage); egg yolk; dried apricots; lentils; cocoa, plain chocolate; curry powder; fortified breakfast cereals • Iron deficiency anaemia • Tiredness and lack of energy • Weakness • Pale skin complexion • Weak and spilt nails • Too much iron: poisonous if too much taken, e.g. in supplements Sodium • Controls water in body • Makes nerves and muscles work properly Salt ( sodium chloride); salted foods; cheese, yeast extract, stock cubes, gravies and seasonings, snack foods (e.g. crisps), canned fish, bacon, ham, dried fish, soy sauce, salted butter, fast foods and many ready meals; baking powder (cakes, biscuits, baked desserts); takeaway foods • Muscle cramps • Too much sodium (salt): leads to high blood pressure and cardio–vascular disease Fluoride • Strengthens tooth enamel and bones Seafood, fish, tea, some water supplies • Weak enamel – more chance of tooth decay • Too much fluoride: may lead to discoloured teeth Iodine • Makes thyroxin in thyroid gland to control metabolic rate of body Seafood, vegetables, dairy foods • Swelling in neck (goitre) Phosphorus • Strong bones and teeth • Energy release • Makes cell membranes especially in the brain Wide range of foods • Rare Revision tip When answering a question about minerals, make sure you are clear about the health conditions and diseases that are linked to them, for example: Calcium has four health conditions and diseases linked to it: Rickets – caused by a de ciency (not enough) of vitamin D in children, which means that calcium can’t be absorbed and put into the bones. Osteomalacia – this is the adult form of rickets. Peak bone mass – the age at which the bones should contain the maximum amount of minerals and are at their strongest and most dense (30–35 years old). Osteoporosis – after peak bone mass is reached, the bones naturally start to lose minerals and gradually weaken. The minerals are not replaced. The bones gradually weaken and in some people can become very fragile and break easily. vitamins & minerals Applying your learning • Plan a two-course main meal for a teenage girl who is suffering from anaemia. Explain how your meal will provide the right nutrients to help to cure the anaemia. Mineral What minerals do in the body (their functions) Main sources of minerals De ciency (not enough) of minerals in diet 5 Minerals Book-link: 1.1.5 Minerals, pages 30–35 3321 Chapter 1: Nutrients : Minerals