Nutrients

Nutrients

Nutrients nourish our body and give us energy. Energy is the ability to do work. Our body uses energy for every action to move, to breathe, to think, to grow. Repairing body parts when we get hurt takes energy too, all this energy comes from nutrients in the food.

You know that all foods contain moisture. The solid part of food is made up mostly of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Carbohydrates and fats supply our body with fuel for energy. If the carbohydrates and fats are not used for energy, they are stored in our body as fat. Proteins provide our body with material for growth and repair. Protein foods also contain some carbohydrates or fats. Meat always has fat with the protein, even if the meat is lean; milk has both carbohydrates and fat with the protein. Vitamins and minerals are other important nutrients which help or body to function properly.

The research workers proved that a balanced diet contains all the nutrients necessary to keep us healthy. No one food supplies all the nutrients that our body needs. Because some foods are high in certain nutrients and other foods are high in other nutrients, it is important for us to eat a variety of foods.

Over half of the food we eat should be in the form of carbohydrates. Most of the carbohydrate foods should be complex ones. Sweet foods such as sugar, jam, syrup, frosting, cake and candy are not a good source of carbohydrates. Our body needs vitamins and minerals to change sugar into energy. But refined sugar has no vitamins or minerals in it. The best sources of carbohydrates contain natural sugar or starch as well as vitamins and minerals. When we are not very active we should get most of the carbohydrates that we need from fruits and vegetables because they are low in fat.

Task 1. Translate from English into Russian:

Carbohydrates, fats and proteins; to supply the body with fuel; repairing body parts; be stored in the body as fat; lean meat; other important nutrients; to function properly; to provide the body with material; for growth and repair; to contain natural sugar and starch; to keep people healthy.

Task 2. Give English equivalents:

1. давать энергию 6) жиры, белки, углеводы

2. способность выполнять работу 7) витамины, минералы и др.полезные вещества

3. содержать влагу 8) превращать сахар в энергию

4. рафинированный сахар 9) сахарная глазурь

5. источник углеводов 10) кормить, питать

Task 3. Guess the word according to its definition.

The answers are in the table, two of them are extra:

moisture properly protein fuel refined to supply to breathe nutrient to store

1. a substance that provides nourishment essential for the maintenance of life and for growth –

2. a substance found in food and drink such as meat, eggs, and milk. You need protein in order to grow and be healthy –

3. a substance such as coal, oil, or petrol that is burned to provide heat or power –

4. make (something needed or wanted) available to someone; provide –

5. tiny drops of water in the air, on a surface, or in the ground –

6. with impurities or unwanted elements having been removed by processing –

7. to take air into the lungs and then expel it, especially as a regular physiological process –

Task 4. Complete the sentences:

1. Energy is the ability to …

2. … nourish our body and give us …

3. The solid part of food is made up of …

4. … and … supply our body with fuel for energy.

5. A balanced diet contains …

6. Our body needs … and … to change sugar into energy.

7. The best sources of carbohydrates contain …

8. If the carbohydrates and fats are not used for energy, they …

Task 5. True or False? If the sentence is false, try to use the polite ways of correcting it:

Polite phrases: Excuse me, but you’re mistaken … It seems to me, you’re wrong … I see your point but … It’s the other way around …

1. Fats are any of a large group of organic compounds occurring in foods and living tissues and including sugars, starch, and cellulose. They contain hydrogen and oxygen in the same ratio as water (2:1) and typically can be broken down to release energy in the animal body.

2. Protein is the main constituent of the body, making up the muscles, internal organs, skin, and blood, etc.

3. Vegetables always have fat with the protein.

4. If you say that a person or animal is fat, you mean that they have a lot of flesh on their body and that they weigh too much.

5. Vitamin deficiency is a condition when you feel very well and healthy.

6. A balanced diet contains all the nutrients necessary to keep us healthy.

7. The solid part of food is made up mostly of moisture and some minerals.

Task 6. Answer the questions:

1. What is the role of nutrients?

2. What is the solid part of food made up?

3. What nutrients does meat contain of?

4. What kind of diet do the researchers name a balanced diet?

5. What happens to the body, if the carbohydrates and fats are not used for energy?

6. What is the bad sources of carbohydrates?

7. What is the best sources of carbohydrates?