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7.1 Diet

Syllabus
0610–2026–2027
Topic
7.1
Level
—

Define a balanced diet

A balanced diet contains all the required nutrients and other dietary components in the correct amounts and proportions for a person's needs.

Required component Main contribution
carbohydrates and fats energy
proteins growth and repair
vitamins and mineral ions maintain particular body processes and structures
fibre supports movement through the alimentary canal
water solvent, transport medium and reaction environment

The correct amount is not identical for everyone. Energy and nutrient requirements vary with age, sex, body size, activity, pregnancy and health.

Too little of a component can cause deficiency; too much energy intake relative to use can increase fat storage and body mass. Balance therefore means adequacy without harmful excess.

A balanced diet is not simply eating equal amounts of every food group or avoiding all fat. It supplies different components in proportions matched to need.

Match dietary components to sources and functions

Learn each dietary component as a source–function pair: where it comes from and why the body needs it.

Component Principal sources Importance
carbohydrates bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and cereals main energy source for respiration
fats and oils butter, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and fatty foods concentrated energy source and store; thermal insulation and organ protection
proteins meat, fish, eggs, dairy foods, beans and pulses amino acids for growth and repair; making enzymes and other proteins
Component Principal sources Importance
vitamin C citrus fruits and fresh fruit/vegetables healthy connective tissue, gums and skin; wound healing
vitamin D oily fish, egg yolk, liver and fortified foods; also made in skin using sunlight calcium absorption and strong bones/teeth
calcium ions milk and other dairy foods; leafy green vegetables formation and maintenance of bones and teeth
iron ions red meat, liver, beans and leafy green vegetables making haemoglobin for oxygen transport
Component Principal sources Importance
fibre (roughage) wholegrain cereals, fruit and vegetables adds bulk and helps food/faeces move through the alimentary canal, reducing constipation
water drinks and water-rich foods solvent and transport medium; needed for reactions and temperature control

Vitamins and mineral ions do not provide energy. Fibre is not digested for energy in this syllabus; it helps movement through the gut.

Link vitamin deficiencies to scurvy and rickets

Scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency. Rickets is caused mainly by vitamin D deficiency, which reduces calcium absorption; insufficient dietary calcium can also contribute.

Deficiency disease Missing nutrient or cause Consequence Typical signs
scurvy too little vitamin C weak connective tissue and poor repair bleeding gums and slow wound healing
rickets too little vitamin D, often with inadequate calcium or little sunlight bones do not mineralise normally soft, weak or bowed bones and poor skeletal development

Vitamin-C-rich fruit and vegetables prevent scurvy. Vitamin D from diet and safe sunlight exposure, together with adequate calcium, supports normal bone development and helps prevent rickets.

Vitamin D is linked to rickets because it enables efficient calcium absorption; naming calcium alone without explaining vitamin D misses the principal syllabus deficiency link.

Do not swap the diseases: iron deficiency causes anaemia, protein deficiency can cause kwashiorkor, vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy and vitamin D deficiency causes rickets.