Which nutrient is missing?
Twelve cards show a sign of poor diet, such as night blindness or a swollen neck, or a food that prevents one, such as carrots or iodised salt. Find out what each tells you, then sort them by the vitamin or mineral they are about.
Core concept
A lack of one nutrient causes a deficiency disease: vitamin A night blindness, vitamin C scurvy, vitamin D rickets, vitamin B1 beriberi, iron anaemia and iodine goitre; foods rich in that nutrient prevent it
Topic: Our body and health
Our body needs small amounts of vitamins and minerals every day. When the diet lacks one of them for a long time, a deficiency disease appears, and each has its own signs. Too little vitamin A makes it hard to see in dim light (night blindness). Too little vitamin C makes the gums bleed (scurvy). Without vitamin D, which the skin makes in sunlight, bones grow soft and bent (rickets). Polished white rice with little else can leave people short of vitamin B1 (beriberi). Too little iron gives anaemia, with tiredness and pale skin, and too little iodine makes the thyroid in the neck swell (goitre). Each one is prevented by eating foods rich in the missing nutrient: Something in food that the body needs to grow and stay healthy, like protein or vitamins. All key words.
What you will learn
- Name six deficiency diseases and the nutrient each lacks.
- Name a food or habit that prevents each one.
- Explain why a varied diet prevents deficiency diseases.
Before you start
- Know the main nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals.
Materials
- Food labels from a few packets at home
Equipment
- None
Procedure
- Pick a card and press “What it tells you”.
- Press “What to eat” to see the foods that help.
- Check at least eight cards, then sort them all by nutrient.