NUTRITION

Food is any solid, liquid or semi-solid substance taken by an organism in order to carry out their daily
activities. Animals generally cannot manufacture their food. Rather, they depend directly or
indirectly on plants(autotrophs) for their food. Hence, they are called heterotrophs. Based on their
food types, animals are grouped into three:
1. Carnivores which feed on flesh or other animals e.g. lion.
2. Herbivores which feed on plants e.g goat.
3. Omnivores, which feed on both plants and animals e.g man
CLASSES OF FOOD SUBTANNCES
Foods eaten by animals are generally classified into seven i. e.
1)Carbohydrate ;2)Proteins;3)Fat and oil;4)Mineral Salt;5)Vitamins;6)Water;7)Roughages
CARBOHYDRATE
This is got from food like bread, yam rice etc. It basically consists of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Carbohydrates are of three types:

1. Monosaccharides (Simple sugars) which include glucose, fructose and galactose

2. Disaccharides (Reducing sugars) which include maltose, sucrose and lactose.
3. Polysaccharides (Complex sugars) e.g starch, cellulose, chitin under the action of enzymes
like ptyalin, maltase, lactase etc, and starch yields glucose as product of its digestion. Excess
carbohydrate is stored in the body in form of glycogen in muscles and liver. This can be
reconverted to glucose during starvation.
IMPORTANCE OF CARBOHYDRATES
1. It gives animals energy.
2. It provides heat needed to maintain body temperature
3. It can be used for lubrication e.g mucus.
4. It provides the body with a strong framework e.g. exoskeleton in insects.
PROTEINS
These are complex molecules made up of smaller units called amino acids. Protein is made up of
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sometimes phosphorus and sulphur. Food like egg, meat,
fish, beans etc gives you protein. Proteins are broken down into amino acids under the action of
enzymes like pepsin, rennin, trypsin and erepsin.
IMPORTANCE OF PROTEINS
1. Growth in young ones.
2. Repair of worn-out tissues.
3. Production of enzymes.
4. Production of hormones.
5. It supports reproduction.
6. It is for tissue and all formation i.e body building.
FATS & OIL (LIPIDS)
Fats are solid lipids at room temperature while oil is the liquid. Fat and oil consist of carbon,
hydrogen and little oxygen. When digested, it gives rise to fatty acids and glycerol. Foods like palm
oil, groundnut, Soya beans give fat and oil. Lipids are broken down to fatty acids and glycerol when
acted upon by lipase enzymes.
IMPORTANCE OF FAT AND OIL
1. It gives you energy even more than carbohydrates
2. It supplies essential fatty acids to the body.
3. It helps in the maintenance of body temperature
4. It provides the body with fat-soluble vitamins
MINERAL SALT
These are usually taken in very small quantity in the food we eat except sodium chloride (table salt)
and iron tablet, which can be taken directly by man. The lack of these salts results in nutritional
deficiency. The minerals include calcium, magnesium, potassium, Phosphorus, sulphur, chlorine,
iron, Iodine, fluorine, manganese, copper, cobalt and sodium.
IMPORTANCE OF MINERAL SALTS
1. Regulates body metabolisms
2. Components of bones and teeth
3. Aids blood formation
4. Control chemical reactions in the body
5. Aids the formation of enzymes and pigment
VITAMINS
These are organic food substances needed by man and other animals in small quantity for normal
growth and development. Lack of or inadequate supply of any of these vitamins results in nutritional
deficiency.
Vitamins can be grouped into two:

1. Water-soluble vitamins: These vitamins include: vitamins B complex and vitamin C. Vitamin B
complex include vitamin B2, B3 , B5, B6 and B12
2. Fat-soluble vitamins: These includes vitamins A, D, E and K.

VITAMINS, SOURCE FUNCTIONS AND DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS

SOURCE FUNCTION DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS

(i) Normal growth of
Liver, eggs, fish (i) Night blindness
Vitamin A
body cells and skin
milk, palm oil, fish (ii) Reduced resistance to
(Retinol)
Vegetables disease
(ii) Proper vision of the eye
(i) Normal growth
Yeast, milk, beans, Beri-beri (wasting of
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) (ii) Proper functioning of heart
Ground nut Muscles), paralysis
and nervous system
Yeast, soya beans, (i) Growth, proper functioning
Vitamin B2 (i) Slow growth
egg, milk, green of the eye
(Riboflavin) (ii) Dermatitis
Vegetables (ii) Formation of co-enzymes
Vitamin B3 Yeast, beans, milk,
Formation of co-enzymes for cellular
Pellagra
respiration
(Niacin) Vegetables
Vitamin B12 Kidney, liver, fish Formation of red blood Pernicious

(Cyanocobalamin) Milk Cells Anaemia

Vitamin C Fresh fruits and (i) Aids wound healing
Scurvy
(Ascorbic acid) Green vegetables (ii) Helps to resist infection
Vitamin D Fish, milk, egg, (i) Increases absorption Ricket;

(calciferol) Liver, sun’s Of calcium and phosphorus. Osteomalacia

 (ii) Calcification and hardening of
Ultraviolet rays
bones
Vitamin E Green vegetables, Promotion of fertility Sterility

(Ergosterol) Egg, butter, liver In animals Premature abortion

Vitamin Fresh green vegetables,
Aids blood clotting Haemorrhage
K (Phylloquinone) liver
WATER
This is of utmost importance to all organisms and it is made up of two elements, hydrogen and
oxygen. Water can be got from food, river, stream, pond etc. water makes up 75% of the human
body.
IMPORTANCE OF WATER
1. Metabolic activities of the body of animals.
2. Digestion of food.
3. Maintenance of body temperature.
4. It is a medium of transportation for all nutrients.
5. It helps to maintain the osmotic balance in body tissues.
6. It helps in excretion of metabolic waste from the body e.g urine.
ROUGHAGES
These are indigestible fibrous materials got from vegetables, fruit, carbohydrates and proteins.
Roughages aid digestion, lack of which can lead to constipation.
BALANCED DIET
Balanced diet is a diet containing a correct proportion of all the food substances. On a general note,
a balanced diet contains 15% protein, 15% fat and oil, 10% vitamin, minerals and water and 60%
carbohydrate. Once a food is taken at these proportions, there is a normal growth and development
in the body.
FUNCTIONS OF BALANCED DIET
1. It makes us healthy.
2. It gives ability to be resistant to diseases
3. It makes available energy needed to carry out all biological activities.
4. It prevents malnutrition and deficiency symptoms. For examples, a diet that lacks protein
results into a nutritional disease called kwashiokor in children.
DEFICIENCY DISEASES
These are diseases caused by insufficient supply of certain food substances in the diet.
Examples:
Ricket: Lack of vitamin
Kwashiokor: Lack of protein
Scurvy: Lack of vitamin C
Goitre: Lack of iodine
Night blindness: Lack of vitamin A

ASSIGNMENT

1. Mention five disease that may result from the deficiency of vitamins.
2. Make a table of important mineral elements in animals, their functions and deficiency
symptoms