Nutrition

How are nutrients moved through the body?

How are nutrients moved through the body?

• Digested molecules of food, and water and minerals, are absorbed from the small intestine.

• Most absorbed materials go into the blood and are carried off in the bloodstream to other parts of the body for storage or more chemical change.

Describe carbohydrates

• The body's main energy source.

• Sugars, starch, and fiber.

• Made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms.

Describe carbohydrates• Some of our most common foods contain

mostly carbohydrates.

• Examples are bread, potatoes, rice, spaghetti, fruits, and vegetables. Many of these foods contain both starch and fiber.

• Provide fuel for the body

Describe protein

Describe protein• Made up of amino acids that is used for

replacement and repair of body cells and has large molecules that contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen; found in meats, fish, and beans.

Describe protein

• Must be digested by enzymes before they can be used to build and repair body tissues.

• An enzyme in the stomach starts the digestion of protein.

Describe protein• Digestion of the protein is finished in the

small intestine.

• Several enzymes from the pancreas and the lining of the intestine continue the breakdown of huge protein molecules into small molecules called amino acids.

Describe protein

• Amino acids can be absorbed from the small intestine into the blood and then be carried to all parts of the body to build the walls and other parts of cells.

Describe fat

Describe fat• Also called lipids.

• Are necessary because they provide energy and help your body absorb vitamins.

• Fat tissue cushions your internal organs.

Describe fat

• A major part of every cell membrane is made up of fat.

• The first step in digestion of a fat is to dissolve it into the watery contents of the intestine.

Describe fat

• The bile combines with the fatty acids and cholesterol and help these molecules to move into the cells lining the intestine. In these cells the small molecules are made back into large molecules.

Describe fat

• Most of the large molecules pass into blood vessels near the intestine. These small vessels carry the fat to the veins of the chest, and the blood carries the fat to storage depots in different parts of the body.

Describe vitamins

Describe vitamins

• A vital part of our food that is absorbed from the small intestine.

• Needed in small quantities for growth, regulating body functions, and preventing disease.

Describe vitamins

• The two different types of vitamins are classified by the fluid in which they can be dissolved: water-soluble vitamins (all the B vitamins and vitamin C) and fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, and K).

Describe minerals

Describe minerals

• Inorganic nutrients—nutrients that lack carbon

• Regulate many chemical reactions in your body

Describe minerals

• Your body uses about 14 minerals.

• Minerals build cells, take part in chemical reactions in cells, send nerve impulses throughout your body, and carry oxygen to body cells.

Describe water

Describe water

• Most of the nutrients in your body can't be used unless they are carried in a solution. This means that they have to be dissolved in water.

• In cells, chemical reactions take place in solutions.

Describe water

• Most of the material absorbed from the cavity of the small intestine is water in which salt is dissolved.

• The salt and water come from the food and liquid we swallow and the juices secreted by the many digestive glands.

For more information about the digestive system, click here:

http://kidshealth.org/kid/body/digest_noSW.html