Micronutrients - Vitamins, Minerals and Water
Some nutrients are needed in only tiny amounts but keep the body working. Meet the vitamins and the minerals, learn which vitamins are lost in cooking, and see why water matters so much.
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Free interactive practice on the decisions the assessment actually asks you to justify.
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Small amounts, big jobs
Not every nutrient is needed in large amounts. Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals the body needs in only tiny amounts, plus water. They do not give energy, but without them the body cannot work properly. This module looks at the key vitamins, the minerals and the role of water.
Micronutrient words
Four ideas run through this module. Learn them before you start.
Where are vitamins stored?
Vitamins fall into two groups. The difference decides whether the body can store them and whether cooking destroys them.
Match the vitamin
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin K
- Helps vision in dim light and acts as an antioxidant
- Keeps skin healthy and helps absorb iron; a lack causes scurvy
- Helps absorb calcium for strong bones; a lack causes rickets
- Helps the blood to clot
Lost in the pan
Which vitamin is easily lost when vegetables are boiled in water?
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin K
Fat-soluble against water-soluble
Vitamins A, D, E and K are _____ soluble and can be stored in the body. The B group and vitamin _____ are water soluble and are lost in cooking. Vitamin D helps the body absorb _____ for strong bones. The mineral _____ makes haemoglobin to carry oxygen. Vitamins A, C and E act as _____ that protect body cells.
Do not forget water
Water is a micronutrient too, and the body is mostly water. It controls body temperature through sweating, carries nutrients around the body, removes waste in urine and helps digestion. Aim for about six to eight glasses of fluid a day, and drink more in hot weather or when exercising.
Match the mineral
- Calcium
- Iron
- Sodium
- Fluoride
- Builds strong bones and teeth, helped by vitamin D
- Makes haemoglobin in red blood cells to carry oxygen
- Helps control the water balance, but too much raises blood pressure
- Strengthens tooth enamel and helps prevent decay
Pick the minerals
Which of these are minerals? Choose all that apply.
- Calcium
- Iron
- Iodine
- Vitamin C
- Starch
True or false
Tap the two statements that are true.
- Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium.
- Iron is needed to make red blood cells.
- Fat-soluble vitamins are lost in cooking water.
- A lack of iron causes scurvy.
Which deficiency?
A person does not get enough iron in their diet. Which condition can this cause?
- Anaemia
- Scurvy
- Rickets
- Night blindness
Keep the vitamin C
Put these steps for keeping the most vitamin C in cooked vegetables in the correct order.
- Prepare the vegetables just before cooking, not hours ahead
- Cook them in only a little water
- Cook for the shortest time needed
- Serve them straight away rather than keeping them warm
Which micronutrient?
Decide which micronutrient each person needs more of.
- A teenager is often tired and pale, and a blood test shows low haemoglobin.
- A young child gets little sunlight and few oily foods, and has soft, weak bones.
- An adult eats almost no fresh fruit or vegetables and their gums start to bleed.
Why water matters
Explain why the body needs water. Give two jobs that water does in the body and say what can happen without enough of it.
- Give two functions of water in the body
- Say how water is lost from the body
- Describe one sign that a person is not drinking enough