Micronutrients: Vitamins, Minerals and Water

Small amounts, big jobs

Unlike protein, fat and carbohydrate, which the body needs in large amounts, micronutrients are needed only in tiny amounts. But a shortage of even a tiny amount can cause real harm, which is why they matter so much. There are three kinds to know: - Vitamins, such as A, D, the B group and C. - Minerals, such as calcium, iron and sodium. - Water, which is not a nutrient in the usual sense but is vital to life. A few functions to start you off: vitamin A helps vision, vitamin D helps the body take in calcium for bones and teeth, vitamin C keeps skin healthy and helps the body absorb iron, and iron makes the part of the blood that carries oxygen. Vitamins split into two families: fat-soluble ones the body can store, and water-soluble ones it cannot, so they are needed more regularly. This module works through each micronutrient, its sources and what a shortage does.

Words for nutrition

Five terms you need before you use them. Learn what each one means.

Match the micronutrient to its job

Fat-soluble against water-soluble

Vitamins fall into two families, and the difference changes how often you need them and how easily they are lost.

Name the risk

A person eats very little iron over a long time. Which condition are they most at risk of developing?

• anaemia
• scurvy
• rickets
• dehydration

Spot the true nutrition facts

Tap the TWO statements that are true.

• Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium for bones and teeth
• Water helps transport nutrients and control body temperature
• Water-soluble vitamins are easily stored by the body for years
• Eating a lot of salt lowers a person blood pressure

Do not forget water

It is easy to focus on vitamins and minerals and forget the nutrient the body needs most of all: water. More than half the body is water, and it does several vital jobs. - It transports nutrients around the body and carries away waste. - It helps control body temperature through sweating. - It is needed for almost every process inside the body to work. We get water from drinks and also from foods, especially fruit and vegetables. ⚠️ Too little water leads to dehydration, which brings headaches, tiredness and poor concentration, so a steady supply through the day matters as much as any vitamin.

What water does

Select the TWO true statements about water in the diet.

• It transports nutrients around the body and removes waste
• It helps control body temperature
• The body stores many months of water at a time
• Fruit and vegetables contain no water at all

Order the vitamin D story

Put the steps by which vitamin D helps build strong bones into order.

• Sunlight on the skin helps the body make vitamin D
• Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium from food
• The calcium is used to build bones and teeth
• The result is strong, healthy bones and teeth

Meeting a child growing fast

Here is how to match a person to the micronutrients they most need, worked through for a young child whose bones are growing quickly. What the child needs: bones and teeth that are growing fast need plenty of calcium, and they need vitamin D so the body can actually take that calcium in. Where to find it: milk, cheese and yoghurt are strong sources of calcium; oily fish and eggs provide vitamin D, and time spent outdoors lets sunlight help the skin make more. Why both together: calcium in the diet is of little use if the body cannot absorb it, which is why the two are always considered as a pair. When you plan for any person, ask what their stage of life demands, then choose foods that supply it.

Complete the nutrition facts

A nutrient the body needs only in small amounts is a _____. Vitamins A and D can be stored by the body, so they are described as _____ vitamins. The mineral that makes the part of the blood which carries oxygen is _____. The harm done by not getting enough of a nutrient over time is called a _____.

Build the nutrition rule

Choose the words that complete this statement about vitamins.

The micronutrient run

Five questions on vitamins, minerals and water. Three lives.

Advise on the diet

Read each case and choose the best advice, then think about why.

• A teenager often feels very tired and looks pale, and eats hardly any red meat, beans or leafy greens. Which micronutrient are they most likely short of?
• A cook boils vegetables for a long time in lots of water and then pours the water away. What is the nutrition concern?
• An older adult wants to keep their bones strong. Which pair of micronutrients should they make sure to get?

Explain the micronutrients

A student in the year below thinks only protein and carbohydrate matter in a diet. Explain why micronutrients matter, using what this module has covered.

• Explain what a micronutrient is and name the three kinds
• Give the function of one vitamin and one mineral, and a food source of each
• Explain the difference between fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins
• Explain one deficiency and the micronutrient that prevents it
• Finish by explaining why water is so important in the diet