Physical & Health Education · Lesson 6

Food and nutrition, drugs and doping, physical fitness and conditioning

JAMBWAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

JAMB: classes, sources, balanced diet, diet planning, preservation and hygiene; nutrition: deficiencies, water; drugs: types, use, misuse, abuse, causes, effects and prevention) and Section E (physical fitness and conditioning programmes)

WAEC: nutrition and sports, drugs and doping, physical fitness and training

NECO: nutrition and sports, drugs and doping, physical fitness and training

What you will learn

State the classes, sources and functions of food.
Define a balanced diet and plan diets for different groups.
Name deficiency diseases and their causes.
Explain the importance of water, hydration and food hygiene and preservation.
Define drug use, misuse and abuse and classify drugs.
State causes, effects and prevention of drug abuse and explain doping and the WADA Code.
Define physical fitness and its components and benefits.
Apply training principles and methods and design a conditioning programme.
Describe fitness tests and calculate BMI.

Key points

Food classes and functions; fibre prevents constipation.
Energy: carbohydrate 4, protein 4, fat 9 kcal/g.
Balanced diet; WHO: fruit/veg ≥400 g, sugars <10%, salt <5 g, fats <30%.
Diets for infants, adolescents, pregnant women, athletes, elderly.
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies; kwashiorkor vs marasmus.
Water: 50–60% of body weight; replace sweat losses; 2% loss impairs performance.
Food hygiene (Five Keys) and preservation; aflatoxins; NAFDAC.
Drug use, misuse, abuse; types; NDLEA (1989).
Causes, effects and prevention of drug abuse; tobacco and alcohol harms.
WADA 1999; Prohibited List; strict liability; TUE.
Fitness components; WHO 60 min/day for 5–17s; principles and methods of training.
Tests and BMI; immediate vs long-term effects; overtraining.

Start here: Food: classes, sources and importance

Food is any substance that, when eaten, digested and absorbed, gives the body energy, materials for growth and repair, and substances that regulate body processes. Nutrients are the chemical components of food that do these jobs.

The classes of food

Carbohydrates: sugars, starches and fibre. Main source of energy (about 4 kcal per gram), especially for high-intensity exercise. Sources: rice, yam, cassava (garri, fufu), maize, millet, sorghum, bread, plantain, potatoes, sugar. Stored as glycogen in liver and muscle.
Proteins: made of amino acids. Needed for growth and repair of tissues, enzymes, hormones and antibodies. Animal sources (meat, fish, eggs, milk, crayfish, snails) provide all essential amino acids; plant sources (beans, soya, groundnuts, melon/egusi, cowpea) can be combined, e.g. rice and beans, to give a complete mix.
Fats and oils (lipids): concentrated energy (about 9 kcal per gram), insulation, protection of organs, carry fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K. Sources: palm oil, groundnut oil, butter, avocado, nuts, oily fish. Unsaturated (plant and fish) fats are healthier than saturated (animal fat) and industrial trans fats.
Vitamins: small amounts needed to regulate body processes (6.3).
Mineral salts: calcium, iron, iodine, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc (6.3).
Water: about 50–60% of adult body weight (6.4).
Dietary fibre (roughage): indigestible plant material from vegetables, fruit, beans and whole grains; prevents constipation and helps control blood sugar and cholesterol.

Importance of food

Energy for work and play; growth in children and adolescents; repair of injured tissue; protection against disease; regulation of body temperature and processes; good mental performance in class; and, for athletes, fuel for training and recovery.

Worked example 6.1 (JAMB style)

Which food class is mainly for growth and repair? (A) carbohydrates (B) fats (C) proteins (D) vitamins. Answer: C.

Worked example 6.2

A meal provides 60 g carbohydrate, 20 g protein and 10 g fat. Estimate its energy. (60 + 20) × 4 + 10 × 9 = 320 + 90 = 410 kcal.

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Practice questions

1. Carbohydrates and proteins each provide about

4 kcal per gram
9 kcal per gram
7 kcal per gram
1 kcal per gram

Show answer

A: 4 kcal per gram
Fat 9 kcal/g.

2. Fat provides about

4 kcal per gram
2 kcal per gram
15 kcal per gram
9 kcal per gram

Show answer

D: 9 kcal per gram
The most energy per gram.

3. Scurvy is caused by lack of

iodine
iron
vitamin C
vitamin D

Show answer

C: vitamin C
Bleeding gums.

4. Night blindness is caused by lack of

calcium
vitamin A
vitamin K
vitamin B12

Show answer

B: vitamin A
Vitamin A is needed for the retina.

5. Anaemia is commonly caused by lack of

iron
iodine
vitamin D
fluoride

Show answer

A: iron
Iron forms haemoglobin.

Key words

Nutrient: Chemical in food used by the body.
Balanced diet: Diet with all food classes in correct proportions.
Malnutrition: Under- or over-nutrition.
Kwashiorkor: Protein deficiency disease with oedema.
Marasmus: Severe energy and protein deficiency with wasting.
Dehydration: Excess loss of body water.
Drug abuse: Non-medical, harmful use of a substance.
Tolerance: Needing more drug for the same effect.
Doping: Use of prohibited substances or methods in sport.
Strict liability: Athlete responsible for any banned substance in their sample.
TUE: Therapeutic Use Exemption.
Physical fitness: Ability to do daily tasks vigorously without undue fatigue.

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