School › Food and nutrients › Ages 10–11
Nutrients: what food does for you
Food contains nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and fibre. Learn what each one does, how a balanced diet is built, and become a sugar detective by comparing food labels fairly.
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The Eatwell Guide shows a balanced diet: just over a third of what we eat should be fruit and vegetables and just over a third starchy foods, with smaller amounts of protein foods, dairy and a little oil. The balance matters over a day or a week, not at every meal.[1]
Carbohydrates include sugars and starches. Sugars such as fruit sugar and table sugar are simple carbohydrates; starches are long chains of simple ones. Starchy foods are a main source of energy.[6][1]
Proteins are made of building blocks called amino acids. The body needs protein to grow and to maintain and replace tissues: muscle and skin are built of protein. Beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat are protein foods.[6][1]
Fats are needed for growth and energy. All fats are high in energy, so we only need small amounts; unsaturated oils such as olive or sunflower oil are the better choice.[6][1]
Vitamins and minerals are needed in small amounts. Vitamin C (in citrus fruits and peppers) helps wounds heal, calcium (in dairy and dark green vegetables) builds bones, and iron (in meat, fish and beans) helps carry oxygen in the blood. Minerals cannot be made by the body, so they must come from food.[7]
Fibre helps digestion and can prevent constipation. Children aged 5 to 11 need about 20 g of fibre a day, from foods such as wholegrain bread, oats, beans, fruit and vegetables.[4]
Free sugars are sugars added to food and drink, plus the sugar in honey, syrups and fruit juice. Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24 g a day, about 6 sugar cubes. The sugar inside whole fruit and in milk does not count as free sugar.[3]
Try it: Sugar detectives: comparing food labels
You need
- 6–8 empty, clean food packets (breakfast cereals, yoghurt pots, cereal bars, drink cartons)
- A ruler
- Red, amber and green pencils
Safety
Use empty, clean packets only and do not open or taste any food (allergies). Be kind: nobody should be judged for the foods their family buys.
What to do
- On each packet, find the nutrition table and the line 'of which sugars'.
- Write down the sugars per 100 g (not per portion) for each product in the table.
- Colour each result: green if it is 5 g or less, red if it is more than 22.5 g, amber if it is in between.
- Put the products in order from lowest to highest sugar per 100 g.
- Discuss: why is it fairer to compare per 100 g than per portion?
- Look for the front-of-pack traffic lights, if the packet has them. Do they agree with your colours?
What happens, and why?
Portions on packets are different sizes, so comparing 'per 100 g' compares the same amount of every food: that makes it a fair test. Labels call a food high in sugar if it has more than 22.5 g per 100 g and low if it has 5 g or less. Remember that 'total sugars' on a label also include the natural sugars in fruit and milk.[3][8]
Play: Which nutrient?
Each card describes a nutrient. Is it a carbohydrate, a protein, or a vitamin or mineral?
Your best score is kept only on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Quiz
Other ages: Ages 6–7 · Ages 15–16