D. Healthy Living · Healthy Living

Nutrients: What Food Does for My Body

D1.1 A1.6About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can name the key nutrients: carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals (plus fibre and water).
I can name foods and drinks that give me each nutrient.
I can explain how nutrients help me grow, stay healthy in body and mind, learn and be active.

Words to know

nutrient
A part of food or drink that your body needs to grow, work and stay healthy.

carbohydrates
Nutrients that give your body and brain energy. Found in grains, fruits, vegetables, beans and milk.

protein
A nutrient that helps your body build and repair muscles and other parts. Found in beans, lentils, fish, eggs, meat, nuts, tofu and milk.

fat
A nutrient that stores energy and helps your body use some vitamins. Healthier fats are in nuts, seeds, avocado, fish and vegetable oils.

vitamins
Small nutrients with big jobs, like helping you see, heal and fight germs.

minerals
Nutrients like calcium and iron that build bones and teeth and help your blood carry oxygen.

fibre
The part of plant foods that helps food move through your body.

Why does your body need food?

A car needs fuel. A plant needs sunlight and water. You need food and water! But food is not just one thing. Inside every bite are tiny helpers called nutrients. Each nutrient has a job. Today you'll become a nutrient expert and find out what food really does for you.

Remember from Grades 2 and 3

You learned to use Canada's Food Guide: fill half your plate with vegetables and fruits, a quarter with whole grain foods and a quarter with protein foods, and make water your drink of choice. In Grade 3 you learned that fresh and lightly processed foods keep more of their good parts. This year you'll find out why: those foods are full of nutrients.

Canada's Food Guide plate: half vegetables and fruits, a quarter whole grain foods, a quarter protein foods, and water to drink.

The key nutrients and their jobs

Nutrients are like a team. Each player has a different job, and you need the whole team to win.

Vegetables, fruits, whole grain bread, oats, rice, lentils, salmon, eggs, cheese and milk on a wooden table. — Each food brings different nutrients: salmon, eggs and lentils have protein; whole grains have carbohydrates and fibre; milk and cheese have calcium; fruits and vegetables have vitamins. AI-generated image

Nutrient	Its job in your body	Foods that have it
Carbohydrates	Give your body and brain energy. Your brain uses lots of energy to think and learn!	whole grain bread, oatmeal, brown rice, pasta, fruits, vegetables, beans
Protein	Builds and repairs muscles, skin, hair and other body parts. Helps you grow.	beans, lentils, tofu, fish, eggs, chicken, meat, nuts, seeds, milk, yogurt
Fat	Stores energy, keeps you warm, and helps your body use some vitamins (A, D, E and K). Your brain needs some fat too.	nuts, seeds, avocado, fish like salmon, vegetable oils
Vitamins	Help in many ways. Vitamin A helps your eyes see. Vitamin C helps cuts heal and helps fight germs. Vitamin D helps build strong bones.	carrots and sweet potatoes (A); oranges, strawberries and red peppers (C); milk, fortified soy drink and fish (D)
Minerals	Calcium builds strong bones and teeth. Iron helps your blood carry oxygen all around your body.	milk, yogurt, cheese, fortified soy drink (calcium); beans, lentils, meat, fortified cereal (iron)

The five key nutrients. Most foods have more than one nutrient.

The nutrient team: each nutrient has a different job, and you need the whole team.

Two more helpers: fibre and water

Fibre is in plant foods like whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans. It helps food move through your body and helps you feel full.
Water is in every part of your body. It helps keep you cool, carries nutrients around and helps you think clearly. When you're thirsty, water is the best choice.

How nutrients help you every day

The curriculum asks you to think about four ways nutrients help:

Growth: protein, calcium and vitamin D help your muscles and bones grow.
Health of body and mind: vitamins and minerals help you fight germs. Eating regular meals helps keep your mood steady. When you're very hungry, it's easier to feel grumpy or tired.
Learning: carbohydrates give your brain energy so you can focus in class. A healthy breakfast helps your morning go better.
Physical performance: carbohydrates fuel running and playing, protein helps muscles recover, and water stops you from getting overheated.

No single food has every nutrient. That's why eating a variety of foods, like the Food Guide plate shows, is so important.

Worked example

Let's find the nutrients in a lunch

Maya's lunch: a whole grain wrap with chicken and lettuce, an orange, and water. Which nutrients does she get?

Whole grain wrap: carbohydrates for energy, and fibre.
Chicken: protein to build and repair muscles, plus iron.
Lettuce: vitamins and fibre.
Orange: vitamin C to help fight germs and heal, carbohydrates and fibre.
Water: keeps her cool and helps her think. Notice the lunch has all three parts of the plate.

Maya gets carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water. It's a well-balanced lunch.

Worked example

Let's think like a nutrient expert

Jonah has a hockey game after school. He's choosing a snack. What should he think about?

His body needs energy for skating: that means carbohydrates.
His muscles need help to recover: that means some protein.
He'll sweat, so he needs water.
A snack like yogurt with berries or an apple with a handful of cheese cubes gives carbohydrates and protein. He drinks water too.

A good pre-game snack has carbohydrates for energy, some protein, and water.

Hands-on activity

Nutrient detective in the kitchen

You need: a grown-up, your kitchen, paper and a pencil.

Make a chart with 5 columns: Carbohydrates | Protein | Fat | Vitamins | Minerals.
With your grown-up, find 8 foods in your kitchen (fridge, cupboard, fruit bowl).
Use the table in this lesson to put each food in a column. Some foods go in more than one column. That's okay! Milk, for example, has carbohydrates, protein, fat (unless it's skim), vitamins and calcium.
Look at a food package. Find the Nutrition Facts table and look for the words protein, carbohydrate, fat, calcium and iron.
Which column has the most foods? Which has the fewest? Talk about one food you could add to fill a gap.

No cutting or cooking is needed for this activity.

Just for fun

Funny but true: the first carrots people grew were mostly purple or yellow. Orange carrots became popular much later!

Your turn

Name the five key nutrients.

Which nutrient gives your body and brain energy quickly?

Which nutrient builds and repairs muscles?

Which mineral builds strong bones and teeth? Name a food that has it.

What does iron do?

Name a food with vitamin C and say how vitamin C helps you.

Why is it important to eat many different foods?

More practice: warm-up

True or false: protein is found in beans and lentils.

Which helps food move through your body: fibre or fat?

Name one food that has healthy fat.

Which vitamin helps your eyes see?

What is the best drink when you're thirsty?

More practice: on your own

Sam skips breakfast and feels tired and can't focus by 10 o'clock. Which nutrient is he most likely missing, and why does it matter for learning?

A glass of milk helps you grow in two ways. Explain.

Sort into carbohydrates or protein: oatmeal, eggs, brown rice, tofu, banana.

Why do athletes drink water during practice?

Your friend says, "Fat is always bad." Is that right? Explain.

Challenge

Design a supper plate using the Food Guide. Name one food for each part and one nutrient each food gives.

Explain how eating well could help you in gym class and in a math test on the same day.

Lin doesn't drink milk. Suggest two other ways she could get calcium.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which nutrient gives your brain energy to learn?

Which nutrient builds and repairs muscles?

Calcium helps build...

Which food is a good source of vitamin C?

Which mineral helps your blood carry oxygen?

Why should you eat a variety of foods?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: This lesson covers the Grade 4 expectation to identify the key nutrients provided by foods and beverages, and describe their importance for growth, mental and physical health, learning, and physical performance (D1.1). The curriculum's examples are fat, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals; fibre and water are added as helpers.

How to help at home:

Name nutrients casually at meals: "These beans have protein to help your muscles grow."
Look at the Nutrition Facts table on a few packages together.
Let your child help plan one meal using the Food Guide plate.

Common difficulties: thinking a food has only one nutrient (most have several); thinking all fat is bad; mixing up vitamins and minerals. Keep the focus on what foods do for the body, not on "good" and "bad" foods or on weight.

If your child has food allergies, follows a vegetarian diet, or your family's foods differ from the examples, swap in foods you eat. The goal is understanding nutrients, not following one menu.

This lesson also builds critical and creative thinking (A1.6) as your child sorts foods and plans meals.