Author: D Edwards Staff 8922005

What is nutrition?

How do living things get their nutrition?

Nutrition is about how our bodies get what they need to function from food and drink.
There are five main food groups, essential for us to be healthy humans:

Animals, including humans, cannot generate their own food, so must get it from other sources.

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Animals including Humans
Nutrition

At any stage in a food chain, if animals do not get enough food they will starve and eventually die. If they don't eat the right types of foods they can often become unhealthy.
Most animals don't eat more than they need, but some of our pet dogs and cats might become overweight if they eat too much - just like us!

What is the purpose of skeletons and muscles?

A well-balanced, nutritious diet keeps our muscles and bones in healthy condition.
A poor diet often leaves our bones and muscles in a worse condition, and often they cannot fulfil their functions effectively.

BONES
protect soft, vital organs e.g. the brain and lungs.
make red blood cells and white blood cells in bone marrow.
support your entire body to move

MUSCLES
they tighten and loosen to create movement
help move it in the right direction.
allow us to perform many everyday tasks.