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The Importance Of A Balanced Diet And Regular Exercise

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Unit 1: Biology 1 B1.1 Keeping Healthy A combination of a balanced diet and regular exercise is needed to help keep the body healthy. Our bodies provide an excellent environment for many microbes which can make us ill once they are inside us. Our bodies need to stop most microbes getting in and deal with any microbes which do get in. Vaccination can be used to prevent infection. Nutrients A mixture of different types of food in the correct amounts is needed to maintain health. The main food groups are carbohydrates, fats and proteins. This table summarises some typical sources of these nutrients and why our bodies need them. The main food groups Food group Found in Needed by our bodies for: Carbohydrates potatoes, pasta, bread, bananas, sugar and rice a source of energy for life processes Fats cheese, butter, margarine and oils a source of energy for life processes: fats are also needed to make cell membranes and to insulate our bodies Proteins meat, fish, eggs and cheese growth and repair - building cells Mineral ions and vitamins are also important in a healthy diet. They are needed in small amounts for healthy functioning of the body. Imbalanced diets An imbalanced diet causes a person to become malnourished. For example: too little food may lead to a person being underweight too much food may lead to a person being overweight. A poor diet may also lead to deficiency diseases. For example, too little vitamin D in the diet can lead to rickets, which affects the proper

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