Year 3 Science · Food and nutrition · Summary

Year 3 Science Food and nutrition: summary and key words

Part of the Year 3 Science food and nutrition chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

Chapter summary

Skill	Method
Nutrition	The food and drink that a living thing needs to stay alive, grow and stay healthy.
Plants and animals	Plants make their own food using light. Animals cannot, so they must eat to get nutrition.
Five food groups	Fruit and vegetables; starchy foods; protein foods; dairy foods; oils and spreads.
Other foods	Foods high in fat, sugar or salt are not in a food group, and we eat them only sometimes.
What food does	Carbohydrates give energy; protein helps growth and repair; fats give energy and warmth; vitamins and minerals keep us healthy; water keeps the body working.
Balanced diet	The right types and amounts of food from each food group, with at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
Other animals	A herbivore eats only plants; a carnivore eats only meat or fish; an omnivore eats both.
Surveys	Count each item once, record the counts in a table, and show them in a bar chart.

I can say what nutrition is, and why animals cannot make their own food like plants
I can sort foods into the five food groups
I can say what carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals, and water do for the body
I can explain what a balanced diet is, and choose a balanced meal
I can compare what different animals eat, and use the words herbivore, carnivore and omnivore
I can count items in a survey, and read a table and a bar chart

nutrition: the food and drink that a living thing needs to stay alive, grow and stay healthy
nutrients: the parts of food that the body uses, such as carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals
food group: a group of foods that have similar nutrients and do similar jobs in the body
balanced diet: the right types and amounts of food from each food group
carbohydrates: nutrients that give the body energy, found in bread, pasta, rice and potatoes
protein: a nutrient that helps the body to grow and repair itself, found in meat, fish, eggs and beans
fats: nutrients that give energy and help to keep the body warm; we need only small amounts
vitamins and minerals: nutrients needed in small amounts to keep the body healthy
calcium: a mineral, found in milk, that helps to make bones strong
survey: counting things to find out what is true for a group
herbivore: an animal that eats only plants
carnivore: an animal that eats only meat or fish
omnivore: an animal that eats both plants and food from animals