Health, fitness and well-being - Diet and nutrition — OCR GCSE Physical Education
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Health, fitness and well-being - Diet and nutrition explained
Health, fitness and well-being - Diet and nutrition covers 4 specification points, including know the definition of a balanced diet and Know the components of a balanced diet •….
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Open a point below for its explanation and revision guidance.
know the definition of a balanced diet
A balanced diet means eating the right amounts and proportions of the different food groups and nutrients to meet the body's needs for energy, growth, repair and good health. It supplies carbohydrates for energy, fats for energy and insulation, proteins for growth and repair, vitamins and minerals for health, fibre for digestion and water for hydration. The balance matters: too much of one nutrient, such as saturated fat or sugar, or too little of another, such as iron or fibre, can harm health and well-being. A balanced diet is not the same as a weight-loss diet, and it is not simply eating a little of everything. In a multiple-choice question, look for the option that mentions the correct proportions of nutrients to meet the body's needs, and reject options that describe only one food group or only calorie restriction.
know the components of a balanced diet • carbohydrates • proteins • fats • minerals • vitamins • fibre • water and hydration
A balanced diet supplies all seven named components in suitable proportions: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, fibre, and water with hydration. Carbohydrates are the main energy source, with starchy forms suited to sustained activity and sugars giving quicker energy. Proteins build and repair muscle and tissue, so they matter for growth and recovery after training. Fats provide stored energy, insulate the body and protect organs, and small amounts of minerals and vitamins support functions such as bone strength, oxygen transport and immune defence. Fibre aids digestion and helps prevent constipation, while water replaces fluid lost through sweat and supports temperature control. A learner should be able to match each component to its role and to a food source, for example identifying that a runner needs carbohydrate before exercise and water during it.
understand the effect of diet and hydration on energy use in physical activity
Energy use during physical activity depends on what and when a performer eats and drinks. Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in muscles and liver and are the body's preferred fuel for moderate and high-intensity exercise, so a carbohydrate-rich meal before activity tops up these stores and delays fatigue. Fats supply energy for longer, lower-intensity work but are broken down more slowly. Protein contributes little directly to energy but supports repair after exercise. Hydration matters because sweating loses water and electrolytes; dehydration reduces blood volume, raises heart rate and impairs temperature control, so performance falls.
be able to apply practical examples from physical activity and sport to diet and hydration.
This target asks you to take a real sporting situation and connect it to what the body needs in food and fluid. A footballer playing a long match needs carbohydrate before and during play to keep muscles fuelled, water to replace sweat losses, and electrolytes to replace salts lost in sweat. A weightlifter building muscle needs protein for repair, while a marathon runner needs carbohydrate loading in the days before the race. A gymnast must manage body composition carefully without cutting out essential nutrients. For each example, identify the activity, the demand it places on the body, and the food or drink that meets that demand, then explain why.
Your focus
- Define a balanced diet in terms of the correct proportions of nutrients to meet the body's needs.
- Identify the roles of the main nutrients in energy, growth, repair and health.
- Distinguish a balanced diet from a weight-loss diet or from eating a little of everything.
Show all 12 objectives
- List all seven components of a balanced diet.
- State the function of each component.
- Match each component to a suitable food source.
- Explain how carbohydrate intake affects energy available during activity.
- Describe the effect of dehydration on performance and temperature control.
- Relate the timing of eating and drinking to energy use in exercise.
- Apply a dietary example to a named physical activity and explain its benefit.
- Apply a hydration example to a named physical activity and explain its benefit.
- Compare the dietary needs of two different sporting activities.
Health, fitness and well-being - Diet and nutrition exam tips
Marking Points
- States that a balanced diet provides the correct proportions of the different nutrients and food groups.
- Identifies that the diet must meet the body's needs for energy, growth, repair and health.
- Recognises that both too much and too little of a nutrient can affect health and well-being.
- Distinguishes a balanced diet from a weight-loss diet or from eating a little of everything.
- Names carbohydrates as the body's main energy source and links starchy carbohydrates to sustained activity.
- Identifies proteins as the nutrient that builds and repairs muscle and tissue after training.
- States that fats store energy, insulate the body and protect organs, and that they are needed in small amounts.
- Matches minerals and vitamins to specific functions such as bone strength, oxygen transport or immune defence.
- Explains that fibre aids digestion and helps prevent constipation.
- Recognises water and hydration as essential for replacing sweat losses and controlling body temperature.
- Explains that carbohydrates are stored as glycogen and provide the main fuel for moderate to high-intensity activity.
- States that fats provide energy for longer, lower-intensity exercise but are broken down more slowly.
- Describes how dehydration reduces blood volume, raises heart rate and impairs temperature control, lowering performance.
- Links the timing of eating and drinking before or during activity to available energy and delayed fatigue.
- Recognises that protein supports recovery and repair rather than acting as a main energy source during exercise.
- Names a specific physical activity or sport and links it to a specific dietary or hydration need.
- Explains why the chosen food or drink supports performance in that activity, for example carbohydrate for endurance or protein for muscle repair.
- Identifies a hydration requirement such as replacing water and electrolytes lost through sweating during exercise.
- Distinguishes between the needs of different activities, for example endurance events compared with strength or power events.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Look for the option that mentions correct proportions of nutrients to meet the body's needs.
- 💡Reject options that describe only one food group or only reducing calories.
- 💡Link each nutrient to its role, such as protein for growth and repair, to check the option is complete.
- 💡Remember that balance concerns amounts as well as types of food.
- 💡Learn all seven components as a checklist so no item is missed in a multiple-choice option set.
- 💡For each component, memorise one function and one food source to test options against.
- 💡Read every option before choosing, because a distractor may name a real nutrient with the wrong function.
- 💡Link hydration to sweating and temperature control, since this is a common pairing in questions.
- 💡Link each nutrient to an intensity and duration of activity so options can be eliminated quickly.
- 💡Use the chain sweat loss, reduced blood volume, higher heart rate, poorer temperature control when judging hydration options.
- 💡Check whether an option describes timing correctly, since when a performer eats or drinks affects energy availability.
- 💡Distinguish energy supply during exercise from recovery afterwards when comparing options.
- 💡Read the question carefully to check whether it asks for a food example, a hydration example, or both.
- 💡Anchor every answer in a named sport or activity so the link to diet is concrete.
- 💡Use precise terms such as carbohydrate, protein, electrolytes and hydration rather than vague words like 'energy food'.
- 💡Check the number of marks available and give one clear point per mark.
Common Mistakes
- Defines a balanced diet as eating a little of everything; correct this by stating the correct proportions of nutrients to meet the body's needs.
- Confuses a balanced diet with a calorie-restricted weight-loss diet; separate the two ideas.
- Lists only one food group such as carbohydrates; include the range of nutrients and their roles.
- Ignores the idea of quantity; state that the amounts and proportions matter, not just the types of food.
- Treats fat as a nutrient to eliminate entirely; recognise that fats are a required component in small amounts for energy storage, insulation and organ protection.
- Confuses protein with the main energy source; identify carbohydrates as the primary energy provider and protein as the builder and repairer of tissue.
- Omits water from the list of components; include water and hydration as a distinct requirement alongside the six food-based components.
- Gives a food source without its function, or a function without a source; pair each component with both its role and an example food.
- Claims that eating immediately before exercise always boosts performance; explain that digestion takes time and carbohydrate stores are built up in advance.
- Assumes fat is the main fuel for sprinting; identify carbohydrate and stored glycogen as the fuel for high-intensity work.
- Ignores hydration and discusses only food; include fluid loss through sweat and its effect on heart rate and temperature control.
- States that protein is the primary energy source during exercise; describe its role in repair and recovery instead.
- Names a food without linking it to the demands of a named activity; always state the activity and the reason for the food choice.
- Treats hydration as simply drinking any amount of water; explain that fluid and electrolyte replacement should match sweat losses.
- Assumes all athletes need the same diet; recognise that endurance, strength and skill-based activities place different demands on the body.
- Ignores timing of intake; remember that when food or fluid is consumed, such as before, during or after exercise, affects its usefulness.