SACE Nutrition exam 2026Exam: Tue 3 Nov · SACE Board timetable

Across the life cycle, the principle is that needs follow growth and activity. Where energy needs are low but nutrient needs stay high, as in older age, the diet must be nutrient dense: rich in vitamins, minerals and protein relative to its kilojoules.

Human enzymes cannot digest dietary fibre, so it reaches the large intestine intact, where gut bacteria ferment it into short-chain fatty acids. This is the main reason a high-fibre, plant-rich diet supports a diverse and healthy microbiome.

Salivary and pancreatic amylase: starch becomes maltose. Pepsin (stomach) and trypsin (small intestine): proteins become amino acids. Pancreatic lipase (small intestine, helped by bile): lipids become fatty acids and glycerol. Optimum body temperature is about 37 degrees Celsius.

Total energy expenditure equals basal metabolic rate plus physical activity plus the thermic effect of food. BMR is usually the largest part, and physical activity is the part most under a person's control.

On the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating plate, vegetables and legumes plus grains make up the largest area, showing that plant foods and wholegrains should dominate the diet. The size of each segment is a proportion, not a fixed serving size.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition not caused by diet, where the body cannot make insulin. Type 2 diabetes is strongly linked to diet and lifestyle and is largely preventable. The exam often tests this distinction.

Cardiovascular disease mostly arises from atherosclerosis: fatty plaques narrow and harden arteries, raising blood pressure and risking a clot that blocks blood flow to the heart (heart attack) or brain (stroke). Diet influences this through blood cholesterol, blood pressure and body weight.

Obesity is the result of a long-term positive energy balance, and excess body fat is a leading risk factor for type 2 diabetes through insulin resistance. This is why controlling energy intake and staying active help prevent and manage both at once.

A nutritious diet is not automatically the cheapest option. When healthier foods cost more or are harder to obtain, economic and geographic factors can override good nutrition knowledge, which is why food access is a public health concern.

The world produces enough food overall, yet people still go hungry because of poverty, conflict, climate and unequal distribution. This is why solutions focus on access, income and fairness, not only on growing more food.

Companies advertise most heavily the foods that are most profitable, which are often energy-dense, sugary or fatty products, not fresh whole foods. This is why marketing can shift choices in a less healthy direction, especially for children who are easily influenced.

In many remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, healthy food is less available and more expensive than processed food. This means nutrition is shaped strongly by food access and cost, not simply by individual choice, which is central to evaluating fair solutions.

Bacteria multiply fastest between about 5 and 60 degrees Celsius, the temperature danger zone. Keeping cold food below 5 degrees and hot food above 60 degrees, and minimising time in between, is the single most important rule for preventing foodborne illness.

Processing can both reduce and add nutrients. High heat and long storage can lose water-soluble vitamins, while fortification deliberately adds nutrients (such as iodine in salt or folate in bread) to improve public health.

Production methods largely determine how much food is grown and at what quality, but distribution determines whether that food actually reaches people in good condition and at an affordable price. Both must work for the food supply to meet needs.

Food security and sustainability are connected over time. A system can feed people today yet undermine future supply by degrading soil or water. True food security must also be sustainable, or it will fail later.