§-Nutrition syllabus
SA · SACE Board← Nutrition
Nutrition syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the SA Nutrition syllabus, with a focused answer for each. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions and links to related points.
Topic 1: Principles of Human Nutrition
Module overview →How does the digestive system break food down into nutrients the body can absorb and use?
Describe the structure and function of the digestive system and explain how macronutrients are digested and absorbed
How does the body use the energy in food, and what determines how much it needs?
Explain basal metabolic rate and total energy expenditure, and the factors that affect a person's daily energy requirements
How do digestive enzymes chemically break large food molecules into absorbable units?
Explain the role of digestive enzymes in the chemical breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids, including the conditions that affect enzyme activity
How does the community of microbes living in the gut influence human health?
Describe the gut microbiome and explain how diet shapes it and how it influences digestion, immunity and health
How do the macronutrients supply energy and building materials for the human body?
Describe the structure, food sources and functions of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids, and explain how each contributes to the body's energy balance
What happens to health when the body cannot properly digest or absorb particular nutrients?
Explain the causes and consequences of malabsorption syndromes and food intolerances, including lactose intolerance and coeliac disease
Why does the body need vitamins, minerals and water even though they supply little or no energy?
Describe the functions, food sources and deficiency effects of key vitamins and minerals, and explain the role of water in the body
How do a person's nutritional needs change across the stages of life?
Explain how nutritional requirements change through the life cycle, including pregnancy, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and older age
Topic 2: Diet and Health
Module overview →How does long-term diet contribute to and help prevent cardiovascular disease?
Explain the development of cardiovascular disease and the dietary factors that increase or reduce its risk
How do long-term dietary patterns increase or reduce the risk of diet-related disease?
Explain the links between diet and the major diet-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers
How do dietary guidelines and food models translate nutrition science into everyday food choices?
Describe the Australian Dietary Guidelines and food selection models and explain how they support a healthy, balanced diet
How can food labels be read and interpreted to make informed dietary choices?
Interpret food labels, including the Nutrition Information Panel, ingredient lists, claims and the Health Star Rating, to evaluate food choices
How are overweight, obesity and type 2 diabetes linked to diet and energy balance?
Explain the development of overweight, obesity and type 2 diabetes and the dietary and lifestyle factors involved
Topic 3: Food Selection and Society
Module overview →How do advertising, marketing and the media shape what people choose to eat?
Analyse how food marketing, advertising and the media influence food choice, including the marketing of foods to children
Why do hunger and over-nutrition exist at the same time around the world?
Examine global nutrition issues, including undernutrition, the double burden of malnutrition and the social and economic factors behind them
How do Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander food practices relate to health, both traditionally and today?
Examine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander food practices and the factors affecting the nutrition and health of Indigenous communities
What social, cultural, economic and personal factors shape the food choices people make?
Explain the range of factors that influence food choice, including cultural, social, economic, psychological and environmental influences
Topic 4: Food Production and Sustainability
Module overview →How do food processing and emerging food technologies affect the quantity, quality and safety of food?
Describe methods of food processing and preservation and evaluate the impact of food technologies on nutrition, safety and the food supply
How do methods of food production and distribution affect the quantity and quality of food?
Explain how methods of food production and distribution affect the quantity, quality and availability of food
How does food spoil, and how do preservation and safe handling keep food fit to eat?
Explain how food spoils and how preservation methods and safe food handling protect food quality and prevent foodborne illness
How can food systems supply enough safe, nutritious food now without harming the ability to do so in the future?
Explain the concepts of food security and food sustainability and evaluate factors that affect the supply of safe, nutritious food
How do genetic modification and emerging food technologies affect food and its production?
Evaluate genetically modified foods and emerging food technologies, including their potential benefits, risks and ethical issues