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Human Nutrition and Digestion: Question 1

Syllabus 7.1

Multiple choice Core 1 mark

A school dietician is reviewing the lunch menu for a boarding school. The new menu removes the daily serving of milk, cheese and yoghurt from every meal, and replaces it with extra portions of rice and beans. No other change is made to the students' diet.

Which statement about the effect of this menu change is correct?

Choose an answer to check it, then compare with the worked solution below.
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Worked solution

Step 1: Identify what has been removed from the diet

Milk, cheese and yoghurt are dairy foods. Their main contribution to a balanced diet is as a dietary source of calcium and vitamin D (as well as protein and fat). Rice and beans do provide starch and, in the case of beans, protein, but neither is a significant source of calcium or vitamin D.

Calcium is needed, together with vitamin D, for the normal development and strengthening of bones and teeth. Vitamin D also increases how efficiently the body can make use of calcium. A diet that provides too little calcium and vitamin D increases the risk of weak, poorly developed bones.

Step 3: Rule out the other options

  • A: scurvy is caused by a lack of vitamin C, whose main dietary sources are fruits and vegetables, not dairy products. Removing dairy foods does not significantly affect vitamin C intake.
  • C: beans are actually a good source of plant protein, so replacing dairy with rice and beans does not mean the students lose all dietary protein.
  • D: dairy foods contribute calcium and vitamin D (and protein) to the diet, not only fat and energy.

Final answer

Removing milk, cheese and yoghurt reduces the students’ intake of calcium and vitamin D, increasing their risk of weak, poorly developed bones, option B.