Year 8 Digestion and Nutrition Worksheet - Beginner

Year 8 Digestion and Nutrition worksheet for Year 8 (Key Stage 3 / Year 7-9 (Ages 11-14)). Beginner level science practice, aligned to the UK National Curriculum. Print-ready with answer key included.

Science•Key Stage 3 / Year 7-9 (Ages 11-14)•Human Bodybeginner

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Fuel, Food and the Human Body

Year 8 Science | Ages 12–13 | Beginner

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Instructions: Work through the activities in order. Use the information provided, and write your answers in the boxes; show clear reasoning where a question asks you to explain. The examples and word bank will help you recall key ideas about nutrition, digestion, health and gas exchange.

Build a Balanced Diet

Use the word bank to complete each sentence. Choose the best term for each blank; some terms may not be needed. Remember that a balanced diet includes a suitable range of nutrients and enough water.

Word bank: carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre, water

1. The body breaks down __________ to release energy for activities.

2. __________ is needed for growth and repair of body tissues.

3. __________ helps food move through the digestive system and supports healthy bowel movements.

4. A balanced diet should include plenty of __________, which is needed for hydration and many body processes.

5. Name one food that is a useful source of carbohydrates.

Follow the Food: Digestion and Enzymes

Use the word bank to complete the statements. Each term is used once. Think about the route food travels and how enzymes help turn large food molecules into smaller, soluble molecules.

Word bank: mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, amylase, protease, lipase

1. Food is chewed and mixed with saliva in the __________.

2. The __________ carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

3. __________ breaks down starch into sugars.

4. __________ breaks down proteins into amino acids.

5. Most digested nutrients are absorbed into the blood in the __________.

Nutrients and Deficiency Diseases

Read each clue and name the nutrient that is lacking. Use the word bank to help you. Then answer the final question by giving one example of a food that supplies the nutrient.

Word bank: vitamin C, vitamin D, iron, calcium

1. A lack of this vitamin can cause scurvy, with symptoms such as bleeding gums.

2. A lack of this vitamin can cause rickets, in which bones may become soft or poorly developed.

3. A lack of this mineral can lead to anaemia and tiredness.

4. Name one food that provides calcium, which helps keep bones and teeth strong.

Health Choices: Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking

Choose the best answer for each question. Consider how these substances affect the body and how they can influence health and safety. Each question has one correct answer.

1. Which substance in tobacco smoke reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen?

2. Which effect is commonly caused by alcohol?

3. Why can smoking damage the lungs?

4. Which statement about drugs is correct?

Gas Exchange in the Lungs

Use the facts in the table to answer the questions. Gas exchange happens in the alveoli: oxygen moves into the blood, while carbon dioxide moves from the blood into the air in the lungs. Use complete units when giving a percentage-point difference.