WAEC Foods and Nutrition Syllabus

NUTRITION AND HEALTH

Introduction to Foods and Nutrition

• Meaning
• Basic knowledge of Nutrition
• Importance of Human Nutrition
• Factors Affecting Foods and Nutrition
• Food Habits

Careers associated with Foods and Nutrition

• Careers associated with Foods and Nutrition
• Factors that influence career choices
• Characteristics required for Foods and Nutrition careers

Basic Food Nutrients

• The nutrients and their nutritive values
• Functions of the different nutrients
• Sources of the different nutrients
• Dietary deficiencies
• Metabolism,(digestion and absorption of foods carbohydrate, protein, fat).
• Knowledge and use of food composition table
• Food tests: simple physical and chemical tests of foodstuffs to detect the presence of nutrients in foods e.g. proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Meal Management

• Meal Planning
  • Meal planning terms
  • Reasons for planning meals
  • Factors in planning meals
  • General principles of meal planning
  • Meal patterns
• Special Nutritional Needs
  • Nutritional needs for different groups e.g. pregnant, lactating mothers, infants and children, adolescents, adults and the aged, vegetarians.
  • Planning meals for people with health conditions e.g. HIV & AIDS, invalids, convalescents, overweight, underweight, hypertension, diabetes etc.

FOOD LABORATORY AND EQUIPMENT

The kitchen

• Types of kitchens, e.g., traditional, modern, institutional.
• Planning different types of kitchens.
• Factors to consider when planning.
• Cleaning agents and abrasives (commercial and local).

Kitchen equipment and tools

• Classes and types of equipment
• Selection, use, care and storage of large and small equipment, fixtures and appliances.

Safety in the kitchen

• Types of kitchen accidents
• Causes and prevention of accidents
• Content and use of first aid box
• Simple first-aid treatment

Sanitation in the kitchen

• Personal Hygiene
• Kitchen hygiene, e.g., general cleaning, waste disposal, pests, and pest control.
• Food hygiene, e.g., handling of foods, foodborne diseases, and food sanitation laws.

FOOD COMMODITIES

Animal and animal products

• Milk and milk products e.g., cheese, yoghurt, eggs, meat, poultry, fish etc.
• Kinds/types and structure
• Selection
• Storage

Cereals/grains

• Kinds and forms
• Importance of cereals and grains:
  • versatility
  • thickening
  • cheap source of energy/good source of roughage

Fruits and vegetables

• Classification of fruits/Classification of vegetables.
• Structure, nutritive value and storage.
• Important of fruits and vegetables in the diet, etc.

Legumes and oily seeds

• Classification of legumes, oily seeds
• Importance of legumes and oily seeds in the diet, etc.

Fats and oils

• Kinds and Classification
  • vegetable fats and oils
  • animal fats and oils
• Uses in diet
• Uses in the body
• Health implications of fats and oils

Starchy roots and plantains

• Types of starchy roots
• Types of plantain
• Types of dishes

FOOD STORAGE AND PRESERVATION

Food spoilage

• Meaning of food spoilage
• Causes and agents of food spoilage

Food preservation

• meaning and importance of preservation
• General principles underlying food preservation
• Methods of food preservation

Food storage

• Meaning and importance of food storage
• Storage of perishable and nonperishable foods
• Storage space and equipment e.g. refrigeration, deep freezer, cupboards, shelves, granaries, barns etc.

FOOD PREPARATION

Principles underlying cooking

• Explanation of the concept of cooking
• Reasons for cooking food

Methods of cooking

• Moist heat methods e.g. boiling, stewing, steaming etc.
• Dry heat methods e.g. baking, roasting, grilling, frying etc.
• Effects of heat on different food commodities e.g. animal products, cereals and grains, fats and oil etc.

Transfer of heat

• Methods of heat transfer and meaning
  • Convection – liquid, gases
  • Radiation – space
  • Conduction – solid metal

Cooking terms

• Explanation of cooking terms

Food additives

• Definitions
• Types of food additives
• Functions of additives
• Selection and use of additives
• Food adulteration

Flour Cookery and Confectionery

• Types of flour
  • Types of flour
  • Ingredients in flour
  • Uses of flour
• Basic ingredients in flour cookery
  • Flour, fat, sugar, eggs
• Raising agents
  • Types of raising agents, i.e., steam, carbon dioxide and air
  • Sources:- boiling liquid – steam, baking powder – carbon dioxide whisking – air
• Batters and doughs
  • Types of batters
  • Uses of batters
  • Dishes using batter
  • biscuits – classification
  • rubbed in
  • creamed
  • whisked
  • melted
  • sponge mixtures
• Cakes
  • rubbed in
  • creamed
  • whisked
  • melted
  • sponge mixtures
• Pastries
  • Types of Pastries: Shortcrust, suet, flaky, etc.
  • Principles underlying pastry making
  • Pastry dishes e.g. turn, over; jam tartlets, cornish pasties, etc.
• Yeast Mixtures
  • Definition
  • Ways of preparing yeast mixture
  • Important points in preparing yeast mixture
  • Yeast dishes – bread loaves, bread rolls, doughnut
• Cake Decoration
  • Types of icing e.g. butter icing, royal icing
  • Uses of icing
  • Preparation of icing
  • Using royal icing and butter icing

BEVERAGES

Classification of beverages

• Non-alcoholic beverages
  • coffee and tea
  • cocoa drink
  • milk and egg drinks
  • fruit juices and fruit drinks
  • beef tea and lemon grass
• Alcoholic
  • beer
  • wine

Importance of beverages

• Nutritive values etc.

Principles underlining the preparation of beverages

• Tea, coffee, cocoa etc

CONVENIENCE FOODS

Types of convenience foods

Selection and uses of convenience foods

Advantages and disadvantages of using convenience foods

Preparation of dishes using convenience foods

RECHAUFFÉ (LEFTOVER) FOODS

Explanation

Importance of using leftover goods

Rules/guidelines for using leftover foods

Rechauffé dishes

FESTIVE DISHES/SPECIAL OCCASION DISHES

Explanation

Occasions for festive dishes

Types of festive dishes/special occasion dishes

Preparation of festive dishes/special occasion dishes

ART OF ENTERTAINING

Entertainment

• Explanation
• Types of parties
• Occasions for parties
• Points to consider when selecting types of parties
• Factors that contribute to the success of parties

Table setting and etiquette

• Explanation e.g. table setting, cover, etc
• Setting tables and trays for different meals and occasions
• Table appointments
• Table manners/etiquette

Meal Service Style

• Types of meal service
  • Informal meal service
  • formal meal service
• Factors determining the choice of service styles, types of party
• Foods for special occasions, e.g., birthdays, naming ceremonies, weddings etc.
• Factors that contribute to the success of parties

EXPERIMENTAL COOKERY

Research into Local dishes and Drinks

• Importance of research in Foods and Nutrition
• Collection of information (data)
• Research into local dishes
• Development of new recipes
• Improving existing recipes based on methods of preparation, Nutritive value, time and energy use and service/
  presentation

Experiments

• Using fruits e.g. passion fruit, samia, royal palm fruit
• Other types of flour e.g. root, cereal and legumes, etc.

CONSUMER EDUCATION

Consumer Education

• Meaning and principles
• consumer agents

Food Budgeting

• Explanation
• Factors to consider when budgeting

Food Purchasing

• Guidelines for shopping for food
• Guidelines for bulk purchasing
• Reasons for buying in bulk
• Advantages and disadvantages of bulk purchasing

SELF EMPLOYMENT

Setting up and managing a catering enterprise

• Explanation of terms
  • entrepreneur
  • entrepreneurship
  • enterprise
• Characteristics of an entrepreneur
• Advantages and disadvantages of an entrepreneur
• Setting up a catering entrepreneur
• Some catering enterprises
• Factors contributing to the success of an enterprise

Work ethics

• Explanation of work ethics
• Good work ethics

Packaging

• Explanation of Food Packaging
• Reasons why food is packaged
• Qualities of packaging materials
• Types of packaging materials