Food Groups and Nutrition

The Importance of Food and Health

• Living things need food to survive and grow; food supplies energy and nutrients, contributing to growth and health.

Diet Variety

• Consuming different types of foods is necessary for a balanced intake of nutrients.

Food Groups and Their Sources

• Recognize sources of food from different origins
• Determine which foods you consume on a daily basis

Identifying Food Origins

• Food sources come primarily from plants and animals.

Classifying Food Groups

• Categorizing specific food items into basic groups is important for understanding nutrition.

Major Food Groups and Their Properties

• Different groups of food have substances that are important to maintain your health and growth.
• Major food groups include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins.
• A body needs each of these substances in significant quantity to function properly.

Carbohydrates

• Major source of quick energy.

Minerals

• They are found in fruits, vegetables, meat, grains, and seafood.
• Aid in body growth and maintenance.

Vitamins

• Primarily found in fruits and vegetables.
• Protect against diseases.

Proteins

• Sources include meat, milk, eggs, and pulses.
• They are called body-building foods because they help to build the body and repair tissues and muscles

Fats

• Present in oil, butter, margarine, seeds, and nuts.
• Provide energy and warmth, yielding twice as much energy compared to carbohydrates.

The Role of Vitamins

• They are essential for the body’s functions but don't directly provide energy.
• A sufficient amount is necessary for proper bodily functions.
• Vitamin A: Sources include carrots and cod liver oil, function is to prevent night blindness.
• B complex vitamins: They are available in vegetables, whole wheat grains, and fresh meat, functioning to prevent skin diseases, maintain a healthy nervous system, and prevent beriberi.
• Vitamin C: Sources are oranges, guava, and lemons. Consumption strengthens the immune system and prevents scurvy.
• Vitamin D: Sources include milk, cod liver oil, and sunlight, and it strengthens bones and teeth, preventing rickets.
• Vitamin K: Can be gotten from fresh fruits and vegetables which increases or assists the production of platelets.

The Role of Dietary Fiber

• Found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.
• Aids in preventing constipation and provides other health benefits like maintaining healthy weight and reducing diabetes risk.

The Role of Minerals

• Minerals are important for keeping your body healthy but do not provide energy.
• The body needs twenty-one essential minerals, including calcium, iron, sodium, chlorine, phosphorus, and potassium, in large quantities.
• Trace minerals like iodine, zinc, and magnesium are required in small amounts.
• Iron: Found in liver, dark green vegetables, and red meat, helps in oxygen transport and storage; deficiency leads to anemia.
• Calcium: Found in milk, cheese, and eggs is essential for building bones and teeth. Deficiency leads to rickets.
• Copper: Sourced from whole wheat, liver, and legumes, copper builds red blood cells; its deficiency can cause anemia and kidney problems.
• Magnesium: Found in nuts, seeds, and vegetables, aids in bone development and metabolic processes; deficiency can cause painful joints and memory loss.
• Sodium: Present in meats, eggs, and vegetables, regulates water distribution in the body. Deficiency results in fluid imbalances.
• Iodine: Found in meat, onion, and iodized salt. It is required for forming hormones and producing energy. Its deficiency may cause mental retardation in children.

Balanced Diet and Food Pyramid

• The food pyramid helps in choosing the correct amount of different food groups as well as illustrates carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins.
• It explains what a person should eat and in what quantity to keep the body healthy by showing the relative importance of food groups.
• Eat more from the bottom of the pyramid than the top.

Importance of a Balanced Diet

• Eating a right amount of different foods from all food groups helps you to stay healthy and grow well.
• This way you provide your body with enough nutrients every day.

Unbalanced Diet

• Is detrimental to health. To maintain a balanced diet, you should eat all the basic components of food, minerals and vitamins in the proper ratio.
• An adequate amount of clean, fresh and boiled water should also be consumed.

Balanced Meal Suggestion

• A healthy diet should include enough fiber, pulses, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Limit consumption of oils and sweets and control salt intake.
• Eat freshly prepared food and reduce soft drinks and beverages while increasing intake of water, juices and soups.
• Eat smaller portions throughout the day instead of three big meals and drink many fluids to always keep your body hydrated.

Consequences of Imbalance

• Not following these guidelines an contracting diseases.
• Malnutrition will occur.

Healthy Eating Habits

• Fiber, pulses, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables should be eaten.
• Salt intake and consumption of oils and sweets, should be kept to a minimum.
• You should only eat food that is freshly prepared.
• More water, soups, and juices should be intaked as well as stopping soft drinks and beverages.
• Eat smaller portions throughout the day instead of gorging in three big meals and drink plenty of water and fluids.

Personal Hygiene

• Practice hygiene to stay healthy and to keep siblings and family members healthy.
• You should wash hands with soap and water before and after eating to prevent harmful germs from spreading.
• To prevent possible tooth and gum decay and toothaches, your teeth should be cleaned when going to bed at night, before eating in the morning and after eating anything.
• To protect from germs, you need to clean your body and trim your nails.

Basic Principles of Hygiene

• Practicing hygiene can be done by washing hands, brushing teeth, washing feet, washing clothes ad brushing hair.

Benefits of Exercise

• Daily exercise helps to make you healthier.
• Daily exercises, physical activity and eating a balanced diet are simple ways to make you healthier.
• Doing better and concentrating on studies in school, growing and developing a strong body and bones, feeling good about yourself and lowering the risk of contracting diseases in future.

Exercise Recommendations

• 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity daily.

Exercise Examples

• Running around on a playground for 35 minutes.
• Climbing monkey bars or doing push-ups for 10 minutes.
• Jumping rope or bicycling for 15 minutes.
• You could participate in physical activity with your friends and family Try walking with parents and friends, hiking or swimming on weekends as a family or joining yoga classes or a sports program.

Consequences of Poor Hygiene

• Spreading harmful germs, tooth decay, or illnesses through bodily contact.