Diet and Good Health

• Diet guidelines:

  • Base meals on starchy carbs
  • Eat lots of fruit, veg, oily fish, water
  • Eat less salt sat-fat, sugar
• Babies:

  • Only milk for 1st 4-6 months
  • First milk is called colostrum. Full of antibodies
  • Weaning - introduction of solid foods
• Babies:

  • Only milk for 1st 4-6 months
  • First milk is called colostrum. Full of antibodies
  • Weaning - introduction of solid foods
• Children:

  • Toddlers grow rapidly so need a balanced diet
  • Need a good supply of fat
  • New healthy foods introduced
  • Avoid sugary foods, sweets, and fizzy drinks
• Teenagers:

  • More energy and nutrients needed
  • After menstruation occurs, more iron needed
• Pregnancy:

  • Folic acid (vit B9) needed
  • Calcium for baby's bones
  • More iron to help baby get an iron store
  • More fibre because constipation is common
• Adults:

  • Maintain a healthy balanced diet to keep body working
• Elderly:

  • Decreased energy requirements
  • More hydration
  • More calcium to keep bones strong
• Diet-related medical conditions:

  • Bowel cancer
  • Obesity, Cardiovascular disease, CHD, Type 2 diabetes, Liver disease
  • Iron deficiency/anaemia
  • Dental health
  • Bone health
• Bowel cancer:

  • Second biggest cause of death in UK
  • Risk can be reduced by increasing fibre intake
• Obesity - abnormally large amount of body fat. Associated with increased risk of many diseases
• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) - conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels. Many types including CHD
• Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) - caused by build up of cholesterol that narrows arteries. Prevented by reducing saturated fat intake
• Type 2 diabetes - either too little insulin or inability to absorb insulin, resulting in high levels of sugar in the blood
• Iron deficiency/anaemia:

  • Common in teenage girls due to menstruation
  • Pale complexion, lack of energy
• Iron deficiency/anaemia:

  • Common in teenage girls due to menstruation
  • Pale complexion, lack of energy
• Dental health - Sugar increases acids on the teeth, causing irreparable damage
• Bone health - osteoporosis is weakness of bones in old age. Prevented by a diet rich in calcium and vit D
• Energy needs:

  • Depends on your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - the energy needed to power your body when it is resting
  • Also depends on your Physical Activity Level (PAL) - the higher this is, the more energy needed
  • Nutritionists devise Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) tables to provide guidelines for energy needs at different life stages
  • Malnutrition results from under-consumption of energy (can be caused by eating disorders)
• Energy intake and expenditure:

  • Amount of calories or kilojoules per gram of food is its Energy Density
  • Reference Intake (RI) is the recommended amount of each nutrient that is required daily
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure that adults can use to see if they are a healthy weight for their height (healthy range is 18.5-25)
• Religious diets:

  • Judaism - no pork, shellfish or dairy with meat
  • Hinduism - no beef, often vegetarian
  • Islam - no pork, only halal meat
  • Sikhism - no beef
  • Christianity - no requirements
  • Buddhism - vegetarian
  • Rastafarianism - vegetarian or vegan
• Vegetarians:

  • No meat, poultry, fish, products of slaughter
  • Lacto-Ovo vegetarian - can eat eggs and dairy
  • Lacto vegetarian - can eat dairy
  • Ovo vegetarian - can eat eggs
  • Vegan - do not eat animal products, often use supplements
  • Reasons - religious, ethical, environmental, health
• Allergies:

  • Coeliac disease - gluten intolerance (cannot absorb nutrients if they eat it) e.g wheat, barley, rye, oats
  • Lactose intolerance - unable to digest lactose e.g dairy products
  • Allergies can cause anaphylaxis which may be fatal