Section 1: Nutrition/

Introduction/Rationale

This sub-unit addresses ways to develop indivividual capacity to make healthy eating choices that promote wellness and reduce the risk factors associated with the development of lifestyle diseases.

One of the biggest health problems in many countries is poor nutrition. This unit will therefore help to develop a better understanding of good nutrition and how beneficial it is in order to have a healthy, happy, productive population.

Objectives

After completing this section, you should be able to: Develop a diet taking into consideration the basic tenets of good nutrition and nutritional considerations for different groups such as gender, age, state of health, pregnancy, vegetarian Distinguish between healthy and unhealthy food based on the way in which food is prepared; Identify the benefits of healthy eating as it relates to wellness versus ill-health and lifestyle diseases; Analyse the influence of socio-cultural and economic factors, religion, personal beliefs, and choices related to eating; Identify appropriate sources of information for products, services and costs related to eating well; Identify the role of Vitamins, Supplements and Trace Elements in treating with nutritional deficiencies in the diet.

Definitions

Nutrition is a science that studies the relationship between diet and health.

Unit Content

This Unit consists of the following broad areas:

Nutrition, Food Groups and Balanced Diet

Life Style Diseases

Fast Food Syndrome

Food Additives

Toxins/GMO

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point

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Summary

Eating the right foods and responding to what our body needs is called having a balanced diet. This healthy diet containing essential nutrients from the different food groups, providing enough energy, growth and repair elements, vitamins and minerals for the body to function at peak efficiency. The tips for food preparation have to be respected in order to ensure that food remains fresh and healthy for consumption. Develop a diet taking into consideration the basic tenets of good nutrition and nutritional considerations for different groups such as gender, age, state of health, pregnancy, vegetarian Distinguish between healthy and unhealthy food based on the way in which food is prepared; Identify the benefits of healthy eating as it relates to wellness versus ill-health and lifestyle diseases; Analyse the influence of socio-cultural and economic factors, religion, personal beliefs, and choices related to eating; Identify appropriate sources of information for products, services and costs related to eating well; Identify the role of Vitamins, Supplements and Trace Elements in treating with nutritional deficiencies in the diet. Develop an understanding of Life Style Diseases and their causes. Identify selected diseases, their causes and how they could be prevented.

Assessment

Checklist of Performance Task (see the table below)

1. Plan out a one-day meal plan showing the nutritionally balanced meals that you intend to have (breakfast, lunch and dinner)

	RUBRIC of performance criteria	V. Well Done	Well Done	OK	Not Ok- Will redo by ….
1.	I have included a balanced breakfast in my plan.
2.	I have included a balanced lunch in my plan.
3.	I have included a balanced dinner in my plan.

	Oil	Green Leafy vegetable	Legumes	Protein	Sugar	Carbohydrates	Yellow vegetables
I included the following for breakfast/lunch/ dinner.

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