Why you should eat healthy!

We are told that it is important to have a varied and balanced diet. Why is this?

A Balanced diet provides all the essential nutrients in the correct proportion and quantities to meet our needs.

Includes a variety of foods which will provide us with all the essential nutrients.

Provide the right amount of energy, water and NSP/Dietary fibre.

A balanced and varied diet however can:

Help protect you from many diet-related illnesses such as obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and tooth decay.

Provide the right amount of energy for activities and so help prevent you becoming over weight.

Allow you to grow and have general good health.

Current Dietary Advice

Fruit and Vegetables Average intake to double to more than 400 grams

per day. Eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per

day. Eat more fruit and vegetables.

*Practical ways of eating more fruit and vegetables*

Portion of fruit, e.g. banana, added to breakfast cereal. Fruit snack in lunch boxes. Fresh fruit pureed into drinks. Desserts, e.g. fresh fruit salad. A variety of vegetables in soup which could be pureed. Extra veg on pizzas, in stews, etc. Main dishes, e.g. vegetables curry. Served with main dishes or in salads. Salad used to fill sandwiches or served as an accompaniment.

Bread Intake to increase by 45% from present daily

intake of 106 grams. Intake to increase by mainly using wholemeal and

brown breads. Eat more bread.

Breakfast Cereals Intake to double to 34 grams per day. Average intake to double per day. Eat more breakfast cereals.

Total Complex Carbohydrates Intake to increase by 25% from present daily intake of

124 grams per day. Increase through increased consumption of fruit and

vegetables, bread, breakfast cereals, rice and pasta and through an increase in potato consumption.

Eat more total complex carbohydrates.

*Practical ways of eating more Total Complex Carbohydrates*

• Increase consumption of fruit and vegetables, bread, breakfast cereals, rice and pasta (especially wholegrain).

Increase consumption of potatoes by 25% – baked or boiled and pulse vegetables.

Many wholemeal bakery products are available, e.g. shops own brand of bread, pitta bread, garlic bread, naan bread, scones, hot cross buns.

Some of these could be used for sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, etc. Use in desserts, e.g. bread pudding, summer pudding.

Serve sandwiches as a snack or packed lunches. Make use of new continental or foreign breads to

increase variety in the diet or add interest to snacks and lunches.

Choose wholegrain, high-fibre versions of cereal which are low in sugar, salt and fat for breakfast. Breakfast cereals are also fortified with many vitamins and minerals.

Breakfast cereals can also be eaten as a snack and the addition of milk will improve the nutritional value.

Breakfast cereals can also be used in baking, e.g. biscuits, topping for fruit crumble or yoghurts.

Oily fish

Intake to double from 44 grams to 88 grams per week.

White fist consumption to be maintained at current levels.

Oily fish consumption to double per week. Eat more oily fish.

*Practical ways of eating more Fish*

Oily fish such as tuna, sardines, herring, mackerel and salmon should be included in a variety of ways, e.g.• In sandwiches, patés and fillings for baked

potatoes. • In pies, potato-topped pies.• As fish cakes – shaped to appeal to children.

Breastfeeding The proportion of mothers’ breastfeeding their babies for the first 6

weeks of life should increase to more than 50% from the present incidence of around 30%.

More mothers should breast feed their babies for the first 6 weeks of life.

Fats Average intake of total fat to reduce from 40.7% to

no more than 35% of total food energy. Eat less saturated fat.* (*Saturated fat is usually food in animal fats and in

those fats which are solid at room temperature. There is good evidence that too many saturated fats can lead to coronary heart disease.)

Average intake of saturated fatty acids to reduce from 16.6% to no more than 11% of total food energy.

Eat less fat.

*Practical ways of eating less Fat*

Choose lean meat – cut off any extra fat. Choose fish or white meat instead of red meat sometimes . Choose low-fat versions of dairy produce. After the age of 2,

semi-skimmed milk may be given provided adequate energy intake is ensured from the rest of the diet. Skimmed milk should not be given before 5 years of age.

Choose cottage or edam cheese instead of cheddar.

Use semi-skimmed or skimmed milk for cooking, instant desserts, etc.

Check labels for fat content before buying prepared or convenience foods.

Avoid eating too many cakes, biscuits, chocolate, crisps and savoury snacks, which all contain hidden fats.

Avoid processed meats which are often used in a range of ready-made meals.

Choose a healthy method of cooking, e.g. grilling, where the fat runs off, or steaming or microwaving where there is no added fat.

• Use a little olive oil for stir frying as this is a mono-unsaturated fat and will help keep cholesterol levels down. Or use a spray-on fat for frying as this will cut down on the amount of fat used.

Salt Average intake to reduce from 163 mmol per day to 100 mmol per day (approx. 6g).

Eat less salt. *Practical ways of eating less Salt*

Limit intake of processed foods, including ham and bacon. Choose low-salt alternatives. Limit intake of salty snacks, e.g. crisps and peanuts Check food labels on products before buying. Use herbs and spices for flavouring instead of

salt. Taste food before adding salt. Gradually cut down the amount of salt added to food

during cooking.

Sugar Average intake of NME sugars in adults not to

increase. Average intake of NME sugars in children to reduce

by half to less than 10% of total energy.(NME sugars are non-milk extrinsic sugars which are not

normally present in a food but are added to it, for example, the sugar which is sprinkles over breakfast cereals or added to cakes and biscuits). NME sugars are sometimes ‘hidden’ in products such as canned vegetables, soups and pickles where you would not normally think that sugar would be present.

Food manufacturers also add sugar to soft drinks, biscuits and desserts.

Look out for the following names in lists of ingredients: sucrose, dextrose, maltodextrin and glucose which

manufactures use instead of the word ‘sugar’.)

Practical ways of eating less Sugar*

• Check food labels before buying.

• Eat fewer cakes, biscuits, sweets – hidden sugars.• Eat wholegrain, high-fibre breakfast cereals that are low in

sugar.• Eat fresh fruit and vegetables as snacks. • Do not give sweets as a reward to children.• Do not add sugar to tea, coffee or cereals

Functions on health of nutrients

Dietary DiseaseAnaemia Symptoms

tiredness and lack of interest pale complexion breathlessness on exertion resistance to infection is reduced

Prevention eat enough iron-rich food to make healthy blood. Eg red meat particularly liver and kidney eggs

bread breakfast cereals green leafy vegetables.

Groups most at risk• Girls and women.• Pregnant women• Babies• Elderly • Children/teenagers• Vegetarians

Coronary Heart Disease

This condition is caused by a failure of the arteries to supply enough blood to the heart muscles.

An increased concentration of cholesterol in the blood can lead to the arteries which supply the heart becoming narrowed by deposits of fat which slow down blood supplies reaching the heart.

Factors contributing to heart disease

heredity – there is a family of heart disease cigarette smoking lack of physical exercise diabetes high blood pressure obesity increased levels of cholesterol in the blood dietary factors

- too much food (obesity)

- too much total fat intake/too many saturated fats in the diet

- too much cholesterol in the diet

- too much sugar

- too much salt

- too little polyunsaturated fats

- too little non starch polysaccharides

- too little fruit and vegetables

- too little ACE vitamins

Tooth Decay

Tooth Decay is caused by the breakdown of sugars by bacteria in the mouth, which provides acids which attack and eventually destroy tooth enamel.

Sucrose (the sugar in a sugar bowl) is the sugar which contribute most to tooth decay; naturally occurring sugars, e.g. the sugars in fruit, have less effect.

Sugary snacks between meals are very harmful and sugar is more harmful when taken in sticky forms.

It is also bad if teeth are in contact with sugar for a prolonged period, e.g. sucking hard sweets.

To prevent dental cariesReduce sugar intake – the Scottish Diet Report recommends reducing sugar intake among children by one half.

This can be achieved by:

limiting the amount of sugar, sugary food and drinks which are consumed

avoiding sugary and sticky snacks between meals avoiding foods which contain ‘hidden’ sugar such as biscuits increasing the use of fresh or dried fruits as sweeteners in breakfast

cereals, in baking and as snack foods brushing teeth after each meal if possible using a fluoride toothpaste

and visiting the dentist regularly eating food rich in calcium, phosphorus and vitamin d eating foods which require a lot of chewing as this stimulates saliva

which helps to neutralise the acid which causes decay.ObesityOver-eating is the main cause of obesity.

The increase in the use of cars, washing machines, vacuum cleaners and televisions means that people now take less exercise. Psychological factors can sometimes also make us eat more than we need, e.g. anxiety, boredom, etc.

To many people, the main disadvantages to being overweight is a question of looks, but the body framework is built to carry a certain weight and extra weight puts a strain on the muscles and heart.

Overweight people sometimes become breathless during exercise, they feel the heat more and are more likely to develop medical disorders such as arthritis and varicose veins, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

A low income may cause people to buy too much of the wrong type of food.

A high income, however, means that more convenience foods can be afforded.

Lack of time for shopping and food preparation can lead to people eating too many convenience or ‘take away’ foods which have high energy levels.

Prevention reduce intake of fatty foods, particularly saturated fats reduce intake of sugary foods and drinks increase intake of fruit and vegetables increase intake of non-sugar carbohydrates take more exercise

Diabetes

More young people are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. This is due to the increase in obesity at a younger age, caused by eating large quantities of food containing fats and simple sugars.

To control this type of diabetes, sufferers can be given a special diet to follow or in the case of heavy drinkers advised to reduce their consumption of alcohol.

OsteoporosisThis is a brittle bone disease which can affect older people, particularly women.

Prevention

exercise can help to decrease bone loss and stimulate bone formation

calcium supplements can increase absorption vitamin d helps absorption of calcium, so get out into the sunshine

or check there is enough vitamin d in the diet alcohol in moderation only – alcohol is toxic to bone cells be a realistic weight – too few kilocalories mean that the calcium

target is not being met doctors may prescribe hormone replacement therapy (hrt) for

women particularly at risk

HYPERTENSION

(High blood pressure)Everyone has blood pressure. The pressure is created by the heart’s constant pumping of blood around the body. Exercise, excitement, anger or anxiety all make the heart beat faster and increases blood pressure temporarily.

High blood pressure is often called hypertension. It is usually caused by narrowed or damaged blood arteries – this means that the heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body. When blood is forced through arteries at high pressure it is more likely to damage artery walls.

To reduce the risk of high blood pressure:

• Avoid obesity – keeping weight down helps keep blood pressure down.

• Reduce alcohol intake, if necessary, to no more than 21 units per week for a man, or no more than 14 units for a woman (1 unit equals a half pint of ordinary beer, a small glass of wine or a single measure of spirits). Alcohol is high in calories and can increase blood pressure.

• Add less salt to food, and cut down on salty foods. This will not help everyone with hypertension but those who take a lot of salt may well benefit from cutting down. Research has shown that there is a link between sodium intake and high blood pressure.

• It should also be noted that reducing fat intake, particularly saturated fat, is recommended, because cholesterol found in saturated fats can narrow arteries and so restrict blood flow.

• Potassium tends to reduce blood pressure, so a diet which is high in cereals, fruit and vegetables, i.e. is high in potassium, will have a beneficial effect on blood pressure.

LACTOSE INTOLERANCE

Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose. Lactose is a type of sugar found in milk and other dairy products.

Lactose intolerance happens when the small intestine does not make enough of the enzyme lactase. Enzymes help the body absorb foods.

Lactose intolerance can begin at various times throughout life, but it is very common in adults.

Symptoms often occur 30 minutes to 2 hours after you eat or drink milk products, and can often be relieved by not eating or drinking milk products. Large doses of milk products may cause worse symptoms.

Symptoms include:

Abdominal bloating Abdominal cramps Diarrhea Gas (flatulence) Nausea

GLUTEN INTOLERANCE

Gluten intolerance is immune reaction causing allergic reactions to a protein named as gluten. Gluten is found in three types of cereal; wheat, barley and rye. Gluten intolerance symptoms are hard to diagnose because it has some common symptoms to other diseases.

Gluten intolerance symptoms include:

Fatigue Diarrhea or constipation Abdominal pain Head aches Weight gain/loss Numbness and Tingling

People who are diagnosed with gluten intolerance symptoms should make slight changes in their diet. If they follow a diet free of gluten content they will notice significant improvements in symptoms caused by gluten intolerance.

FOOD ALLERGIES

A food allergy is a rapid and potentially serious response to a food by your immune system. It can trigger classic allergy symptoms such as rash, wheezing and itch.

The most common food allergies among adults are to nuts – including peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and brazil nuts – fish and shellfish. Children often have allergies to milk and eggs as well as to peanuts, other nuts and fish.

Symptoms come on suddenly within seconds or minutes of eating the food

In extreme cases it can be life-threatening Even a tiny trace of the food can cause a reaction It is easily diagnosed with tests