What is healty eating? Healthy Eating often means making only small changes in the meals we eat, eating a little more of some items and al little less of others.

what is healty eating?

Healthy Eating often means making only small changes in the meals we eat, eating a little more of some items and al little less of others. There are eight guidelines to a balanced diet and they are:

Enjoy your food

Eat a variety of different foods.

Eat the right amount to stay a healthy weight.

Eat plenty of foods rich in starch and fibre.

Don’t eat too much fat.

Don’t eat sugary foods too often.

Look after the vitamins and minerals in your food.

If you drink alcohol, keep within sensible limits.

The balance to a good health is based on five commonly accepted food groups.

Bread, potatoes and other cereals have the main nutrients of carbohydrate (starch) and

Fibre. These should be present in every meal as they give us most of our food energy.

E.g. wholemeal bread, whole grain rice, pasta and all grains.

Milk and diary foods contain the main nutrients of calcium, protein and B-group vitamins. You should eat this in moderate amounts and choose them in the lower-fat versions. These help us to have healthy teeth and bones.

e.g. Milk, cheese and yoghurt

Fatty and sugary foods contain some vitamins and essential fatty acids but also a lot of fat, sugar and salt. Eat these foods infrequently or in small amounts. These are concentrated high energy-giving foods.

E.g. margarine, butter, cooking oils and low-fat spread, oily salad dressing and cream.

Meat, fish and alternatives contain the main nutrients iron and protein. These foods are good for growth, bodybuilding and repair of tissue. These should be eaten moderately and you should choose lower fat versions whenever you can.

e.g. meat, poultry and fish

Fruit and vegetables contain mainly vitamin C, carotenes, iron, calcium and fibre. You should eat lots of fruit and vegetables and try eat five portions a day. They help your general health and the prevention of specific disorders.

E.g. any frozen, tinned or fresh fruit and vegetables will do.

Proteins- are made of building blocks called amino acids. These amino acids are made of the elements carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and sometimes sulphur. For our body to function to properly we need to the correct balance of amino acids.

Protein is in every cell of our body it is needed for growth and repair of body tissue, muscles and blood cells. You need to eat the right amount of protein by eating a varied diet.

A child should have the right amount of protein. If the chid does not eat enough protein they should try meals like beans on toast, cooked pasta and fish. They should also drink glasses of milk.

Fats- are made up of the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. In the study of ‘fats’ it is made up of both fats and oils. Most fats contain a mixture of saturated, mono-saturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids including trans-fatty acids.

Fat supplies us with a concentrated source of energy. Fat should supply no more than 35 per cent of our food energy. A child should avoid to many fatty foods as too many leads to health problems later on in life.

Carbohydrates- there are two types of carbohydrates:

Starches, which are found in bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, pulses and breakfast cereals.

Sugars, which give food its sweet taste and were found in fruits, soft drinks, table sugar, sweets and cakes.

Carbohydrates are mainly used to provide energy. We should increase the amount of starchy, fibre ...

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Carbohydrates- there are two types of carbohydrates:

Starches, which are found in bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, pulses and breakfast cereals.

Sugars, which give food its sweet taste and were found in fruits, soft drinks, table sugar, sweets and cakes.

Carbohydrates are mainly used to provide energy. We should increase the amount of starchy, fibre rich foods we eat.

Vitamins and Minerals-are called micro-nutrients since they are needed in smaller quantities than the macro-nutrients. Vitamins are essential for life. They are needed in small amounts to keep us in good health. Fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds are good sources of anti-oxidant vitamins. Different types of minerals are used in the human body to help bones, skin and tissue and are necessary for many body processes. A poor intake of minerals can lead to health problems.

Evaluation- I’ve found out that for a child to lead a healthy life-style, which means they need a balanced diet. A balanced diet has all the nutritional needs of a child, which include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. All these in the right proportion are needed to help a child grow. I think that if a child has bad diet early on in life it can lead to health problems later on in life such as things like obesity and tooth decay. If they start off with a healthy life style at an early age they should live a healthy life-style later on in life.

For my Broad area of research I’ve decided to do Healthy Eating of a child. At the beginning of the study my child was 3 years 8 months and by the end of the study she will be around 5 years old. Through this time I will be able to see the different and new foods she has been introduced with and see how she reacts to them and also see if she has problems with foods. I will also be able to write about the nutritional needs of a child and be able to advise the parents on what Natalie should be eating.

After investigating healthy eating of children my focused area of research will be based on making food look attractive for children. I will investigate which packaging attracts the children and which is the cheapest and has the best nutritional needs for a child. I will introduce Natalie to new foods using different shapes and patterns and see how she reacts.

A child needs a good balanced diet starting form a young age or this can lead to problems later on in life. Children could have problems such as obesity, heart disease and tooth decay.

Obesity.

If a child does not eat a balanced diet it could leave them to become over weight or obese. If a child learns early on to eat a balanced diet they will get into good eating habits and avoid becoming over weight or obese. A child should avoid the bad habits such as fizzy drinks and crisps these could make a child obese and they contain a poor nutritional need for a child. They should also avoid Fats especially animal fats.

The following are some of the reasons why children become overweight:

Too much food is eaten for the body’s energy needs

Too little exercise is taken

Eating becomes a comfort to compensate for a real imagined loss of love.

If a child does not changing their eating habits, when they get older it can lead to problems later on in life like heart disease.

Tooth decay.

The first teeth in a baby develop before they are born, so children need to learn how to care for their teeth from an early age. Tooth decay is on the rise some factors that effect the likelihood of tooth decay in a child are as following:

Giving drinks with added sugar, honey or fruit juices in bottle.

Using feeding bottles or teats for a long time.

Giving large amounts of sugary foods and drinks frequently throughout the day.

Poor dental hygiene, I.e. not brushing teeth.

Research has shown that 26% of children who took sugary drinks to bed with them such as juice or squash had tooth decay.

After eating a sticky film named plaque clings to the teeth. If the food or drink contains sugar, the bacteria in plaque use the sugar as fuel and produce acid as a by-product of their metabolism. This acid can dissolve tooth enamel, causing dental caries (holes, cavities). If a child eats a lot of sugary foods, the greater the chances of tooth decay. If plaque invades the spaces between the teeth and gums, other bacteria can infect the gums. Gingivitis is a gum disease. As it progresses, pockets of infection cause the gum to shrink and bacteria harm the supporting bones. The teeth become loose and may fall out

Packaging of food.

What is the Function of Packaging?

Packaging Helps to:

Reduce Foods waste by protecting food from damage-e.g. Eggs in cartons

Increase the life of a food-e.g. Putting food in a can, gas-flushed packs

Give information on contents and shelf life

Make food easier to handle, transport and store

Improve hygiene since food cannot be touched by hand.

How does television advertising affect the eating habits of children?

Results of research have shown us that television advertising does have an influence on children, it effected their behavior as to what they have seen, for instance a tango advert in 1992 showed somebody slapping someone else, children then went round slapping children in the playground as they thought it was acceptable as they had seen it on television.

I think that research study also can prove that television advertising can have affects on children’s eating habits, if children’s behavior can be affected by what they are seeing in the adverts then their eating habits must influenced by what they see in adverts.

Background research summary

This background research was found on the food advertising web site, so this is a valid website and the research will be valid. The research I have found shows that there is research for and against whether television advertising affects the eating habits of children.

This research proves that television advertising affects children's eating habits. They have found out that in the last few years, public debate has risen because of the advertising of confectionary, snack food and soft drinks. People have expressed that during children's television programmes advertising should be banned altogether. This has been expressed on the basis 'that children are particularly venerable to advertising and virtually powerless against its influence'- something of the same basis was said by professor Phillip James in a report to the UK department of health in October 1997.

In July 1994 the Advertising Association by Dr Peter Stratton, of psychology business limited, Leeds, conducted research. This research was to do with the effect of advertising on parents and children's dietary choices. The overall conclusion to this research was that parents did not believe that advertising is a major influence on their children's diet and do not believe that children are continually pestering them for specific foods as a result of advertising.

Persuading children

Advertising agencies have many powers of persuasion in the adverts on the television. Children can connect between seeing the product advertised on the television and when they go shopping with their parents they recognize the products in the shop and then persuade their parents to buy the product.

The methods of persuasion that are used are the following:

Brand Names

Brand names are used in adverts so that people recognized one product from another. Brand names get reputations, so when the name of the product is heard people make associations with the product whether it is good quality or not.

Brand Image

The brand image is also important; if the name isn't appealing no body will be attracted to it. If the package of the product isn't attractive or eye-catching attention won't be drawn to the product so watchers of the advert wont be attracted to it.

Persuasive Writing

Advertisers use the words in their products that children associate positive thoughts with. These words that are used conjure up an image in the child's head of what the product is like, this picture will be a positive picture because of the words used.

Persuasion by colour

Advertisers also use colour in adverts to catch the attention of children. Colours can also play on our emotions. Colour is used in the packaging of the product to catch the children's attention, as children love bright colorful objects, if the product had no colour to it then it would not be noticed, so the product would not be bought.

Musical Themes and Jingles

Music is used in adverts as it can also play or appeal to our emotions. The theme music to an advert is usually very short, but the music is played over and over again, repetition is used a lot. This is a method used a lot as when things are heard over and over again children remember this and also associates the music with what is being advertised.

All of these methods of persuasion are found in most adverts, this is how children are drawn to the attention of the new products, and so they can ask their parents to buy them for them. So when children are watching food adverts they are very venerable and the persuasion in the adverts will make them want to eat that product especially since young children won't understand the consequences if the foods unhealthy.

Evaluation

At a young age children are very vunreable and can be influenced greatly. With children being easily influenced music, colour and characters etc. that are used by advertisers, influences children's eating habits. This is because children recognise the character used i.e. Ronald McDonald for the McDonalds adverts, and the music jingle. When children hear or see this, they would associate it with the product they have seen on the advert when they go shopping and ask their parents to buy it for them.

Persuading children can be done very easily at such a young age even though most adverts shown during children's programs are to persuade to buy a toy it still affects children’s eating habits. It is a fact during children’s television programmes fatty and sugary foods are much more heavily promoted than fruit or vegetables.

If children are being influenced at a young age, which will affect there eating habits it could lead to problems later on in life such as obesity, tooth decay and arthritis. Parents should be more aware of the adverts their child is watching because of the health problems and also because it will reduce stress for the parent as the child won't be nagging as much for an unhealthy food product.