Adolescence: 11-18 Years Old – Adolescences’ grow very quickly as this is where there is a big change in a person for example they grow taller and put on weight. There are physical changes both externally and internally. All of these changes require energy so an adolescences’’ appetite can be large as they crave foods which are fatty which causes the weight increase however they should still eat balanced foods. A diet that is high in fats, sugars and salt may result in health problems such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease which will develop as they grow older. It is important that adolescences take part in exercise which will help them to stay fit and lose weight but also its main benefit will be to avoid these health problems. At this age they should be told about the risks of severe dieting that some teenagers are susceptible to.
Adults: 19-65 Years – Adults need to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Their ages will decide how much food they should eat and how much carbohydrates and fats to avoid. This will prevent heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Adults’ nutritional requirements reduce as they grow older because they become less able to do physical exercise. They are advised to do some exercise so their body stays healthy and this could result in people living longer. Also as people become adults they are allowed to drink alcohol so there are safe intake measurements with both men and women. Men should consume 21 units and Women should consume 14 units.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding – During teenage pregnancy girls are more likely to suffer with nutrient deficiencies as their bodies are still growing and changing as a result it is vital that they eat more foods as they now have the job of feeding the foetus and because their pregnant they provide breast milk. When an adult is pregnant their nutritional needs increase slightly to help the foetus develop and also the placenta which guards the baby. The figure of speech,’eating for two’ is known and used by many people but this is not completely true. It is more important that they eat a well balanced diet instead of eating lots of foods. If the pregnancy is planned it is advised that woman have more folic acid in their diet maybe in the form of a tablet. Folic acid has been proven to lower the risk of spina bifida in the foetus. If the family of the baby have a good diet then this can be passed down to the baby for example if a person like brussell sprouts this is down to the genes.
Older People: 65 Years and Older – As we grow older our bodies become less able to do things like exercise and so our need for energy decreases slightly. Even though they don’t need a lot of food older people still need energy from foods. The sources needed are proteins, vitamins and minerals. Some older people may not eat enough food and so they can’t have a balanced diet with a good amount of nutrition. One of the reasons why they don’t eat enough could be due to depression or being alone. Sometimes if they lose their partners then they may not feel like cooking and they lose their appetite. In order to maintain their appetite they are advised to cook tasty and easy nutritious meals. This will help them to avoid illness. If they do exercise here and there then they will be healthy physically and mentally and this will increase their social wellbeing.
Concept of a Balanced Diet
Intake and Needs – Apart from breast milk there is no other single food that provides nutrients for a healthy and balanced diet as a result we have to eat a varied amount of foods to keep us healthy. Usually there are no unhealthy foods as such as it is just unbalanced amounts of foods that can cause consequences as health problems.
Energy Balance – The term energy balance means how much energy is taken into their bodies and given out but they are both equal. Energy intake is mainly from carbohydrates and fats in diet and the output is the energy that is used during everyday processes like breathing, moving and metabolism. If the energy input is more than the output then the extra bit is stored as fat as it cannot be given off. Over a long period of time this fat will cause chronic conditions like obesity.
Children will need a higher intake of energy as they are now at the stage where they’re growing rapidly. Since the mid-twentieth century people living in developed countries have become less active due to the changes in work, transport and technology and this can have a bad impact on their health as this causes obesity.
Dietary Reference Values:
Dietary reference values were developed by the department of health 1991 to replace recommended daily amounts (RDA’S). DRV are a suggested amount of energy and nutrient intakes and they should not be taken in as exact amounts. They are just guidelines for people of the same age group and they show an estimate of how much energy and nutrients should be taken in and sometimes if can be decided by the gender. These recommendations show what people need for good health. Even though DRV are given as daily intakes, people don’t eat the same foods every day and so their appetite can change. Consequently the intakes of energy and nutrients are averaged over several days moreover DRV only apply to healthy people.
DRV is a used term to cover the following:
. Estimated Average Requirements – The average amount of energy and nutrients needed by a person or group to stay healthy.
. Reference Nutrient Intake – An amount of nutrient to meet the needs to stay healthy and this effects about 97% of people.
. Lower Reference Nutrient Intake –This is the amount of nutrient that is enough for a small group of people. Many people will need more than this.
. Safe Intake - This is used when there isn’t enough evidence to set an EAR, RNI or LRNI. The safe intake is enough for people but below this could have undesirable effects.
Malnutrition and Nutrient Deficiencies
The term malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies means eating unbalanced meals as something that happens on a daily basis. This can lead to poor health because they are not healthy. It can also be related to under-nutrition or over-nutrition. Under-nutrition is where there is not enough food for the whole population which means that a lack of proteins, carbohydrates and other nutrients can cause marasmus which is caused by not getting enough calories or kwashiorkor which is caused by a lack of protein. This caused wasting of the body. The two types of people who are most at risk of starvation are old people and young people. Under-nutrition is rare in the UK as there is plenty of food to feed the whole of the UK. Iron deficiency is an example of under-nutrition which can lead to anaemia. Over-nutrition is mainly related to countries where there is too much food and this can cause obesity, heart disease, liver damage and tooth decay.
Diet Variation during Life Stages Development:
Preconception and Pregnancy – If a couple are planning to have a baby then it is advised that both parents have good health and they should consider their alcohol and diet intake as this can affect the foetus. If one of the parents has a high level of alcohol then sperm may not be produced properly and if the mother has this then there can be physical problems with the baby. The woman should have folic acid in her diet which is balanced and this will help the baby’s spinal cord to develop successfully. Moreover protein is vital for new growth. Foods that can harm the foetus should be avoided because they will contain bacteria. These foods can be unpasteurised milk and uncooked eggs.
Baby – Any baby born should be breastfed until the age of at least 6 months or given formula milk. This decision is up to the parents. Weaning onto solid foods is not advised before 6 months as the baby may not be used to swallowing. The baby should be given a variety of tastes and be introduced into a smooth consistency and then the foods get lumpier as they grow and learn to chew.
Child – At this point in the child’s life they should be eating foods that are lumpy and contain a lot of protein as they start to grow rapidly. Carbohydrates are used to provide the child with energy and this is because the child is becoming more active and learning new skills. Also calcium and vitamin D are good for a child as they need strong teeth and bones.
Adolescent – Girls who are at this stage in life are going through puberty as their body changes as a result they need a diet high in iron. All teenagers need enough protein in their diet to help their body go through the changes it needs to. However at this stage some adolescent go mad and eat fatty foods which can lead to problems like obesity and tooth decay. Education is required about the benefits of a balanced diet and the dangers of excessive alcohol intakes.
Adult – Adults should have enough knowledge to know what a balanced diet is. As they grow older their metabolism slows down so the portion sizes what they eat should be changed. Their diets should contain enough iron.
Older Person –As their life reaches this stage their physical state becomes less active and so their diet should contain less fats and more protein to help with the repair of cells especially if they are ill. Their diet should contain calcium to help maintain strong bones. Portions should be reduced as they are less mobile.
Factors Influencing the Diet of Individuals:
Religion And Culture – Culture and religion have an influence on what foods people eat furthermore some foods may be eaten by one person in a family but another may not even though they are from the same background. Some people have different tastes due to their taste buds. People make different choices for different reasons that can be ethical or religious and different people have different likes and dislikes.
Social Class – There is some evidence that people’ status in society can have an impact on their diet. For example: High class people may eat a healthier because they have had an education and so they can afford better foods. On the other hand a low class family will have less money and so they will not be able to afford the luxury foods like a higher rank family. This is due to the low income. However not all high social class people eat healthily as their jobs may involve travelling and so they don’t have the time to cook fresh foods and so they might buy fast food. Also they may eat too many foods that contain fats and sugars.
Personal Preferences – Personal preferences do decide what people eat in their diet as everyone likes different foods. This is not just related to likes/dislikes and taste but it can also be down to habits. An example of this is that you may not eat breakfast in the morning for any reason and so this is a bad start to your day as your metabolism isn’t starting. If this is wanted to change it may be hard as the body has got used to not eating in the morning. As said before, eating habits can have an impact on diet because a religion may not eat meat but other people do.
Peers Pressure – What you eat can be decided by other people if they influence you. Children and young people are easily influenced by parents usually to eat vegetables for example because they will say something like green veg helps you to grow tall etc. The choices that are influenced may be healthy or unhealthy.
The Media – Information on television could influence people to eat certain foods for example the green giant sweetcorn gives the impression that if people eat sweetcorn they will become a giant. Also there are other types of media like leaflets, magazine articles, posters and soap operas. Sometimes we do not know that the media has an impact on our diet choices.
Position In The Family – Depending who is in your family, they can have a huge impact on what people eat for a variety of reasons. For example a child may be forced to eat fruit by their parents to whom they will obey. The person that does the food shopping for the family members will often decide what people will eat because they chose what food will be there. Younger people have the food chosen for them but as they grow older they make their own choices.
Geographic Location – This could be how far or near you live to shops/supermarkets. If you live in the countryside then there are going to be a limited amount of shops or it may even be a local corner shop however if you live in a city then there will be lots of shops and so there will be a lot of supply of fresh products. If you live in an urban area then your choice for food may be a wider. Some urban areas have a wider range of foods from healthy and organic products to fast-food outlets and small convenience stores.
The geographic location can also be the place where you live within the country. A developed place such as London will have a variety of foods because they can be imported to a port not far away. An example of this is there may be seasonal foods all year round. However a poor country such as Ethiopia may suffer from bad weather so their crops cannot grow fully and the supply of food may be limited. In some countries there can be starvation if the circumstances are really bad as some people in the world cannot afford to buy foods.
Availability of Foods – This can differ between different countries for example rich countries like America are able to have foods imported by ship whereas poor countries may not. The larger supermarkets are usually on out-of-town sites and transport is needed to reach them. This may be a problem for older and disabled people. Although there may be public transport, the storage and weight of the shopping may be a problem.
Financial Resources – This is a major thing that has an impact on our dietary choices for example some people may have a lot of money so they can buy more foods that are expensive and have a better taste. However some people may have a limited amount of money so they may only be able to afford cheap foods that may not taste very nice. People who earn a lot of money will be able to eat out as a treat in restaurants but people who earn low amounts of money will not. This may be an advantage or disadvantage towards diet.
by
wardy96 (student)
