Unit 21: Nutrition for

health

Unit overview

Key concepts for Unit 21

Food: Any substance eaten to nourish the body. Can be solid or liquid, and can be

taken by mouth, by tube or even directly into a vein, if a person is unable to eat or

drink normally.

Diet: A diet refers to the types of food eaten regularly by an individual. Does not

necessarily refer to a weight loss diet.

Meals & Snacks: The traditional pattern of eating three meals a day still exists in

some households, but a significant amount of people also gain a lot of their food

intake from snacks. Some people have snacks between meals if they feel hungry,

and sometimes just because the food is there. Snacks are not necessarily unhealthy.

Nutrients: Nutrients are the specific chemical constituents of food that provide

energy or support growth, repair or normal functioning of the body. Protein,

carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals are all nutrients.

P1 – Explain concepts associated with

nutritional health

Although there are only 5 Ps, 3Ms and 2Ds in this unit we

do have quite a lot of content to cover so you need to

ensure that you keep up in lessons and are spending time

outside of lessons working on this unit

Your favourite meal

Starter

Imagine you are on death row.

You are offered your last ever

meal.

If you could have anything you

wanted at all what would your

choices be?

What does the body need?

What is included in a

balanced diet?

Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy

carbohydrates

• Starchy food should make up just over a third of the

food we eat.

• Choose higher-fibre, wholegrain varieties when you can by

purchasing wholewheat pasta, brown rice, or simply leaving

the skins on potatoes.

Base your meals around starchy carbohydrate foods:

• start the day with a wholegrain breakfast cereal -

choose one lower in salt and sugars;

• have a sandwich for lunch;

• round off the day with potatoes, pasta

or rice as a base for your evening meal.

Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates

Why choose wholegrain?Wholegrain food contains more fibre than white or refined starchy food,and often more of other nutrients. We also digest wholegrain food moreslowly so it can help us feel full for longer.

Wholegrain food includes:• wholemeal and wholegrain bread, pitta and chapatti;• wholewheat pasta;• brown rice;• wholegrain breakfast cereals and whole oats.

Remember, you can also purchase high fibre white versions of bread and pasta which will help to increase your fibre intake.

Dairy and alternatives

• Try to have some milk and dairy food (or dairy alternatives) such as cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais.

• These are good sources of protein and vitamins, and they’re also an important source of calcium, which helps to keep our bones strong.

• Some dairy food can be high in fat and saturated fat, but there are plenty of lower-fat options to choose from.

• Go for lower fat and lower sugar products where possible. For example, try:

- 1% fat milk which contains about half the fat of semi-skimmed milk without a noticeable change in taste or texture;

- reduced fat cheese which is also widely available;- have a smaller amount of the full-fat varieties less

often;- going for unsweetened, calcium-fortified versions

when buying dairy alternatives.

Fruit and vegetables

• Fruit and vegetables should make up just over a third of the

food we eat each day.

• Aim to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and

vegetables each day.

• Choose from fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced.

A portion is 80g or any of these: • 1 apple, banana, pear, orange or other similar-size fruit;

• 3 heaped tablespoons of vegetables;

• a dessert bowl of salad;

• 30g of dried fruit (counts as a maximum of one portion a day);

• 150ml glass of fruit juice or smoothie (counts as a maximum of one portion a day).

Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins

• These foods are sources of protein, vitamins and minerals, so it

is important to eat some foods from this group.

• Beans, peas and lentils (which are all types of pulses,

sometimes called ‘legumes’) are good alternatives to meat

because they’re naturally very low in fat, and they’re high in

fibre, protein and vitamins and minerals. Other vegetable-

based sources of protein include tofu, bean curd and

mycoprotein.

• Aim for at least two portions (2 x 140g) of fish a week, including

a portion of oily fish. Most people should be eating more fish,

but there are recommended limits for oily fish, crab and some

types of white fish.*

*Please see www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/fish-shellfish.aspx

Also www.msc.org/ for more guidance on sustainably sourced fish.

Hydration

• Aim to drink 6-8 glasses of fluid every day. • Water, lower fat milk and sugar-free drinks including tea and

coffee all count. • Fruit juice and smoothies also count towards your fluid

consumption, although they are a source of free sugars and so you should limit consumption to no more than a combined total of 150ml per day.

• Sugary drinks are one of the main contributors to excess sugar consumption amongst children and adults in the UK.

• Swap sugary soft drinks for diet, sugar-free or no added sugar varieties to reduce your sugar intake in a simple step.

Foods high in fat, salt and sugars

• This includes products such as chocolate, cakes, biscuits, full-sugar

soft drinks, butter and icecream.

• These foods are not needed in the diet. If they are included, have

infrequently and in small amounts.

• If you consume these foods and drinks often, try to limit their

consumption so you have them less often and in smaller amounts.

Food and drinks high in fat and sugar contain lots of energy,

particularly when you have large servings.

• Check the label and avoid foods which are high in fat,

salt and sugar!

Food is essential for life and a balanced diet is the basis

of good health. This is true in all life stages.

However, the amount and types of food that a person

requires to meet their physical needs will depend on

things like:

• Age

• Build

• Gender

• Physical activity

Diet

Deficiency diseases

such as anaemia

Weight gain

Hyperactivity

Tooth decay

Raised blood

pressure

Constipation

High cholesterol

level

A poor diet that does not

provide enough nutrients

can result in various short-

term health problems. Can

you think of any examples?

Short term effects of a poor diet

In pairs discuss each of the following terms:

Malnutrition

Undernutrition

Deficiency

Overweight

Obesity

As a group, decide on a definition for each of the terms.

You all need to note these down.

Nutritional Health

Malnutrition - Malnutrition is a serious condition that occurs when a

person’s diet doesn't contain the right amount of nutrients. It

means "poor nutrition“

Undernutrition - not getting enough nutrients

Deficiency – absence of a particular nutrient in the body

Overweight – having a body mass index greater than or equal to 25

Obesity – abnormal or excessive fat accumulation. Having a body

mass index greater than or equal to 30

Nutritional Health

How can we measure health?

Ways of measuring

health

Some of the ways we can measure health are:

Nutritional and energy balance

Growth charts

Weight for height and gender

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Actual vs recommended food intake

Dietary reference values (DRVs)

Reference Nutrient Intakes

Nutrients per portion and per 100g

Nutritional measures of health

Use the books (p371-375) & internet to find out about the

nutritional measures identified on the previous slides.

Use text and images/ graphs to illustrate your points

Make sure you keep a list of references as the information can

be copied straight into your P1 (this is really the majority of

the P1)

Individual Research task

These are guidelines put forward about the types of foods

we should be consuming.

They are split into key areas:

Food groups

Five-a-day

Effect of food preparation/processing methods

Dietary Intake Guidelines

In 2016 the “Eatwell Plate”changed, and became the

“Eatwell Guide”

Take a close look at the old and

new images. What has changed?

Why do you think the changes

needed to be made? Mark these

changes on your picture

What’s changed?

The name has

changed.

Additional

messaging is

provided for

each food

group.

The knife

and fork

have been

removed.

Illustrations

of foods

and drinks

are used.

Guidance

on healthy

hydration

has been

added.

Foods high in fat and/or

sugars have been

removed from the purple

segment.

A front-of-

pack

nutrition

label has

been added.

The purple segment

now only contains

unsaturated oils and fat

spreads, which eaten

in small amounts,

provide the types of fat

that are essential.

Fruit juice is now included in the

hydration message (not illustrated

pictorially in this group) but a

maximum of 150ml still counts as

one portion of 5 A DAY.

The name of this food group has changed, to

place emphasis on plant sources of protein,

such as beans and pulses, that can be

considered environmentally sustainable.

The segment sizes of

the food groups have

been adjusted to

reflect current

government advice

for a healthy,

balanced diet, such

as eating plenty of

fruit and vegetables

and higher fibre

starchy

carbohydrate foods. Average energy requirements for

men and women have been added

to reinforce the message that all

foods and drinks consumed

contribute to total energy intake.

Key messaging

• The Eatwell Guide shows the proportions in which different groups of foods are needed in order to have a well-balanced and healthy diet.

• The proportions shown are representative of food eaten over a day or more, not necessarily at each meal time.

• Choose a variety of different foods from each food group to help get the wide range of nutrients the body needs to stay healthy .

Key messaging

• The Eatwell Guide applies to most people regardless of weight, dietary restrictions/preferences or ethnic origin.

• It doesn’t apply to children under two years because they have different nutritional needs. Children aged two to five years should gradually move to eating the same foods as the rest of their family, in the proportions shown on the Eatwell Guide.

• Anyone with special dietary requirements or medical needs might want to check with a registered dietitian on how to adapt the EatwellGuide to meet their individual needs.

Key message summary

Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.

Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy

carbohydrates; choosing wholegrain versions where possible.

Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks); choosing lower fat and lower sugar options.

Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including

2 portions of fish every week, one of which should be oily).

Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and eat in small amounts.

Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of fluid a day.

If consuming foods and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar have these less often and in small amounts.

Part of the NHS Live Well scheme

Promotes the message that individuals should eat at least

5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables each day.

Fresh, frozen, canned and dried vegetables and pulses all

count.

Do you get your five a day?!

Five a day

The nutritional value of food can be affected by the way that it is prepared.

We are often given guidelines by the Food Standards Agency about how we prepare, cook and preserve food.

Cooking vegetables – destroys some of the vitamins (especially when boiled). Stir frying or steaming is better.

Frying food actually does retain most nutrients – dry frying is the most healthy (or use Fry Light!)

Effect of food preparation/processing

methods

The nutritional value of food is also reduced by the

keeping food hot – best served as soon as it is cooked.

Canned foods – some vitamins are destroyed by heating

(preservation) process. Can contain high amounts of

sugar and salt.

Freezing food is an excellent way to preserve nutrients

as long as freezer is at the correct temperature (-18

Degrees Celsius).

Effect of food preparation/processing

methods

What other dietary guidelines do we know about?

What are some of the effects of drinking too much alcohol on the body?

What else?

We are also given guidelines about other things such as

water intake. How much water should we drink per day?

Approx 2l (8 glasses)

What about calorie intake? Does anyone know their

recommended calorie intake?

What else?

Within a healthy, balanced diet, a man needs around 2,500Kcal a day to maintain his weight. For a

woman, that figure is around 2,000Kcal a day.

These values can vary depending on age, metabolism and levels of physical activity, among other

things.

What are calories?

Calories are a measure of how much energy food or drink contains. The amount of energy you need

will depend on:

your age – for example, growing children and teenagers may need more energy

your lifestyle – for example, how active you are

your size – your height and weight can affect how quickly you use energy

Other factors can also affect how much energy you burn. For example:

some hormones (chemicals produced by the body) – such as thyroid hormones

some medications – such as glucocorticoids (a type of steroid used to treat inflammation)

being unwell

What should my daily intake of calories

be?

Current nutritional issues

There are a range of issues that face consumers when trying to follow

a healthy diet

Food labelling

Organic food

Genetically modified foods

Environmental aspects of food production

Self-prescribed health products

You should research one of the issues mentioned between Pg 375 and

377 and include this as part of your P1

Produce a booklet/ set of fact sheets for patients in a health centre. Ages can

range so make sure language is clear and simple. Use pictures, images and

examples.

Booklet needs to include:

Page explaining key terms: food, diet, meals, nutrients

Explain what nutritional measures and dietary guidelines could be

used to identify a person who was malnourished, undernourished,

overweight or obese

Explain the dietary intake guidelines that are published to help

individuals have a balanced diet

The research you have done on one current nutritional issue

P1 – Explain concepts associated with

nutritional health

P2 – Describe the characteristics of

nutrients and their benefits to the body

The following nutrients are essential for optimal

functioning of the body:

Carbohydrates (including sugars, starch, non

starch polysaccharides, sugar substitutes)

Proteins (including polypeptides, amino acids)

Lipids (including monosaturates, polyunsaturates

& saturates, cis and trans fats, cholesterol)

Vitamins

Minerals (including iron, calcium, trace elements)

Research task/ P2 draft

Working individually use the books (p380-387) & internet to find

out about nutrients.

Carbohydrates, Proteins, Lipids, Vitamins, Minerals, Energy, Other

diet related consumptions. Include the sub-groups too

You must produce a series of information sheets explaining the

characteristics of these nutrients and how they benefit the body.

Make sure your language is as simple as possible and information is

clear! Not copied and pasted!!!

M1 – Discuss similarities and differences on

the nutritional requirements of two groups of

individuals

There is some information on pgs 387 and 388

You need to show your understanding of the fact that people need different

amounts of certain nutrients at each life stage, depending on whether they

are growing, very active, or if they need to actively prevent certain disorders

You should also discuss the differences within the group – between male and

female, or active/ sedentary jobs for example

Take 400 micrograms

of folic acid per day

up to the 12th week

Avoid vitamin A,

e.g. in liver

Avoid alcohol

Avoid foods which

could be

contaminated with

bacteria

Recommended daily allowances are often shown on food packaging. However,

these generally apply to healthy adults. Different groups have different dietary

requirements:

Dietary requirements: Pregnant women

Small, energy-

rich snacks

Limited fibre

Avoid fish contaminated

with heavy metals

Whole or semi-

skimmed milk

Dietary requirements: children

Lots of fluids to stay

hydrated

Calcium and vitamin

supplements

Lots of fibreLess food

Dietary requirements: the elderly

M1 – Discuss similarities and differences on

the nutritional requirements of two groups of

individuals

There is some information on pgs 387 and 388

You need to show your understanding of the fact that people need different

amounts of certain nutrients at each life stage, depending on whether they

are growing, very active, or if they need to actively prevent certain disorders

You should also discuss the differences within the group – between male and

female, or active/ sedentary jobs for example

P3 – Explain possible influences on dietary

intake

M2 - Assess how influences on dietary intake

may affect the nutritional health of

individuals

What affects what

you eat

Influences

Health factors (including diabetes, coeliac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, food allergies & intolerances)

Dietary habits & lifestyle (including snacking, personal tastes, food availability, social eating/drinking, exercise levels, occupation).

Economic & sociocultural issues (including cost of food, access to shops, food supply, religious influences)

Education & social policy (including public health, health education, food hygiene, marketing and labelling, role of health professionals, social policy).

P3 – Explain possible influences on dietary intake

M2 - Assess how influences on dietary intake may

affect the nutritional health of individuals

You need to explain how the four main factors can influence what

people eat and why. Pgs. 390-399 will help you complete this

For the merit you need to explain how this can affect the nutritional

health of individuals in both a positive and negative way.

D1: Make realistic recommendations for minimising

negative influences on the individuals in a specific

HSC setting

In order to pass this D you will need to think creatively about what you could

do to help people overcome the effects of negative influences.

As well as including the information that we come up with as a class, you also need

to mention – ‘The role of the health professional’ (pg. 397) and ‘social policy’ (pg.

398)

D1

There have been several attempts to improve the diet of the population through

social policy.

It involves creating opportunities for people to choose healthy foods.

Social Policy

D1

What should be

included in a

healthy diet?

D1

How can we help

people overcome

the effects of

negative

influences?

D1: Make realistic recommendations for minimising

negative influences on the individuals in a specific

HSC setting

In order to pass this D you will need to think creatively about what you could

do to help people overcome the effects of negative influences.

As well as including the information that we come up with as a class, you also need

to mention – ‘The role of the health professional’ (pg. 397) and ‘social policy’ (pg.

398)

P4: Carry out a quantitative analysis of daily

intake of nutrients and energy by one individual

In order to pass this P you will need to complete and detailed review of a

persons meals, snacks and drinks for one week.

Keep a record of all that is eaten and drunk over a three-day period. (Base this on

your own food and liquid consumption).

Keep an activity diary over the same period so you can estimate the energy

expenditure. (Base this on your own activities).

Using a spread sheet and food analysis data tables, carry out a systematic

quantitative analysis of the total food intake for each of the three days.

You are expected to analyse in detail the nutrients consumed in the food diary and

the energy expended on activity during the 3 days. You will need to record labeling

information from food packaging and weigh unpackaged food. The results will be

recorded on a spreadsheet.

You have been asked to look at a patient’s food intake and compare it against the

government recommended requirements to help improve their health and quality

of life you will need to take into consideration their life style, cultural needs and

beliefs, their abilities and so on.

Research – Task 1

Things that you could include:

Record of food intake:

Record over one three-day period, all food eaten including meals, snacks, drinks, confectionery,

supplements; portion sizes, processing details, frequency

Sources of nutritional information:

Food analysis tables (database or printed), tables of portion sizes, packaging (especially for processed foods)

Quantitative analysis:

To include energy, protein, fat, iron, vitamin C, fibre intakes, proportion of energy from fat (via excel

spreadsheet)

Strengths and weaknesses:

In relation to RNI, general health targets e.g. five-a-day, representativeness of three-day intake measured

to usual dietary habits.

Activity:

Record of time per day spent sleeping, sitting, walking (fast/slow), on other exercise, eg sport to estimate

daily energy expenditure diary

Food labels give us lots of information, but for this P we

are only interested in:

Fat

Fibre

Carbohydrates

Proteins

Calories

Salt/Sodium

Sugar

Weight

Food Labels

Log on to Outlook/ Groups/ etc

Download and SAVE your own

copy of the P4 template.

P4

Using the nutritional information

from your food diary and labels

you need to fill in each section of

table.

Monday Day 1 Breakfast Drink Lunch Snack Drink Dinner Drink Total

Fat

Fibre

Carbohydrates

Proteins

Calories

Salt/sodium

Sugar content

Weight

Tuesday Day 2 Breakfast Drink Lunch Snack Drink Dinner Drink Total

Fat

Fibre

Carbohydrates

Proteins

Calories

Salt/sodium

Sugar content

Weight

Wednesday Day 3 Breakfast Drink Lunch Snack Drink Dinner Drink Total

Fat

Fibre

Carbohydrates

Proteins

Calories

Salt/sodium

Sugar content

Weight

Thursday Day 4 Breakfast Drink Lunch Snack Drink Dinner Drink Total

Fat

Fibre

Carbohydrates

Proteins

Calories

Salt/sodium

Sugar content

Weight

Friday Day 5 Breakfast Drink Lunch Snack Drink Dinner Drink Total

Fat

Fibre

Carbohydrates

Proteins

Calories

Salt/sodium

Sugar content

Weight

Saturday Day 6 Breakfast Drink Lunch Snack Drink Dinner Drink Total

Fat

Fibre

Carbohydrates

Proteins

Calories

Salt/sodium

Sugar content

Weight

Sunday Day 7 Breakfast Drink Lunch Snack Drink Dinner Drink Total

Recording your information

You can track your food/exercise in whichever way is easiest

for you (phone, paper, PC) but we need to make sure that we

are ready to input all the data next week.

Taking photos of food labels may be an easy way of keeping

evidence.

If you can, measure your BMI before you start.

If you have a lot of home cooked food, find out the basic

ingredients/amounts etc. and you can often find out similar

nutritional values online.

P4 Tips

Writing up a meal plan, but for who?

Before you can write your meal plan you need to invent a person. (This will be your

introduction for P4/P5/M3/D2)

Write a paragraph that describes your individual:

Name

Age

Profession

Lifestyle

Religion (if they have one)

Any activities that they enjoy

P5

After you have completed your excel table next week you

will be required to write a report including the following:

Introductory paragraph

Values table on excel

Analysis of results

Summary paragraph for your client

P4: Carry out a quantitative analysis of

daily intake of nutrients and energy by one

individual

P5: Prepare a one week plan for improving

the nutrition of a chosen individual

This will simply follow on from your P4, so remember that the introduction that

you wrote with all the information about lifestyle/ religion/ age etc. are still

relevant

Create a meal plan for 7 days for your individual taking into consideration the

points you have written about in your introduction. (word)

Remember, this should be healthier than your P4 meal plan.

For each of your meals, snacks and drinks you need to record the nutritional

values in a table form, similar to that of your P4. (excel)

You then need to give some lifestyle changes that will benefit the health of the

individual (word)

M3: Assess how the plan will meet the nutritional

needs of the chosen individual

D2: Evaluate how the nutritional plan might improve

the health of the chosen individualTo achieve the merit,

you have to be able to explain how the menu and lifestyle changes you have devised

will maintain the health of the chosen individual.

Refer to the persons age, gender, lifestyle, beliefs and preferences when justifying

your choices.

In order to pass the distinction you will need to show your understanding of how

particular foods can prevent illness.

You would need to include:

Effect in short, medium or long term

How the foods actually work inside the body to create benefits

How the foods you have removed (from P4 to P5) cause ill health

Your individual’s meal plan

Create a meal plan for your individual taking into consideration

the points you have written about in your introduction.

Remember, this should be healthier than the meals that were

eaten in P4.

P5

Working out the values of food

This is very similar to the food values that you created for your P4, except

these should now be healthier.

Use the meal planner that you created to work out the nutritional values of

the meals planned

If you are unsure of some values google them (supermarket websites are

usually very good at showing you a products food label

Log on to Outlook/ Groups/ etc

Download and SAVE your own

copy of the P5 template.

P5: Prepare a one week plan for improving

the nutrition of a chosen individual

This will simply follow on from your P4, so remember that the introduction that

you wrote with all the information about lifestyle/ religion/ age etc. are still

relevant

Create a meal plan for 7 days for your individual taking into consideration the

points you have written about in your introduction. (word)

Remember, this should be healthier than your P4 meal plan.

For each of your meals, snacks and drinks you need to record the nutritional

values in a table form, similar to that of your P4. (excel)

You then need to give some lifestyle changes that will benefit the health of the

individual (word)

M3: Assess how the plan will meet the nutritional

needs of the chosen individual

D2: Evaluate how the nutritional plan might improve

the health of the chosen individualTo achieve the merit,

you have to be able to explain how the menu and lifestyle changes you have devised

will maintain the health of the chosen individual.

Refer to the persons age, gender, lifestyle, beliefs and preferences when justifying

your choices.

In order to pass the distinction you will need to show your understanding of how

particular foods can prevent illness.

You would need to include:

Effect in short, medium or long term

How the foods actually work inside the body to create benefits

How the foods you have removed (from P4 to P5) cause ill health