Healthy Eating Habits

Healthy Eating Habits          

Healthy eating consists of consuming the types and quantities of foods that offer an ideal balance between nutrition and energy to support childhood growth as well as adult metabolism. This involves choosing foods with more of the health-promoting vitamins and minerals and less of the detrimental fats, cholesterol, sugar and sodium.

Healthy Eating

Nutrition has a considerable impact on our health and physical activity performance. Specific groups of people have varying nutritional requirements dependant on factors including age, gender, physical activity, pregnancy and weight management needs.

What is a Balanced diet?

A balanced diet is a diet that contains adequate amounts of all the necessary nutrients required for healthy growth and activity. Some of the dietary guidelines provided and recommended by the Government for young people in Australia include:

·         Enjoying a wide variety of nutritious foods

·         Eating plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruits                                           

                                   

Food Pyramid

A common way of breaking down the food groups is the food pyramid, which shows what foods to eat most, moderately and least. There are five groups which need to be balanced, foods at the bottom of the pyramid are the ones to eat the most – Breads and Cereals, and then as they continue up the pyramid to the foods at the top, those are the foods to eat least of – fats, oils and sweets.

Physical Activity

Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that require energy expenditure. Physical inactivity has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths globally.

Regular moderate intensity physical activity – such as walking or cycling– has significant benefits for health.

Exercise

Along with healthy eating and good sleep patterns, exercise is a vital part of keeping our bodies fit and strong. It keeps our energy levels up, helps reduce stress levels and keeps us feeling good.

Make use of whatever is around you to fit physical activity into everyday life. An example is:

·         Using the stairs instead of lifts or escalators

Benefits of Physical Activity

Physical Activity can impact you mentally, physically, socially and spiritually. You feel fit, energetic, strong and healthy. If you've ever suffered from a lack of energy, say after an illness such as glandular fever, you'll know how good it is to have a healthy body and think more positively as physical activity:

• releases endorphins - these are the body's natural "feel good" chemicals

• It reduces stress and tension, making you more relaxed
• It can improve mental health and reduce depression. Studies have shown that outdoor physical activity is best if you can do it
• The Social enjoyment - make new friends, enjoy the fun of a social team
• It Means a strong heart and lungs - they'll last longer - and so will you!

How much Exercise

Experts agree that your exercise, at the very least, has to be moderately intense and has to be regular. The National Physical Activity Guidelines for Australians recommends at a minimum 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week. (14)

Balancing exercise with what you eat

To have a balanced diet is when what you eat is equal to what you are burning off. The intake equals the expenditure. This means you are of healthy weight and are healthy.

An Unbalanced diet is when you are eating more than what you are burning off. The intake is greater than the expenditure. This is when your body can become overweight or more health problems can start to occur.

Eating Habits

Some of the many common eating patterns in adolescents include:
- skipping meals  especially breakfast
- inadequate consumption of nutrients and vegetables
- dieting
-eating outside the home

-soft drinks

Media Influences

As technology rapidly advances, we find ourselves more submersed in various forms of entertainment and communication. As shown in the previous video, the media is creating ‘false facades’ in which girls and boys think they are expected to look like. This is causing many health issues, as they try to fit with what they are shown.

Media and Culture

Society has always been expected to change their shape to maintain and keep up with the current fashion. The expectation of women and girls today is that they are to be thin. Men and boys are expected to be toned and fit.

Young people in today’s society are constantly exposed to pictures of teenage models and celebrities on television, billboards and magazines which are having their negative effects.