AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition: Revision Guide

Food Safety > Food spoilage and contamination Nutriti nal needs and health What a healthy, balanced diet means What ‘diet’ means: • Diet : means the food that you eat every day • Don’t confuse the word ‘diet’ with trying to lose weight by reducing calories • Healthy, balanced diet contains the correct amounts of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water that people, at different life stages, need for good health, to grow properly, be active and maintain a healthy body There are also special diets: • Low-fat • Calorie controlled • Low salt • Low sugar • High fibre • Gluten-free • Lactose-free • Energy dense • Lacto-vegetarian • Lacto-ovo vegetarian • Vegan What the dietary guidelines are There are eight guidelines 1. Base your meals on starchy foods 2. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables 3. Eat more fish – including a portion of oily fish each week 4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar 5. Eat less salt – no more than 6g (1 level teaspoon) a day for adults 6. Get active and be a healthy weight 7. Don’t get thirsty – drink plenty of water 8. Don’t skip breakfast Dietary guidelines are designed to: • Advise people about how to choose a variety of foods to get a healthy balanced diet • Encourage people to stay active to be fit and well • Help people understand the importance of being a healthy weight • Advise people to drink plenty of water so they don’t get thirsty and dehydrated • Recommend that people eat regular meals to keep them healthy Revision tip Remember that the Eatwell Guide is for an overall healthy diet. It does not mean that every meal eaten every day should contain all the different food groups. Healthy, balanced diet: a diet that contains the correct proportions of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water necessary for good health, to grow properly, be active and maintain a healthy body Diet: the food that you eat every day. There are also special diets (e.g. a low-fat diet, a calorie controlled diet, a vegetarian diet) Lacto-vegetarian: someone who does not eat meat, sh or eggs, but will eat milk and milk products Lacto-ovo-vegetarian: someone who does not eat meat or sh but will eat milk, milk products and eggs Key terms you should try to use in your answers 32 28