BTEC EXTENDED DIPLOMA IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
P1: Explain concepts associated with nutritional health.
In this assignment, I will be explaining different concepts which are associated with nutritional
health. For example, food, diet, meals, snacks, nutrients etc. I will also explain one current
nutritional issue. The nutritional issue I will explain is food labelling.
Food Food is a substance which consists of essential nutrients that preserve
life and growth. All humans and animals must consume food in order
to stay alive. Food is taken in through the mouth, but can also be
taken by tube or into a vein if an individual is unable to eat or drink.
Diet Diet is a selection of food and drinks which someone consumes. They
consume them on a regular basis either for health or weight gain/loss
reasons. For example, Atkins diet, vegan diet, gluten free diet or
Palaeolithic diet.
Meals Meals are large portions of food which are eaten at specific times of
the day. For example, breakfast is eaten in the morning at around
6pm, lunch is eaten in the afternoon at around 12 pm and dinner is
eaten in the evening at around 6pm. There are certain foods that are
eaten for each meal.
Snacks Snacks are small amounts of food which are eaten between meals.
There are a variety of snacks such as crisps, almonds, fruits, vegetables
or candy bars. Snacks are usually eaten when an individual is hungry
or needs a boost of energy but it’s not meal time yet.
Nutrients Nutrients are substances which provide nourishment which is needed
for life and growth. Examples of nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins,
fats, vitamins, minerals, water and fibre. Each individual needs to
consume different amounts of nutrients depending on their weight,
height and gender.
Malnutrition Malnutrition is when an individual lacks the essential nutrients. This
can be due to not eating enough, not eating the right things or being
unable to take in the foods that one does eat. Malnutrition includes
undernutrition or over nutrition. Over nutrition is when too much of
one nutrient is consumed.
Undernutrition Undernutrition is when an individual doesn’t consume enough
nutrients which are essential for life and growth. This is usually caused
by not eating enough and not consuming enough calories. It can also
be caused by medical conditions such as ulcerative colitis. This is a
condition where nutrients from the food are not absorbed into the
bloodstream, because food passes through the digestive tract very
quickly.
Deficiency Deficiency is when an individual has a lack of a certain nutrient. It is
usually a lack of a specific mineral or vitamin, such as iron deficiency
(anaemia) or vitamin C deficiency. This can happen when there is a
lack of that nutrient in the diet or a medical condition.
Overweight Overweight is when an individual’s weight exceeds what is considered
healthy or desirable. An individual usually becomes overweight when
they consume too many calories or doesn’t get enough exercise which
can cause many health problems such as arthritis, Type 2 diabetes and
high blood pressure. The Department of Health state that being
overweight means having a BMI of 25 or more.
Obesity Obesity is a medical condition which occurs when an individual has
excess body weight, caused by fat. Someone who has a BMI of 30 and
over would be considered obese. There are many physical and mental
health problems associated with obesity. For example, cancer,
cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, gallstones, infertility and
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P1: Explain concepts associated with nutritional health.
In this assignment, I will be explaining different concepts which are associated with nutritional
health. For example, food, diet, meals, snacks, nutrients etc. I will also explain one current
nutritional issue. The nutritional issue I will explain is food labelling.
Food Food is a substance which consists of essential nutrients that preserve
life and growth. All humans and animals must consume food in order
to stay alive. Food is taken in through the mouth, but can also be
taken by tube or into a vein if an individual is unable to eat or drink.
Diet Diet is a selection of food and drinks which someone consumes. They
consume them on a regular basis either for health or weight gain/loss
reasons. For example, Atkins diet, vegan diet, gluten free diet or
Palaeolithic diet.
Meals Meals are large portions of food which are eaten at specific times of
the day. For example, breakfast is eaten in the morning at around
6pm, lunch is eaten in the afternoon at around 12 pm and dinner is
eaten in the evening at around 6pm. There are certain foods that are
eaten for each meal.
Snacks Snacks are small amounts of food which are eaten between meals.
There are a variety of snacks such as crisps, almonds, fruits, vegetables
or candy bars. Snacks are usually eaten when an individual is hungry
or needs a boost of energy but it’s not meal time yet.
Nutrients Nutrients are substances which provide nourishment which is needed
for life and growth. Examples of nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins,
fats, vitamins, minerals, water and fibre. Each individual needs to
consume different amounts of nutrients depending on their weight,
height and gender.
Malnutrition Malnutrition is when an individual lacks the essential nutrients. This
can be due to not eating enough, not eating the right things or being
unable to take in the foods that one does eat. Malnutrition includes
undernutrition or over nutrition. Over nutrition is when too much of
one nutrient is consumed.
Undernutrition Undernutrition is when an individual doesn’t consume enough
nutrients which are essential for life and growth. This is usually caused
by not eating enough and not consuming enough calories. It can also
be caused by medical conditions such as ulcerative colitis. This is a
condition where nutrients from the food are not absorbed into the
bloodstream, because food passes through the digestive tract very
quickly.
Deficiency Deficiency is when an individual has a lack of a certain nutrient. It is
usually a lack of a specific mineral or vitamin, such as iron deficiency
(anaemia) or vitamin C deficiency. This can happen when there is a
lack of that nutrient in the diet or a medical condition.
Overweight Overweight is when an individual’s weight exceeds what is considered
healthy or desirable. An individual usually becomes overweight when
they consume too many calories or doesn’t get enough exercise which
can cause many health problems such as arthritis, Type 2 diabetes and
high blood pressure. The Department of Health state that being
overweight means having a BMI of 25 or more.
Obesity Obesity is a medical condition which occurs when an individual has
excess body weight, caused by fat. Someone who has a BMI of 30 and
over would be considered obese. There are many physical and mental
health problems associated with obesity. For example, cancer,
cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, gallstones, infertility and
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