FOOD AS FUEL
No fuel, no fire
The type of food you eat and when you eat it can have a dramatic effect on your energy levels throughout the day.
It influences every aspect of your daily life, from your performance at school and at home, to your mood and whether you feel like going out in the evening; it even affects your stamina levels on the sports field.
A healthy diet
All food contains substances called nutrients which are needed by our bodies to work properly and stay healthy. There are different kinds of nutrients:
- carbohydrates (simple and complex)
- protein
- fat
- vitamins
- minerals
Each of these nutrients has its functions, but for a healthy diet we need a balance of all of them.
- Carbohydrates are needed to provide energy.
- Protein is needed for growth and repair, and for new cells.
- Fats provide energy and insulation for the body.
- Vitamins are only needed in very small amounts. e.g. Vitamin C keeps the skin and connective tissue healthy; Vitamin B helps you to use the energy from carbohydrates; folate (folic acid) is needed to make red blood cells.
- Minerals are not needed in large amounts but we would not be in good health without them, e.g. calcium is needed for strong bones and teeth; iron is needed to make red blood cells, particularly haemoglobin which carries oxygen around the body.
We also need fibre – it's a complex form of carbohydrate which is not digested but helps other food to move smoothly through the gut and waste to be excreted.
Water is also essential for our bodies to work properly.
A balanced diet
No single food contains all the nutrients the body needs. Instead, you need to have a balance
of different foods. Foods can be divided into different food groups:
- bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods
- fruit and vegetables
- milk and dairy foods
- meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein
- foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar
A balanced diet means eating a variety of different types of food in the right proportions.
The Eatwell Plate below is divided into the five food groups and it shows how
much we should eat from each group.
Foods from the largest groups should be eaten most often, e.g. bread, rice, potatoes,
pasta, and '5 a day' of fruit and vegetables. Meat, fish, eggs and beans, and milk
and dairy foods, are also important but should be eaten in moderate amounts. Foods
from the smallest group (foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar) are not essential
and should be eaten less often. For a balanced diet, you should aim to eat foods from
the different food groups but in the right proportions. You don't have to give up foods
you enjoy – it's getting the right balance and variety that's important.
(click on the image below to see a larger version)
Where do bread and cereals fit in?
Grain-based foods like bread and breakfast cereals contain carbohydrate and also some protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre. That's why they are good to have for breakfast and throughout the day because they supply energy. In the UK, we eat more than 12 million loaves of bread every day!
