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.

Healthy eating

All food contains nutrients which our bodies need to work properly and stay healthy. There are different kinds of nutrients, each with their own functions. For a healthy diet, we need a balance of all of them.

• Carbohydrates (simple and complex) are needed for energy.
• Protein helps your body grow and repair itself.
• Fats provide energy and insulation for the body.
• Vitamins are needed in very small amounts and are used for growth and development. e.g. Vitamin C keeps the skin healthy; Vitamin B helps you to use your energy from carbohydrates; folate (folic acid) is needed to make red blood cells.
• Minerals are also not needed in large amounts but without them we would become ill, e.g. calcium is needed for strong bones and teeth, and iron to make red blood cells, particularly haemoglobin to carry oxygen around the body.

We also need fibre, 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

Apart from breastmilk, no single food contains all the nutrients the body needs so you need to eat 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.

Eat most often: bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, and '5 a day' of fruit and vegetables.

Eat in moderate amounts: meat, fish, eggs and beans, and milk and dairy foods.

Eat less often: foods high in fat and/or sugar.

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)

Source: Food Standards Agency

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 eat because they supply energy. In the UK, we eat more than 12 million loaves of bread every day!

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