Task 1
Unit 19 – Nutritional Health
This report is based upon the importance of understanding having a healthy and balanced
diet. To support this, I will be discussing a month long nutrition plan based on my two case
studies that will present my findings and research. I will also be evaluating the influences of
my individual dietary intake as well as others. Alongside, I will be reviewing the short and
long term effects on the individual's nutritional health.
The concept of nutritional health is to have a balanced and healthy diet. The meaning of a
balanced diet is that the individual will be intaking the right proportion of food groups. The
Eatwell guide can help people to see what they need to be eating on a daily basis. Within the
Eatwell guide the food groups are, diary, starch, fruits and vegetables, oils and spreads,
proteins. The guide can also benefit people to see how much they should consume of each
food group everyday. Nutrition can help individuals to fuel their body and for them to be able
to maintain internal functions such as the immune system, the brain, muscles and nerves,
good nutrition can also help individuals in being at a less risk of certain pre-existing medical
conditions or managing their medical condition. Fruit and vegetables can take up to 33%,
starch takes up 33%, dairy can take up to 15%, fats and sugars 7% and proteins can take up
to 12% (National Health Service, 2022).
The essential nutrients for the body are carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils, vitamins,
minerals, water and fibre. Within these nutrients macronutrients and micronutrients can be
found. Macronutrients and micronutrients have a vital role for the body. Macronutrients are
large quantities of nutrients, such as starch, carbohydrates, protein and fat. Whereas
micronutrients are small quantities of nutrients, such as minerals and vitamins,
micronutrients are usually found within the micronutrients.
However there are different types of nutrient intake, malnutrition, undernutrition, over
nutrition. Malnutrition is when the individual does not have the right intake of nutrients which
can affect the functions of the body such as cognitive skills and processing skills. This is
caused by having an inadequate diet or absorption of nutrients. Undernutrition is when the
individual does not have the right intake of nutrients for energy and growth of the body, this
does not mean that the individual does not consume food daily but rather that they do not
have the right proportions for all food groups. This may mean that the individual may have
an unbalanced diet, such as eating more fats and oil rather than protein. Undernutrition is
also defined as a deficiency of nutrients and calories, leading to the body not being able to
digest correctly. Marasmus can be a condition that can be caused by undernutrition. This is
when the individual suffers from a total intake of calories and proteins, this would cause the
skin to lose elasticity, and loss of muscle to take place. This can be a life threatening
condition (Marasmus | pathology, 2019). Kwashiorkor can also be another condition caused
by undernutrition, this is mainly caused by severe protein malnutrition and it mainly affects
children and infants up to the age of five years old. This condition causes edema which is
swelling with fluid, prominent around the stomach area and face (NHS, 2018).
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Unit 19 – Nutritional Health
Overnutrition is when the individual consumes too much food than it is advised, this could
lead to an increase in all food groups and cause the individual to be at risk of medical
conditions such as cardiovascular conditions and diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes can be caused by overnutrition, this is because the individual would have
consumed too much food, this doesn’t necessarily mean fats, oils and sugars, but
sometimes that can also cause this. Type 2 diabetes is when there is too much glucose in
the blood, this can be treated by changing your diet and increasing activity levels.
Cardiovascular diseases are a range of heart problems, one of them being the possibility of
stroke. This is where the blood supply to the brain is cut off, this will cause the possibility of
death and should be treated in a hospital.
The recommended daily intake can vary from person to person, whether it is their age or
gender. In the UK the recommended daily intake for men is 2,500 for men and 2,000 for
women. However there are factors that may vary this such as illnesses, lifestyles and
hormones (NHS, 2018).
Body Mass Index is important as this has been used as a tool to identify obesity, however it
does not take into consideration percentages of body fat and muscle, therefore it may be
difficult to identify who may be at risk of obesity and may misguide people. BMI is usually
used to determine the right weight for an individual's height. Practitioners calculate BMI by
using the formula, BMI = Weight in kilograms (kg) divided by (height in metres)².
Current nutritional health issue in the world is that type 2 diabetes is currently rising as there
is an over consumption of processed foods (Valabhji and Kar, 2023). Processed foods are
agricultural products being transformed into food, meaning that it has been altered in some
way throughout preparations, such as freezing or canning. Due to this, type 2 diabetes
continues to grow, there are approximately 3 million people in the UK who have type 2
diabetes and suffer from obesity, and it is estimated for it to increase to 5.5 million in 2030
(NHS, 2023). This is also an after effect of the pandemic, as many people had to stay
isolated and inside this meant that not many people were able to exercise.
This is linked to poor nutrition as it is evidence for how the population are eating less
healthily and manage to have a poor balanced diet. However another current national health
issue in the world is that people are more aware of gut health, this leads to more publicity on
gut health and how people should take care of what they eat and how they eat things. This
has begun to increase on social media, shaping the future in a better direction. Being aware
of gut health, people are able to do their own research on what would suit their diet as well
as cut down on certain foods for their health.
Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food in order to stop or slow down
spoilage, and an efficient way would be through freezing. This would save money and time,
due to the cost of living increasing, food preservation can be an effective way of saving
money when it comes to food and bills as it would require less energy for it to be cooked.
There are multiple ways of storing food, freezing, sun-drying, smoking, canning and salting,
each of these can be used to preserve food however not all methods can be used on all
foods. Freezing can mainly apply to livestock products, meat and fish. Sun-drying can be
used for vegetables, maize, beans, and cassava chips; they are preserved to avoid spoilage.
Smoking can preserve fish and meat, it is used by spreading the product over a fire to be
dried by hot smoke and heat of the fire. Canning is used for meat, fish and peas being mixed
with an oil or paste, it packages the food in an airtight can under strict hygienic conditions.
, Task 1
Unit 19 – Nutritional Health
Lastly, salting is used to preserve farm produce such as fish and meat, salt destroys bacteria
and helps the food to dry easily as it is an absorbent.
However certain methods of food preservation may cause possible cancers, such as salting
can increase the possibility of having gastric cancer (Cancer Council, 2022).
Antioxidants are substances that delay cell damage within the body, they are mainly found in
foods such as fruits and vegetables. An example may be avocados and blueberries. Teas
such as green tea also contain antioxidants.
There are different types of cooking methods, they are separated into 3 categories. Moist
heat cooking, dry heat cooking and combination cooking.
Moist heat cooking is based on the presence of liquid or steam to cook foods, this doesn’t
require fat or oil. Under this category there are sub-categories of how you can cook food in
moist heat. These are sous vide, poaching, simmering, steaming and boiling. Sous vide is
when you place an airtight bag with the food and cook it under a hot water bath, it is mainly
used for meats, poultry, fish and eggs. Poaching is a cooking method that involves
submerging the food in hot liquid, this method also does not require oil or fat, it is mainly
used for eggs, fish, poultry and fruit. Simmering is a method where it requires a higher
temperature than poaching, it is best used for rice, meats, soups and stocks, vegetables,
grains and legumes. Steaming is when the water is constantly boiling, producing a steam
cloud for the food, retaining all moisture, it is best used for vegetables, fish and shellfish,
desserts and tamales. Boiling involves submerging the food in water heated to a certain
boiling point, it keeps the food in motion whilst it cooks, it is best used for pasta, eggs and
vegetables. In summary, these methods may be good alternatives in order to have a
healthier lifestyle and a better diet, methods such as poaching can have a great impact on
the body as it does not use any added fats or oils.
Dry heat cooking is based around no moisture, broth or water, it uses the circulation of hot
air or contact with fat to transfer heat to foods. It creates the amino acids in the food to turn
brown and have a distinct aroma or flavour. Under this category there are also sub-
categories of how you can cook food in dry heat. These are baking, grilling, roasting,
sautéing, frying, and broiling. Baking and roasting use indirect heat, meaning that it
surrounds the food and cooks it from all sides, the only difference is that baking is used for
cakes whereas roasting is used for meat. Grilling uses radiant heat to cook food quickly, and
the food is usually on a grill, it also requires the food to be flipped in order for both sides to
be cooked. Sautéing requires a shallow pan which uses a small amount of oil or fat for the
food to cook, it is best for meats, poultry and vegetables. Frying requires oil and fats, there
are also different types of frying such as deep-frying which is unhealthy due to the high
amount of oils and fats. Broiling is a method that cooks the food by transferring high heat
onto food items, it is best for meats, poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables.
In summary, most of these methods may help an individual in having a better diet and
overall health, cooking methods such as grilling can be a healthier alternative than frying
since it does not use any added fats or oils.
Combination cooking is based around dry and moist cooking methods, the foods are cooked
in liquids at low heat and for an extended period of time. Under this category there are also
sub-categories of how you can cook food with combination cooking. These are braising and
stewing. Braising is when the food is first seared in a hot oiled pan and then transferred to a
