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Nutrition and Balanced Diets

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Nutrition and Balanced Diets

Help plan nourishing meals for a busy week. Read each question carefully. Food needs can differ between people, and no single food makes a diet balanced.

Food groups and nutrients

A useful way to think about everyday eating is to include a variety of vegetables and fruit; grain foods; foods such as beans, lentils, eggs, fish, chicken, meat, nuts and seeds; and milk or suitable alternatives. Water is also important. Foods can provide more than one nutrient.

1.Maia is choosing a filling lunch. Which option includes a grain food, a protein-rich food, and vegetables or fruit?

Brown rice, egg and spinach
Apple, pear and orange
Yoghurt, milk and cheese
Carrot sticks, cucumber and capsicum

2.Match each nutrient with a role it can have in the body. Write the correct letter beside each nutrient.

A. Carbohydrate
B. Protein
C. Fibre

2. Provides energy; fibre-rich choices can support digestion
3. Helps food move through the digestive system
1. Helps build and repair body tissues

3.True or false? Beans and lentils can be useful sources of protein.

TrueFalse

4.Complete the sentence. Hauora includes taha tinana (physical), taha hinengaro (mental and emotional), taha whānau (social), and taha (spiritual) wellbeing.

5.From this list of foods—egg, yoghurt, wholegrain bread, leafy greens, carrot, and apple—name one food that provides protein and one food that is a source of fibre.

Make a balanced choice

A balanced pattern is about choices over time, not making every meal perfect. People may choose different foods because of culture, allergies, availability, values, or personal needs.

6.Ari has a meal of white toast and jam. Suggest two additions that would bring in different food groups or nutrients. Explain briefly how each addition helps make the meal more varied.

7.True or false? A food belongs to only one food group and can provide only one nutrient.

TrueFalse

8.Hana is planning dinner with kūmara, brown rice, and chicken. Name one food she could add to increase the variety of vegetables or fruit, and give one other suitable protein-rich alternative to chicken.

9.Explain why drinking water can be a helpful everyday choice. Include one way hydration supports the body or daily activities.

10.Create a balanced dinner idea that includes a vegetable or fruit, a grain food or other starchy food, and a protein-rich food. Name the foods and explain how your meal includes variety. You may use foods from any cuisine.