For decades the importance of having a healthy diet has been stressed, especially with the increased awareness of obesity as a national health risk in recent years. In one form or another, every Australian is presented with the choice to consume either a nutritious diet or an unhealthy diet. This essay will detail both the benefits I have personally experienced as a result of eating a well-balanced diet, as well as the health determinants that have been significant in shaping this health behaviour. Social and environmental influences, such as family and the media, have been especially relevant to me, and individual factors, such as self-motivation and success, have also helped form this health behaviour. Consuming a well-balanced diet has …show more content…
I eat breakfast and dinner with my family almost every day, and simply having parental presence at these main meals was initially a vital determinant for this health behaviour. Skipping breakfast and poor consumption of vegetables, fruits, and dairy products has never been a problem for me as a result, and a study in the United States (US) found that more family meals during a week will increase the beneficial effect on the eating behaviours of children (Videon, 2003). Additionally, another research study noted that a higher frequency of family dinners was associated with a higher intake of nutrients and other health benefits, such as a lower glycaemic load and a lower intake of saturated and trans fat as a percentage of energy (Gillman, 2000). Given that the food for the main meals I eat is purchased and prepared by my parents, the food I have eaten from a young age has always been healthy. I have been fortunate that my parents have known the importance of eating a healthy range of foods, for this has led me to form healthy habits. My parents are evidently the provider of all of my food and most of my eating also occurs at home, particularly dinner which provides the largest proportion of energy intake over any other meal or snacks, meaning that my food preferences, attitudes and values are significantly shaped by my parents, affecting my lifetime eating …show more content…
An Australian study reported that even twelve year olds were skipping breakfast (Shaw, 1998), which can have an effect on concentration, learning and school performance (Story, et al. 2002). In fact, Nicklas et al (1993) found that skipping breakfast decreases the total daily energy, vitamin and mineral intake, causing dietary inadequacy to be two to five times higher (Story, et al. 2002). A benefit of eating a well-balanced diet with the recommended number and size of meals throughout the day is the steady supply of energy it provides, helping to reduce fatigue (Finn, 2001). Cells in the body are able to produce energy more effectively when daily food consumption reaches optimum levels (Finn, 2001), and improved energy not only impacts sporting performance but academic performance as well. The results of a Canadian research (Florence, 2008) reiterate the beneficial effects of overall dietary adequacy and variety on academic performance. As a result of my consumption of a diverse selection of foods throughout the day, my energy levels increase, concentration improves, and I am likely to perform better academically. Therefore, there are many benefits in eating a nutritious and well-balanced
The Australian government is always looking for ways to improve the Australian diet. Ways that this has been done is through health campaigns. Two campaigns that the government has used and could work really effectively is Shape up Australia and Measure Up. Both these campaigns are aimed at Men and Women. The Shape up Australia campaign effectiveness cannot be judged as the campaign has not finished but could have a rough guess on how the campaign is going. The measure up campaign was about allowing people to understand why having excess weight around your waist can be unhealthy for you. The campaign was proposed to run from 2006 to 2010 but then was extended to July 2013. As the Measure up campaign was more heard about it was deemed to be the more effective campaign.
The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) is a guide which assists everyday Australians with the right proportion of foods which they select and consume. The AGHE was established by the Australian Government to provide everyday Australians with a guide to developing a regular and healthy diet. The Australian Government has formulated, designed and structured this guide in a simple and effective way in the form of a pie chart to impart the important information in an appealing way.
Parents are naturally responsible for their kids eating habits. They have a huge impact on whether their kids want to eat healthy or unhealthy, or whether they
Australia is one of the fattest nations in developed countries. According to statistics from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare(2015),63% of adults in Australia are overweight, compared with a quarter of children. It is obvious that the main causes of obesity are terrible eating habit ,especially eating fast food and lack of physical activity. Why is obesity crucial issue in modern world? Obesity is one of the main causes of heart disease which is the top causes of mortality throughout the world(www.who.int,May2014). This essay will argue that who should be responsible for making people obesity between the government and individual.
Weight management can be assisted through improvement in food and medical stuff, physical activity or behavioral change, with a combination of all three being most effective. Where possible, increased physical activity should be adopted, with 150-300 minutes of moderate activity, or 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity each week, which has been associated with improved health outcomes, irrespective of weight loss. The level of physical activity recommended will be dependent on an individual’s BMI, fitness levels, commodities and age.(Prof.hankey (2006))
The Australian dietary guidelines have information about the different types of foods and their amounts as well as the food groups and dietary patterns. Its aim is to give guidance on eating for wellbeing and prosperity. To reduce the risk of diet related conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity. To reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancers. The Australian dietary guidelines were created for use by health professionals, food manufactures, policy makers, educators and researchers all for the purpose of finding ways to help Australians eat healthier diets.
Today, I feel that the food that is being served in America’s schools has had a considerable contribution on the epidemic of obesity in our country. If the government were to intervene in regulating the guidelines for lunches served in schools, I believe this epidemic would decline significantly. This being said, I understand the difficulties that this type of change entails, and the amount of funds it would take to implement. In my opinion, however, I feel as though this change is necessary to the education of our future generation on healthy eating habits and the importance of a balanced meal. It is become noticed that parents in today’s age have a hard time adhering to a healthy diet for themselves, let alone their children, and this could be a step to remedy that and give incentive to parents to feed their children and families in a more suitable manner.
One positive result of this is that they decrease the number of obese children in societies. Shared meals, especially dinner is amazing experience, keeping children away from being obese. Children model their parent’s habits. For example, family meals enable parents to instill the habit of eating healthy foods by consuming more fruits and vegetables and staking their pantries with a lot of nutritious foods. In doing this, their children will follow their parents’ example. Evidence from observational Abramson, eating at average four meals together as family group creates a healthy environment where children eat more foods which are high in iron and calcium and mimic their chance for obesity (“The family that eats together”). Family mealtimes are a perfect opportunity for parents to set a perfect model health behavior for their children. It is clear that family meals have a powerful that could develop a habit of eating balanced meals.
Data from college students revealed that preparing meals at home was strongly associated with healthy dietary patterns such as eating breakfast, infrequent fast food consumption, and increased vegetable and fruit consumption (Laska et al., 2015). Wolfson & Bleich (2014) found that cooking dinner at home frequently (≥2 times/week) was associated with better diet quality, specifically lower consumption of total calories, carbohydrates, fat, sugar, and fast food. Taillie & Poti (2017) research among low income adults demonstated that those who reported daily home cooked dinners had lower solid fat intake, calorie dense meals, and fast food meals. This study suggest that those with a limited budget for food may benefit both financially and physically from home meal
As a result, the program demonstrated that parenting styles does not have an effect on eating habits; although parental influence is valuable, reinforcement at an individual level is warranted in the effort to decrease poor eating practices and morbidity in adolescents and college students. Things such as skill enhancement with regard to meal preparation, role modeling among peers, the establishment of healthier food providers like famer’s markets and the access to healthier food choices are
Feeding your child the right foods and the right amounts of food is very important for their educational success. A study at the University of Cape Town proves that children with an unhealthy or unsubstantial breakfast find it challenging to concentrate in classes.
Many studies and research have found that there is indeed a connection between being overweight and poor performance in one’s academics (Meeusen S47-S48). Current research and studies suggest that a child’s brain development and academic performance is affected by their physical conditioning (Meeusen S48). Meaning that the more physically active one is during their childhood, the better they might be at developing their brain and excelling at school. Nutrition also has the ability to affect one’s brain development. There have been many studies done concerning the benefits of breakfast and how skipping the most important meal of the day can have many consequences. Breakfast in essence, is considered the foundation meal for one’s brain, so it can learn, pay attention (especially in work or class), and also remember experiences (Arden 93). A study was done on children aged 8-11 to find out how breakfast influenced their complex mental functions (Meeusen S48). The children were to solve simple math problems after fasting over-night and again after they have skipped or consumed their breakfast (Meeusen S48). The results of the study found that the children who ate their breakfast showed an increase in number of problems they got correct, while the children who continued not to eat breakfast did not (Meeusen S48) To
Nowadays, due to the busy pace of life, people are always in a hurry. They do not have enough time even to do something as important as eating. As a result, some people, especially students, skip the first meal of the day. They start the day without breakfast because of getting up late, lacking time to prepare breakfast, not feeling hungry in the early morning, or being on diet. However, skipping breakfast is not good for students. It can increase the risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and poor academic performance. On the other hand, eating breakfast provides many benefits. Students should spend the time to eat breakfast because it fuels the brain,
In addition, the study showed that those students who missed taking breakfast were more and easily distracted by stimuli while in class (Dercon, & Singh, 2013). On the other hand, recent research has shown that the intake of fruits and vegetables improves student’s academic performance.
Students everywhere are suffering from the effects of not eating breakfast. On average, 30-45% of students have given up on eating breakfast ("Nutrition. Minnesota"). Consuming breakfast is an overlooked necessity in a student’s education. Students who do not consume breakfast are absent minded and less attentive during class (“Nutrition Influence”). In addition, students who do not consume breakfast are more likely to misbehave and distract fellow students from their education. However, student show a greater academic performance when they consume breakfast. Not consuming breakfast has devastating physical and mental effects on students.