Healthy Eating and Drinking for Adults

Know the importance of healthy eating.

Indicative Content

Eating healthily should be identified as a way to prevent illness and promote well being.

The key features of a healthy diet should include:-

• Nutrients
• Carbohydrates – provide energy and are found in bread, rice, potatoes and pasta
• Fats and oils provide energy – found in butter and vegetable cooking oil
• Proteins which help make new cells and repair damaged tissues like muscles – found in beans, eggs, fish, meat, milk
• Vitamins such as vitamin C that can help prevent illness found in fruit.

Fibre – helps food pass through the digestive system and is found in fruits, vegetables and wholegrain cereals.

Water – 70% of the body is water. Water is lost in urine, sweat and breathing out so needs replacing with water from drinking and eating.

Assessment Criteria

• 1.1

  Outline the key features of a balanced diet.

• 1.2

  State why it is important to a person’s health to have a balanced diet.

Be able to promote the importance of healthy eating to others.

Indicative Content

Methods used to encourage healthy eating could include:-

• Being a good role model
• Serving attractively presented food
• Serving the meal within easy reach
• Using the right utensils for the persons needs
• Offering to cut up food
• Making sure a person’s likes and dislikes are known
• Being aware of how disability or illness may affect someone’s ability to eat e.g.visual impairment
• Making mealtimes fun and enjoyable.

A personal care plan will identify what their dietary requirements, allergies and preferences are.

Assessment Criteria

• 2.1

  Identify specific dietary needs of individuals.

• 2.2

  Use methods appropriate to the target group to encourage adults to eat healthily.

Know the importance of drinking enough to stay healthy.

Indicative Content

Reasons for drinking enough should include:-

Maintaining the body’s fluid balance which transports nutrients, regulates body temperature, lubricates joints, creates saliva and digests food

Signs and symptoms of not drinking enough should include:-

• Feeling thirsty
• Dark and strong smelling urine
• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
• Feeling tired
• A dry mouth, lips, eyes
• Constipation
• Poor skin health
• Persistent bad breath
• Behavioural changes.

Assessment Criteria

• 3.1

  Give reasons why it is important to drink enough to stay healthy.

• 3.2

  State ways of identifying if an individual is not drinking enough.

Be able to promote the importance to others of drinking enough to stay healthy.

Methods used to encourage people to drink enough could include:-

• Offering drinks regularly
• Having drinks and drinking aids readily available
• Making smoothies
• Using fruit juices and squashes
• Verbal encouragement to drink
• Giving physical help to drink
• Using ice lollies/cubes.

Assessment Criteria

• 4.1

  Use methods appropriate to the target group to encourage people to drink enough to stay healthy.