Eating in harmony with nature THE BALANCE OF GOOD HEALTH Istituto Superiore Statale Alfonso Maria De’ Liguori Acerra

Following these guidelines as far as we can help us feel well, look good, and enjoy life : Enjoy your food Eat a variety of different foods Eat the right amount to be healthy weight Eat plenty of foods rich in starch and fibre Don’t eat too much fat Don’t eat sugary foods too often Look after the vitamins and minerals in your food If you drink alcohol, keep within sensible limits.

More bread and cereals More vegetables and fruit More pasta, rice, and beans More potatoes with your meals

It is important that we enjoy our food, and it is good to eat a variety of different food, rather than the same foods all time. It is not only more interesting, it also means we are more likely to get the many different vitamins and minerals that different foods provides us with.

No individual food is “good” or “bad”, it is the overall balance of foods over a period of time that matters. Some knowledge and understanding of what a healthy diet is helps us to make sensible choices from the huge variety of foods that are available

There are many different reasons why people make the choices they do, including:  Taste  Price  Time and effort involved in preparation and cooking  Religion and tradition  The influence of other people and of advertising  Conscience

Different ethnic and religious groups practise various restrictions on the foods they eat on the way foods are prepared Hindus eat no beef. They are mostly vegetarians, do not often eat fish, and often fast for certain periods They do not drink alcohol Muslims do not eat pork or shellfish. They eat only halal meat. This meat is dedicated to God by Muslim when the animal is killed. They practise regular fasting and at Ramadan they fast for a month. They do not drink alcohol

Sikhs do not eat beef. Meat must be from animal killed in a certain way, with one blow to the head. They do not drink alcohol Rastafarians do not eat any animal foods except milk. Food must be I-tal or alive, so canned and processed foods are not eaten. No salt or coffee is taken. They do not drink alcohol Jews do not eat pork. Meat should be kosher, which means that the animal must be killed by a Rabbinical licensed person, then the meat must be soaked and salted. The only kind of fish eaten is that which has scales and fins. Meat must be prepared and eaten separately from dairy foods.

We are growing quickly and we are usually very active and energetic. We often have large appetites but we have also smaller stomachs compared with adults so we need food which is not too bulky.

Too much “junk food” will spoil our appetite for foods which are better for our health, figure, skin teeth and our looks. In Europe some children are now suffering from malnutrition. They are not going hungry, but they eat so much “junk food” that they have no appetite left for more nutritious food.

Is it important to balance the food you eat with exercise you take?