Pre – Level (Nursery – Kindergarten)

Basics of Nutrition, Health & Hygiene and Toilet Training

Explaining Nutrition

Nutrition is how food affects the health of the body. Food is essential—it
provides vital nutrients for survival, and helps the body function and stay
healthy. Food is comprised of macronutrients including protein, carbohydrate
and fat that not only offer calories to fuel the body and give it energy but
play specific roles in maintaining health. Food also supplies micronutrients
(vitamins and minerals) and phytochemicals that don't provide calories but
serve a variety of critical functions to ensure the body operates optimally.

Macronutrients are Protein, Carbohydrate and Fat

 Micronutrients are Vitamins and Minerals

Protein: Found in beef, pork, chicken, game and wild meats, fish and seafood,
eggs, soybeans and other legumes included in traditional Central America
cuisine, protein provides the body with amino acids. Amino acids are the
building blocks of proteins which are needed for growth, development, and
repair and maintenance of body tissues. Protein provides structure to muscle
and bone, repairs tissues when damaged and helps immune cells fight
inflammation and infection.

Carbohydrates: The main role of a carbohydrate is to provide energy and fuel

the body the same way gasoline fuels a car. Foods such as corn, chayote,
beans, plantains, rice, tortilla, potatoes and other root vegetables such as
yucca, bread and fruit deliver sugars or starches that provide carbohydrates
for energy.

Energy allows the body to do daily activities as simple as walking and talking
and as complex as running and moving heavy objects. Fuel is needed for growth,
which makes sufficient fuel especially important for growing children and
pregnant women. Even at rest, the body needs calories to perform vital
functions such as maintaining body temperature, keeping the heart beating and
digesting food.

Fat: Dietary fat, which is found in oils, coconut, nuts, milk, cheese, meat,
poultry and fish, provides structure to cells and cushions membranes to help
prevent damage. Oils and fats are also essential for absorbing fat-soluble
vitamins including vitamin A, a nutrient important for healthy eyes and lungs.

Vitamins and minerals are food components that help support overall health and
play important roles in cell metabolism and neurological functions.

Vitamins aid in energy production, wound healing, bone formation, immunity,

and eye and skin health.

Minerals help maintain cardiovascular health and provide structure to the

skeleton.

Consuming a balanced diet including fruits, vegetables, dairy, protein foods

and whole or enriched grains helps ensure the body has plenty of nutrients to
use. Providing a few examples of specific micronutrient functions can enhance
the effectiveness of nutrition education:

 Vitamin A helps the eyes to see

 Calcium and magnesium help muscles and blood vessels relax, preventing
cramps and high blood pressure
 Vitamin C helps wounds heal and the body’s ability to fight off germs
 Iron helps the blood transport oxygen throughout the body and prevents
anemia

Using Metaphors to Explain Nutrition

Simple Concept of
Foods
Function
Carbohydrate-rich
Fuel
foods
Protein-rich foods Building blocks
Fruits and Vegetables Helpers and protectors

what is health

Health refers to a person’s overall well being – physical, social and mental.
Hygiene refers to practices to ensure we have good health. Hygiene protects
our body from diseases and helps our immune system becomes more robust.

A balanced and nutritious diet is a prerequisite for good health. Fruits and
vegetables have vital minerals and vitamins which we need. We mush wash fruits
and cook vegetables before consumption. Drinking sufficient fluids helps to
remove toxins. We must regulate our fats and sugar intake. Milk helps to make
our bones stronger.

what is hygiene

Hygiene is defined as a practice of desirable personal behaviors, eg: hand

washing with soap before eating and after eating, after using toilet, taking
regular baths and maintaining body cleanliness that will promote good health
and prevent sickness.

Good personal hygiene includes personal cleanliness, hand washing with soap,
cleaning of teeth and cutting nails, washing one’s clothes, combing hair etc.
The critical times for hand washing with soap are before eating, after using
latrine, before cooking food etc.

In simple terms, health refers to a person's physical, emotional and

psychological well-being. Hygiene refers to good practices that prevent
disease and lead to good health, especially cleanliness, proper disposal of
wastewater and drinking water supply.

Good personal hygiene is one of the best ways to protect yourself from getting
illnesses such as gastroenteritis and the common cold. Washing your hands with
soap removes germs that can make you ill. Maintaining good
personal hygiene will also help prevent you from spreading diseases to other
people.

If you want to minimize your risk of infection and also enhance your overall
health, follow these basic personal hygiene habits:

1. Bathe regularly. Wash your body and your hair often. ...
2. Trim your nails. ...
3. Brush and floss. ...
4. Wash your hands. ...
5. Sleep tight.

Basics of toilet training

When your child is ready and your home is prepared, start the process by
placing your child on the toilet for 2–3 minutes at a time every 1–2 hours, or
as you notice physical and behavioral signs of your child needing to pee or
poop. Doing so reinforces your desire for her to use the potty instead of her
diaper.

What comes first in toilet training?

In some cases children learn bladder control first; others learn bowel

control before bladder control. Control is generally first achieved during the
daytime, well before a child is able to stay dry at night.

What is the importance of toilet training?

Toilet training is a milestone in both the toddler's life and the parents'
life. It's a time where the child is starting the process of being able to
take care of their own hygiene and a parent's process of seeing how much they
have grown and developed.