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NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF THE MAIN FOOD GROUPS

Presented by: JhornaHEALTHY Begum EATING (Group 3)
EXPLAINING THE NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF YOUNG CHILDREN AND STRATEGIES TO ENCOURAGE
Title and Content of Today’s presentation
1. The Nutritional Value of the Main Food Groups
2. The Nutritional Requirements of Children aged 1-2 years, 2-3
years, 3-5 years and 5-7 years
3. Reasons for Special Dietary Requirements
4. Reasons for Keeping and Sharing Coherent Records with regard to
Special Dietary Requirements
5. Role of the Early Years Practitioner in Meeting Children’s Individual
Dietary Requirements and Preferences
6. Benefits of Working in Partnership with Parents/Carers Regarding Special Dietary Requirements

7. The Impact of Poor Diet on Children’s Health & Development in Short Term and Long Term

8. Strategies to Encourage Healthy Eating

1. Nutritional Value of the Main Food Groups
 The Main Food Groups

1. Carbohydrate

2. Fruit and Vegetables

3. Proteins

4. Fat and Sugars

5. Dairy Products
NUTRITIONAL VALUE
MEAT, FISH, EGGS FRUIT AND
STARCHY FOODS AND BEANS VEGETABLES
▪ Bread, cereals and ▪ Good sources of ▪ Source of
potatoes
protein vitamins and
▪ Should make up about
minerals,
one third of everything ▪ Vitamins and
we eat especially vitamin
minerals such as C
▪ Main nutrients –
carbohydrates, fibre,
iron, zinc and B
some calcium and iron, B minerals. ▪ Should eat five
group vitamins. portions a day.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE
MILK AND DAIRY
FOODS FAT AND SUGAR
▪ Good sources of ▪Contain vitamins
protein and also and essential
contain calcium. fatty acids.
 2.The
Nutritional
Requirements
of
Children
3. Reasons for Special Dietary Requirements
 Reasons for Special Dietary
12
Requirements
• Lifestyle choices: If a parent wishes their child to follow a vegetarian or
vegan diet, the setting should respect their wishes.

• Religious requirements: Some religions exclude certain sorts of meat, or

stipulate how the meat should be butchered.
• Cultural requirements: Many cultures have special food for special
festivals, e.g. pancakes on Shrove Tuesday.
• Religious requirements: Some religions exclude certain sorts of meat, or
stipulate how the meat should be butchered.
4. Reasons for Keeping and Sharing Coherent Records
with regard to Special Dietary Requirements
 Reasons For Keeping And Sharing
Coherent Records With Regard To Special
Dietary Requirements
• Practitioners should have regard to all relevant legislation.
• According to the EYFS, before admitting a child to the setting, the practitioner should
ask if the child has any special dietary needs or food allergies and should ensure that they
have an emergency contact number. They will also need to take account of parents’
wishes, e.g. cultural or religious requirements.
• Practitioners will need to ensure that this information is regularly updated and should
share it with all adults who work with the children to ensure their health and safety.
• It is important to collect this information so that the practitioner is fully informed. When
providing snacks, meals or carrying out food activities, the practitioner will use this
information to ensure the safety of all children, e.g. if a child is lactose intolerant they will
need to be given options other than milk to drink.
 Reasons For Keeping And Sharing
Coherent Records With Regard To Special
Dietary Requirements
• If children bring in sweets for a birthday treat to share with the class, practitioners
may need to know of any cultural requirements as some sweets containing gelatin
may not be allowed.
• A practitioner will need to know of any children who are allergic to peanuts, as this
could result in anaphylactic shock and the practitioner will need to know what to do in
this situation.
• Practitioners will need to ensure that this information is regularly updated and should
share it with all adults who work with the children to ensure their health and safety.

• Anyone who works with the children will need to share this information.
5. Role of the Early Years Practitioner in Meeting
Click to edit Master
Children’s title style
Individual Dietary Requirements and
Preferences

1616
 Role of the Early Years Practitioner in Meeting
Children’s
Click Individual
to edit Master title style Dietary Requirements and
17 Preferences
• Practitioners need to liaise with parents in order to be aware of any allergies
or specific cultural or religious requirements. They should ensure that they
have regard for these when they are providing snacks or planning an activity
involving food.

• Practitioners should always have regard for the importance

of diet to children’s development.
• They should also ensure that they consider the following:
 Children’s rights
 Welfare of children
 Long term effects of diet 17
6. Benefits of Working in Partnership with Parents/Carers
Regarding Special Dietary Requirements
 Benefits of Working in Partnership
with Parents/Carers Regarding Special
Dietary Requirements
• Practitioners need to remember that the parent/carer is the
‘expert’ on their child. It is, therefore, very important for
practitioners to work closely with parents or carers. An open
door policy is helpful in achieving this.

• Parents/carers can update practitioners on changing dietary

conditions, they can explain the child’s condition to the
practitioner and educate them about the condition, they can
suggest alternative foods.

Parents could be invited into the setting to run food activities

with groups of children. This could introduce children to foods
from other cultures.
7. The Impacts
of Poor Diet on
Children’s
Health and
Development
in Short and
Long Term
In the short term, a poor diet can lead to:
• Malnutrition can cause poor growth and physical
development – a failure to gain height and weight
• Loss of concentration
• Tiredness

• Increased susceptibility to infections

• Tooth decay – caused by sugary foods
• Bleeding gums
• Poor skin and hair condition
• Obesity
In the long term, a poor diet can lead to:
• Heart conditions, diabetes, emotional and
social problems can all be caused by
obesity.

• Weak immune system, osteoporosis and

diabetes can be caused by malnutrition.

• Poor health may lead to a loss in income as

the adult may be unable to work.
8. Strategies to Encourage Healthy Eating
To encourage healthy eating, it is important to educate the children,
capture their imagination, involve them and provide a good role model.
• Educate the children about what they are eating
• Involve children in making snacks – fruit salad, fruit smoothies
• A visit to the local shops to look at (and buy) fruit and veg for activities back at the setting

• Grow your own food – you can start off with cress, children love to watch things that they
have planted grow
• Invite visitors to come in for a meal, or afternoon tea, that the children have
made
• Invite parents in to make food with the children – good opportunity to find
out about different foods.