Here is an interesting question that I was recently sent by a class of grade 1 and 2 primary school students, who are currently learning more about food, fitness and health.
“We are learning about food and fitness and we want to know why are some
foods healthy and some foods not healthy? Do you have an answer to our
question? We also want to know what makes a healthy food turn into junk
food?”
What makes a food good for us?
A ‘healthy’ food is any food that provides a range of nutrients that helps our bodies to grow and develop normally. Nutrients can include substances such as vitamins and minerals, proteins and healthy fats, wholegrains, fibre and antioxidants that keep our bodies working normally, that fuel our daily activity, provide the building blocks needed to help us grow and that feed our brains and our bellies. A healthy food, as well as providing essential nutrients, is also one that does not make us sick or harm our bodies.
What makes a food unhealthy?
Foods that do not provide our body with many of the nutrients needed to help our bodies function everyday – things like excess sugar, salt and bad fats – are considered unhealthy. Unhealthy foods can also harm our bodies and do not make us feel well and full of energy. Sometimes foods contain other nasties, things like artificial colours and flavours, additives, artifical sweetners and chemical fillers, that also are not good for our bodies.
How junk food can be disguised as healthy food
Sometimes healthy foods – like potatoes for example – can be cooked in a way that means it is not so good for our bodies anymore. For example, when potatoes are thinly sliced, deep fried in oil and covered in salt to make potato chips they are no longer as good for our bodies as they were if we had made a baked potato and topped it with fresh tomato salsa. Even though the potato chips still contain some potato they also provide our bodies with extra bad fats and salt which does not help our bodies to grow and stay healthy.
Kids – what are some examples of foods that are good for our bodies? Do you know why these foods are good for us?
Photo Credit: Aylanah
