Eat a variety of different foods Eat the right amount of food to be a healthy weight Eat plenty of food rich in starch and fibre Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables Don't eat too many foods that contain a lot of fat Don't have sugary foods and drinks too often Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water per day

Ecological influences Economic influences Social influences Cultural influences Political factors

The part of the country where you stay sometimes determines what your staple food is, e.g. people at the sea eat more fish and shellfish. Another option is that foods are produced to last longer and to look more attractive to the consumer, hence losing some of their nutritional value

Poor people do not have a wide variety to choose from and their diet is mostly bread, maize meal and sometimes a piece of meat.

A person's diet can also be determined by social factors, e.g. young people tend to eat different food from older people. In some schools it is deemed "un-cool" to bring healthy sandwiches for break. A girl's diet can also differ from that of a boy. People from different social backgrounds also tend to have different diets. City people eat processed food and fast foods from the supermarket, while people from the country and rural areas eat natural foods like vegetables and fruit

Different cultural groups prefer different foods and although they may use the same meat and vegetables, they prepare them differently

Our own country could import food of a low quality from another allied country and then sell it here at the expense of the health of our own people. During times of unrest political favoritism can be the reason why some people are barred from getting more food supplies than followers of the political party that is n power. In times of political unrest it is hard to get enough food. We find that there are people in South Africa who are starving from hunger and who will eat anything they can find to eat, while not far from there, other people have too much to eat and are actually overweight

Many people in the world do not have enough food. Some become malnourished because they do not get the nutrients needed for growth and health. Others die of starvation. People can be malnourished, even when they have enough food to eat, if their food does not contain enough of the different nutrients that their bodies need

Ecological factors : Natural disasters Overuse and abuse of natural resources Pollution Rapid population growth Scarce food reserves Political and economic factors: Export-import imbalances Lack of food aid from donor countries Underdevelopment Wars and civil unrest Poverty Social and cultural factors: Culturally biased food prejudices Not enough research in science and technology Lack of knowledge of basic nutrition Unequal access to resources The way food, diets, food fads and nutrition are shown in the media

It is a deviation of the normal eating patterns and normal calorie intake. These people either eat too little or too much, or they vomit after eating. What are the main causes: Stress Cultural influences Feeling worthless This year we are going to learn about two eating disorders a) Anorexia and b) Bulimia.

Definition of Anorexia People with anorexia have an intense fear of getting fat or being fat. They will stop eating or eat only a little bit of food. These people will not have a normal weight and will be very slim. People with anorexia will think they are fatter than they really are and don't notice they look like a skeleton. Symptoms of someone with anorexia: They are very slim (they weigh 15% less than they are supposed to). They don't notice that they are too thin, and look like a walking skeleton. This disorder is prevalent amongst adolescent girls. These people will act like they are eating, but will play with their food rather than eating. The girls will skip 3 or more menstrual cycles. They will have heart, liver and kidney problems. They will have a heartbeat of as little as 25 beats per minute

Definition of Bulimia Bulimia is an eating disorder where a person will eat a lot of food in a short amount of time (binge eating). After this the person will get rid of the food by vomiting (purging). The person will go to the toilet to vomit after eating. Symptoms of a person with Bulimia: These people think they are fatter than they really are. They are scared of gaining weight. Sometimes they are aware of their problem and feel very shy about it. They will not eat anything in the day and start binge eating in the afternoons until they get nauseous. About 2% of the general population has this problem. These people will drink laxatives to get rid of the food. People with Bulimia have high stress levels, sometimes it helps to overeat. If this continues for long, their teeth will start rotting and turn yellow. These people have fluctuating weight. They are fat then thin then fat again.

In case you think you have an eating disorder, it is important to get help. People with eating disorders struggle to handle stress and emotions. They need to get help to help themselves. Places where you can get help: Teachers (LO teachers, grade co-ordinators, Coach!) Organizations such as Lifeline. Some churches have people that you can speak too. (Lewende Woord, and HCC). Your parents (Sometimes they will listen!).