Chapter 6 of 8

All 8 chapters
  1. 1The skeleton, readunderstood
  2. 2Joints, readunderstood
  3. 3Muscles move bones, readunderstood
  4. 4Teeth, readunderstood
  5. 5Food groups, readunderstood
  6. 6A balanced diet, readunderstood
  7. 7Exercise and rest, readunderstood
  8. 8Keeping food safe, readunderstood

S2.3.6 Chapter 6

A balanced diet

What should I eat in a day to stay healthy?

Your guess

Pick one before you read on. It is fine to be wrong.

Your guess

  • You picked A. Read on. At the end, the chapter comes back to your guess.

  • You picked B. Read on. At the end, the chapter comes back to your guess.

  • You picked C. Read on. At the end, the chapter comes back to your guess.

By the end you can

  • Plan a day of meals from foods found locally
  • Explain why clean water and fibre belong in a healthy diet

One food group alone is not enough. Each group does a job. Your body needs all the jobs done every day.

A balanced diet has some of every food group each day. It has more of some and less of others.

Eat lots of vegetables and fruit. Eat starch for energy. Eat some protein. Eat a little fat.

Draw it first

Draw a balanced day

  1. Four bars of different lengths in a column. A longer bar means more of that food in a day. The longest bar is labelled vegetables and fruit. The next is labelled starch. The next is shorter, labelled protein. The shortest is labelled fat. Labels: vegetables and fruit, starch, protein, fat.vegetables and fruit

    1 Draw a long bar. Write vegetables and fruit in it.

  2. Four bars of different lengths in a column. A longer bar means more of that food in a day. The longest bar is labelled vegetables and fruit. The next is labelled starch. The next is shorter, labelled protein. The shortest is labelled fat. Labels: vegetables and fruit, starch, protein, fat.vegetables and fruitstarch

    2 Draw a bar a little shorter. Write starch.

  3. Four bars of different lengths in a column. A longer bar means more of that food in a day. The longest bar is labelled vegetables and fruit. The next is labelled starch. The next is shorter, labelled protein. The shortest is labelled fat. Labels: vegetables and fruit, starch, protein, fat.vegetables and fruitstarchprotein

    3 Draw a shorter bar. Write protein.

  4. Four bars of different lengths in a column. A longer bar means more of that food in a day. The longest bar is labelled vegetables and fruit. The next is labelled starch. The next is shorter, labelled protein. The shortest is labelled fat. Labels: vegetables and fruit, starch, protein, fat.vegetables and fruitstarchproteinfat

    4 Draw the shortest bar. Write fat.

These bars are a guide. Needs differ from person to person. The idea is to have some of every group.

A plate can show the same guide. The biggest part is vegetables and fruit. Starch is next. Protein is the smallest part. A little oil goes on the food.

A round plate cut into three parts. The biggest part is dotted and is vegetables and fruit. The next part is hatched and is starch. The smallest part is cross hatched and is protein. A key under the plate names each part. Three black dots on the starch are a little oil. Labels: vegetables and fruit, starch, protein, a little oil.vegetables and fruitstarchproteina little oil

Use foods from your own place. For starch, think of maize, rice, cassava, millet, yam or bread. For protein, think of beans, lentils, groundnuts, eggs or fish.

For vitamins and minerals, think of green leaves, pumpkin, mango or banana.

Fibre is the tough part of plants. Whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruit have fibre.

Four plant foods that have fibre, each with its name under it: beans in a pod, green leaves, a fruit and a maize cob. The heading is foods with fibre. Labels: foods with fibre, beans, greens, fruit, maize.foods with fibrebeansgreensfruitmaize

Most fibre passes right through you. It helps food move through your gut. The gut is the long tube that food travels through.

See it three ways

As a picture

A long tube drawn as two lines, labelled gut. Small dark dots inside it are bits of food, labelled food. An arrow runs along inside the tube. Above the tube is the label fibre helps food move. Labels: fibre helps food move, food, gut.fibre helps food movefoodgut

In words

Fibre helps food move through your gut. Whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruit have fibre.

Water is part of a healthy day too. Your body needs water all day. Drink clean water.

Clean water comes from a safe source. A tap or a covered well can be one. If you are not sure, a grown up boils it. It must boil hard for one minute. High in the mountains, boil it for three minutes. Boiling kills the germs in it. Let it cool with a lid on.

Three boxes one under the other, joined by arrows that point down. The first box is boil hard for 1 minute. The second is cool with a lid on. The third is safe to drink. Labels: boil hard for 1 minute, cool with a lid on, safe to drink.boil hard for 1 minutecool with a lid onsafe to drink

Try it

Plan a balanced day

You need: paper and a pencil, a list of foods you can find near your home.

  1. List the foods you can find near home. Think of your market, farm or garden.
  2. Draw three boxes: morning, midday and evening.
  3. Choose foods for each box. Aim for starch, protein, and vegetables or fruit in the day.
  4. Add a little fat, such as oil. Add clean water for the whole day.
  5. Check each group. Is one missing? Swap a food to fix it.

What you will see: You can fill every group with foods from near your home. The plan uses plain foods. If a group is missing, add one food from it.

If you cannot try it, this is what happens.
A table with two columns, Meal and Foods, showing a balanced day. Morning: millet, mango. Midday: beans, rice, greens. Evening: fish, yam, oil. All day: clean water. Labels: Meal, Foods, Morning, millet, mango, Midday, beans, rice, greens, Evening, fish, yam, oil, All day, clean water.MealFoodsMorningmillet, mangoMiddaybeans, rice, greensEveningfish, yam, oilAll dayclean water

A wrong idea many people have

A healthy diet needs special food from far away.

Why it feels right: Foods from far away often seem special. So they seem better for you.

The test that breaks it: Plan a day with only beans, greens and maize. Check each group. Maize gives starch. Beans give protein. Greens give vitamins and minerals. Cook them in a little oil. Every group is there.

What is true: Beans, greens, and maize or rice can make a balanced day. Foods from near home work well.

Key words

balanced diet
some of every food group each day.
fibre
the tough part of plants. It helps food move through the gut.
gut
the long tube that food travels through inside you.

Back to your guess

The answer is B: Some of every food group each day.

Some of every food group each day. A balanced day also has fibre and clean water.

Check yourself

Try each one before you look. A wrong answer tells you where to go next.

  1. What is a balanced diet?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. A balanced diet has every group, even foods you like less. Each group does a job. Go to S2.3.5. Try another.

    2. Not this one. Starch gives energy. You also need protein, vitamins, minerals and a little fat. Go to S2.3.5. Try another.

    3. Yes, that is right. Each food group does a job. A balanced diet has some of every group.

    See the answer

    Some of every food group each day

    Each food group does a job. A balanced diet has some of every group.

    • If you chose A: A balanced diet has every group, even foods you like less. Each group does a job. Go to S2.3.5.
    • If you chose B: Starch gives energy. You also need protein, vitamins, minerals and a little fat. Go to S2.3.5.

  2. Which day of food is balanced?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. This day is all starch. It has no protein, vegetables or fruit. Try another.

    2. Yes, that is right. Maize gives starch, beans give protein and greens give vitamins and minerals. Oil gives fat. Clean water is there too.

    3. Not this one. This day has protein and fat, but little starch for energy. It has no vegetables or fruit. Try another.

    See the answer

    Maize, beans, greens, a little oil and clean water

    Maize gives starch, beans give protein and greens give vitamins and minerals. Oil gives fat. Clean water is there too.

    • If you chose A: This day is all starch. It has no protein, vegetables or fruit.
    • If you chose C: This day has protein and fat, but little starch for energy. It has no vegetables or fruit.

  3. Which of these has fibre?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. Oil is fat. It has no fibre. Fibre is in plant foods such as beans and fruit. Try another.

    2. Not this one. White sugar has no fibre. Fibre is in plant foods such as beans and fruit. Try another.

    3. Not this one. Fish has no fibre. Fibre is in plant foods such as beans and fruit. Try another.

    4. Yes, that is right. Beans have fibre. Fibre helps food move through your gut.

    See the answer

    Beans

    Beans have fibre. Fibre helps food move through your gut.

    • If you chose A: Oil is fat. It has no fibre. Fibre is in plant foods such as beans and fruit.
    • If you chose B: White sugar has no fibre. Fibre is in plant foods such as beans and fruit.
    • If you chose C: Fish has no fibre. Fibre is in plant foods such as beans and fruit.

  4. Ravi has no tap. Which water is safest to drink?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Yes, that is right. Boiling kills the germs in water. Cooled with a lid on, it is safe to drink.

    2. Not this one. Muddy water is full of dirt and germs. It is not safe. Try another.

    3. Not this one. Clear water can still hold germs. You cannot see them. Try another.

    See the answer

    Water a grown up boiled hard for one minute, then cooled

    Boiling kills the germs in water. Cooled with a lid on, it is safe to drink.

    • If you chose B: Muddy water is full of dirt and germs. It is not safe.
    • If you chose C: Clear water can still hold germs. You cannot see them.

  5. From an earlier chapter

    Sweet food stays on a tooth. Germs feed on the sugar. What do the germs make?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. No new tooth grows. The germs make acid, and acid eats the tooth. Go to S2.3.4. Try another.

    2. Yes, that is right. Germs on teeth feed on sugar and make acid. The acid makes holes in the hard outside of the tooth.

    3. Not this one. Germs feed on sugar. That is why sweet food left on teeth causes decay. Go to S2.3.4. Try another.

    See the answer

    Acid

    Germs on teeth feed on sugar and make acid. The acid makes holes in the hard outside of the tooth.

    • If you chose A: No new tooth grows. The germs make acid, and acid eats the tooth. Go to S2.3.4.
    • If you chose C: Germs feed on sugar. That is why sweet food left on teeth causes decay. Go to S2.3.4.

  6. Plan one meal from foods near your home. Name the group of each food.

    See the answer

    For example: maize porridge is starch. Beans are protein. Greens give vitamins and minerals. A little oil is fat.

    A good meal has foods from more than one group. Check each group, and add a food if one is missing.

  7. Leila says, "I eat plenty. I need no water." What is true?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. Food has some water, but not enough. Your body needs clean water all day. Try another.

    2. Not this one. Your body uses water all day, not only in the heat. Try another.

    3. Yes, that is right. Your body loses water all day. Food does not give enough, so drink clean water.

    See the answer

    The body needs clean water all day, even when you eat well.

    Your body loses water all day. Food does not give enough, so drink clean water.

    • If you chose A: Food has some water, but not enough. Your body needs clean water all day.
    • If you chose B: Your body uses water all day, not only in the heat.

  8. Amina lives far from any market. How can she eat a balanced day?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. Beans, greens and maize or rice grow in many places. Near home foods can fill every group. Try another.

    2. Not this one. Starch gives energy. Her body also needs protein, vitamins, minerals and a little fat. Try another.

    3. Not this one. Fruit has vitamins and minerals. A day of only fruit has little starch or protein. Try another.

    4. Yes, that is right. Foods from near home can fill every group. Beans, greens and maize are one example.

    See the answer

    She can choose foods that grow near her, from every group.

    Foods from near home can fill every group. Beans, greens and maize are one example.

    • If you chose A: Beans, greens and maize or rice grow in many places. Near home foods can fill every group.
    • If you chose B: Starch gives energy. Her body also needs protein, vitamins, minerals and a little fat.
    • If you chose C: Fruit has vitamins and minerals. A day of only fruit has little starch or protein.

Keep it

Copy this into your exercise book.

Eat some of every food group each day. Eat lots of vegetables and fruit. Fibre moves food through your gut. Drink clean water. Beans, greens and maize can make a good day.

Draw: Draw four bars: vegetables and fruit, starch, protein, fat. Draw a cup of clean water beside them.

Reading with a child? A short page for the adult: what this chapter teaches and three questions to ask.

No internet tomorrow? Save the whole book as one file (704 KB). It opens on any phone.