Week 3 reflection

How to balance our food intake and amount of activity?

The amount of energy,we need will depend on factors like body size,gender,age,occupation and activity.

• Body size: A larger person uses more energy to maintain bodily processes than a smaller person.
• Gender: Men tend to have a larger body mass than a women. Therefore, men needs more energy than women.
• Age: We need more energy during periods of growth. For example,teenagers need a lot of energy because they are growing.
• Occupation: More physically demanding work requires more energy. An athlete needs more energy than a clerk.

High-nutrients foods contain very few calories and have high nurtritive value. They include fruits and vegetables,non-fat dairy products,lean meat and meat alternatives such as eggs and tofu.

Low-nutrients foods provide a great source of calories but are low in nutritive value. They are not considered to be healthy. These foods generally belong to the fats,sugars and salt group of the Healthy Diet Pyramid.

Low-energy foods provide our bodies with small amounts of energy.

Balancing energy intake with energy needs

            When the energy intake is more than what we need, the excess energy is converted to fats and stored in our bodies. This will lead to an increase in body mass. If such eating habits are maintained,obesity will occur.

             If the energy intake is less than what our bodies need,our bodies will break down sotred body fats to release the energy required. This will result in weight loss.

             Energy balance occurs when the energy intake matches the amount of energy our bodies need. This will help maintain our body weight.