Chapter 1: Introduction to Nutrition and Food Technology

After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

(a) explain the terms used in nutrition and food technology and value the importance of healthy living.

(b) Feeding habits value the feeding habits and practices of different cultures.

(c) preservation explain the factors that influence feeding habits and practices of people.

(d) practise personal hygiene.

(e) use the different types of cleaning agents correctly.

(f) clean different areas of food handling in the home.

(g) control household pests.

(h) practise personal, food and kitchen •Over nutrition hygiene during meal preparation.

(i) dispose off different types of household refuse.

(j) work in a clean place.

(k) make a compost pit.

(l) observe hygiene when using disposal facilities.

Keywords

• Culture
• Food technology
• Hygiene Malnutrition
• Meal
• Nutrients Nutrition

Introduction

Your body requires good care to be healthy so as to perform its many functions well. The food you eat and the environment you live in is what keeps the body in good health. The food you eat is influenced by the feeding habits. These feeding habits and practices vary from family to family, but also from culture to culture. Regardless of the type of food eaten, you should always ensure that it results in good nutrition. You should always make sure that food is provided in the right amounts. It is also important to remember that food should be prepared under clean conditions to promote healthy living.

After studying Nutrition and Food Technology, you will learn how to prepare healthy, well balanced meals safely and hygienically. You will require these skills in life to stay fit and healthy. By studying Food Technology you will be equipped with skills to apply in the development of new food products that could be processed and preserved to increase their shelf life. You will use the skills acquired to design creative and original food products. These can be consumed at home or could be sold to other people. In this way, you will learn how to make money using the skills acquired in food preparation and processing.

Meaning of terms used in Nutrition and Food Technology

There are different terms used and applied in Nutrition and Food Technology.

Activity 1.1 Explaining the terms used in Nutrition and Food Technology

1. In pairs, think about the meaning of the terms below and share with your friend:

(i) Delicacy

(ii) Undernutrition

(iii) Diet

(iv) Refuse

(v) Food

(vi) Refuse disposal

(vi) Meal

(vii) Food technology

(viii) Feeding habits

(ix) Hygiene Nutrients

(x) Culture

(xi) Malnutrition

(xii) Overnutrition

(xiii) Food preservation

(xiv) Nutrition

(xv) Food processing

1.1: What is a nutrient?

Activity 1.2 Grouping nutrients

1. In small groups, give the categories of nutrients.

2. Identify the nutrients with their use.

3. Write your findings using MS-Word or handwritten and share with your classmates.

In your Primary education, you studied about nutrients. Can you mention the five specific categories of nutrients? You can define a nutrient as anything that gives nourishment to your body. You can also define it as anything essential for growth and for the maintenance of life. You need all the nutrients to sustain life. These are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals.

Can you go ahead and categorise nutrient

One way of categorising nutrients is to group them according to the amount required by the body. In this case, you will have two groups: micronutrients and macronutrients. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, proteins and fats. They are nutrients that are needed in the body in large amounts. Carbohydrates and fats are energy nutrients because they provide the fuel (energy) your body needs to do things. Proteins, on the other hand, are body builders. They help your body to develop and grow.

Micronutrients are those nutrients that are needed in the body in much smaller amounts. They include; vitamins and minerals. That doesn’t mean they are less important, but you only need little amounts. Water is usually left alone because it does not contain any food value but it enables the body to use the other nutrients. Nutrients can also be grouped differently according to their uses in the body for example body building nutrients, and energy protective nutrients.

1.2: Nutrition

Nutrition is the process of getting or giving the right type of food to the body for good health and growth. Do you know that there is a situation when the body gets less nutrients than expected?

When your body does not get adequate amounts of each or any of the above nutrients, it will not function well. Have you ever heard of the word malnutrition? It is a nutritional condition that occurs when a person takes in more or less than the quantity of nutrients needed by the body. When your body does not get enough nutrients, the condition is called undernutrition. On the other hand, when your body gets more than is needed, it is called overnutrition.

Ensuring good nutrition

It is important that you eat the correct amounts and the right type of food to provide your body with good nutrition. Soon you will know why it is important to include different kinds of food in your diet. Look at the Figures 1.1 and 1.2. They show two different pictures of persons who have been feeding differently.

Using Figures 1.1 and 1.2, draw a table in your exercise book and fill in using the following phrases that best describe the children in each picture.

(i) A happy face

(ii) Thin arms and legs

(iii) A miserable unhappy face

(iv) Bright eyes

(v) Sad face

(vi) Smooth skin

(vii) Low weight for their age

(viii) No energy to play

(ix) A thin body

(x) Dull eyes

(xi) A well-built body

(xii) Saddening to look at

The nutrients in the food you eat will help the cells in your body to perform their necessary functions properly. If you don’t get the right nutrients, your health will decline.

Activity 1.3 Identifying features of good nutrition and malnutrition

Does Figure 1.1 and 1.2 show a person who is feeding well?

1.3: Malnutrition

Malnutrition is a common health problem. Several factors are responsible for causing this condition.

Activity 1.4 Stating the causes of malnutrition

1. Have you ever seen a person with signs of malnutrition? Explain how such people look like.

2. In your opinion, what do you think are the causes of malnutrition in an individual?

3. Prepare a handwritten article or a microsoft word document of your findings.

Effects of malnutrition

What do you think are the effects of malnutrition? You should remember that some of these may not be seen because they take a long time to show. These effects may also cause long-lasting damage which may not easily be corrected. Malnutrition results in poor brain development and inability to perform well. It also results in low immunity to disease.

The body cannot fight diseases on its own. It may also cause malformed (deformed) bodies. It is important for you to note that most nutrients work together in order to perform their functions. This is why it is essential to take a balanced diet.

Effects of malnutrition are more common among children below 5 years of age, adolescents, pregnant as well as breast feeding women.

Activity 1.5 Understanding the effects of malnutrition

1. Why do you think the effects of malnutrition are more pronounced in some groups of people?

2. Make a visit to a health centre or an immunisation centre and look at the growth charts of children who have been brought for checking.

3. See how many are growing normally and how many have problems.

4. Record your findings and use pictorials to demonstrate to your classmates.

Did you know that you can prevent malnutrition in your community? If you have observed people in your community, have you seen any cases of malnutrition? It is your duty as an individual to always ensure that you prevent malnutrition in your life, your family and your community.

Activity 1.6 Promoting healthy eating through artwork

1. Make a home decorative item to show the importance of vegetables, fruits and protein foods in the diet.

2. Use various skills to come up with this item and this may include hand stitching, applique, drawing, painting, collage and other skills. This item will be displayed in your home.

Activity 1.7 Preventing Malnutrition

Perform this activity in small groups.

1. Share how malnutrition affects an individual, family and community.

2. Describe different ways of preventing malnutrition in your community.

3. Present your findings in class by using pictorial demonstrations, chalkboard illustrations or charts.

Feeding habits and practices of different cultures in Uganda

Have you ever thought about what or who determines what you eat? You must have realised that many of your friends enjoy eating different foods. What your family enjoys eating is most likely to be different from what another family enjoys. What a certain tribe enjoys to eat may also be different from what another tribe enjoys and takes important.

People have different foods they take as their best foods. This is according to their culture or age group. Therefore, when you think of ways of helping other people to change their food choices, you may have to do it differently for different people.

Activity 1.8 Discussing the factors that determine feeding habits of individuals

1. In groups, discuss the various factors that determine feeding habits among people.

2. Can you identify yourself with some of the dishes given in Figure 1.4?

3. Name the dishes in Figure 1.4. Have you ever eaten or prepared such dishes before? Share about it with your groupmates.

4. Which part of Uganda are some of these dishes eaten?

5. Record your findings and discuss them in class.

Figure 1.4: Traditional and cultural foods in some parts of Uganda

The food you eat is part of the traditions and culture of your family. Eating has an emotional part as well. For example, some people eat a lot of fast food when they are unhappy or when things are not going on well in their lives. When you feel a certain way, you reach for foods you wouldn’t normally eat. You are simply responding to your emotions. Sometimes, this is very dangerous because you may end up with other life challenges as a result of consuming the foods you are moved to eat at that moment in time.

Figure 1.5: Following your emotions to eat

For many people, changing eating habits is very hard. You may have had bad certain eating habits for so long that you even fail to realise that they are actually unhealthy. They become part of your daily life that you do not even think about them.

Activity 1.9 Discussing feeding habits

In groups, talk about the feeding habits and practices in your:

(i) family (ii) culture (iii) age group.

Demonstrate to the class in form of dramatisation.

Factors that influence food habits and practices

Your food habits may be influenced by different factors. These include:

(i) Presence of food

(ii) Nutritional knowledge

(iii) Money available to buy the food

(iv) Addiction to drugs and alcohol

(v) Environment

(vi) Climate of the region

(vii) Individual preferences

1.4: Hygiene

What do you undestand by the term hygiene? Have you ever imagined how important hygiene is in your life? Hygiene is the practice of keeping yourself and your environment clean in order to prevent illness and disease. If you do not handle food hygienically, it can be contaminated. You will also get infections and fall sick.

Food can be contaminated by a dirty person, contact with an unclean work surface, equipment, pests, rubbish or other food. Foods like raw meat contain bacteria which can cause cross-contamination when it comes into contact with other foods. There is need to help individuals, families and communities to understand the link between poor hygiene and disease.

Activity 1.10 Explaining hygiene and its importance

In pairs,

1. Explain the different types of hygiene to one another. Share your findings with the rest of the class.

2. Share with one another the importance of keeping yourself and the environment around you clean.

3. Share how you can keep yourself and the environment around you clean.

Personal hygiene

Figures 1.6 to 1.10 will help you to discover some of the different ways of maintaining personal hygiene.

Figure 1.10: Trimming nails

Activity 1.11 Describing ways of keeping your body clean

1. Work in groups to describe the ways through which you keep the different parts of your body clean.

2. In the same groups, discuss and role play the following activities:

(i) Trimming nails

(ii) Cleaning hair

(iii) Action of shaving

(iv) Action of bathing

(v) Keeping your mouth clean

(vi) Preventing bad body odour, the use of deodorants & alternative herbs

(vii) Washing under garments, hankies, stockings

(viii) Cleaning your school shoes.

Understanding body changes during physical growth and development

As you grow from childhood to adolescence, your body keeps changing. As a girl, for example, the breasts develop and become larger. Then there is the onset of menstruation. The hips also become larger and there is growth of pubic hair. The boys develop a deep voice and the shoulders become wider.

Boys also start experiencing wet dreams. Undergoing menstruation and wet dreams calls for a high level of hygiene. All these changes come along with a greater need for maintaining personal hygiene.

Activity 1.12 Discussing body changes during growth and development

1. Apart from the body changes mentioned above, can you think of any other body changes that occur as a result of growth and development? Name them.

2. In groups, discuss and illustrate how you use menstruation sanitary towels. Do you know of any alternatives? Use locally available materials.

3. In groups, let each of you make a sanitary towel and any alternative (e.g., pieces from cotton sheets) as a group project.

4. Discuss how you should bathe and clean your pants during menstruation and after experiencing wet dreams.

Activity 1.13 Describing different ways of adapting to physical changes during adolescence

1. In groups, describe different ways that can help you to adapt to physical changes during adolescence. changes?

2. How can you ensure that you maintain hygiene during these

3. Make a class presentation of your findings using powerpoint slides or pictorial graphics, flip charts, or chalkboard demonstration.

Food and Kitchen hygiene

How to Prevent Cross Contamination

• Cross contamination occurs when micro-organisms and dirt from people, raw meat, raw fruit and vegetables are transferred to ready to-eat foods, on utensils and equipment or through poor storage practices.
• Reduce cross contamination by
  • Minimising hand contact with food
  • Separating raw and cooked foods

It is not enough just to learn the importance of keeping yourself clean. You should also learn to observe hygiene when preparing food. Food and kitchen hygiene greatly determine the quality of the food we eat. Look at the picture above. What do you learn from it?

Activity 1.14 Explaining the meaning of food and kitchen hygiene

1. In pairs, explain how you understand food hygiene and kitchen hygiene.

2. Share with one another how you maintain food and kitchen hygiene in your homes.

Activity 1.15 Maintaining kitchen hygiene

1. In pairs, clean a working table.

2. Clean the floor and wash the cleaning clothes and mops.

Why you need to work and live in a clean environment?

The reason why you are encouraged to work and live in a clean environment is that you need to serve safe food to ensure good health. This should be done by every individual who prepares food.

The place in which you prepare and cook your food affects the quality of food you eat. In everything that you do in the kitchen, food safety is of great importance in ensuring good health.

Five key points to food safety

Keep clean

• Wash hands properly before handling food and often during food preparation.
• Wash hands properly after going to the toilet.
• Cover the wounds or cuts on hands or arms properly with water proof plasters.
• Wash and clean all surfaces, utensils and equipment used for food preparation.
• Protect kitchen areas and food from insects and pests.

Separate raw food and ready-to-eat food

• Store ready to-eat foods in upper parts to prevent it from being contaminated by the drippings of raw food.
• Use separate knives and cutting boards for raw foods (like raw meat) and ready-to-eat food (like fruit salad).
• Cover or wrap food properly to prevent

Cook food thoroughly

1. Cook food thoroughly, especially meat, poultry, eggs and sea food.
2. Reheat left over food to 75°C above before consumption and discard all leftovers.
3. Consume cooked food within two hours of preparation.

Keep food at safe temperatures

1. Do not leave cooked food at room temperature for more than two hours.
2. Keep cold dishes and perishable foods such as meat, milk and egg products in refrigerator at below 4°C.
3. Keep hot food in heating containers above 60°C prior to serving.
4. Thaw frozen food under refrigeration.

Use safe water and raw materials

• Buy raw materials from reputable shops or licensed premises.
• Select fresh and wholesome foods.
• Use running water to clean raw materials.
• Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly especially if eaten raw.
• Do not use food beyond its expiry date.

Figure 1.18: Washing your hands correctly

Activity 1.16 Discussing the importance of working in a clean environment.

1. In groups, discuss why it is important to work and live in a

2. In pairs, explain why it is important to maintain a high standard of hygiene during food preparation.

1.5: Food handling

When preparing and cooking food, you will need to work from different areas / surfaces e.g food store, fridge to get food ready to eat. You should always ensure that all these areas of food handling are kept clean. This will enable you to prepare safe food.

Activity 1.17 Carrying out a practical exercise on cleaning food surfaces and areas of food handling

In groups, clean different areas used in the storage and preparation of food. Clean the food store/refrigerator/larder, work table. Use different types of cleaning agents correctly.

Activity 1.18 Discussing the dangers of unhygienic food handling practices

1. In groups, list what you think are the dangers of unhygienic practices in food handling.

2. Make a poster to illustrate hygienic and unhygienic practices in the kitchen.

1.6: Household waste

What do you understand by household waste? Can you give examples of household waste.

To avoid food contamination, you should be able to manage household waste well.

Waste can be grouped into two, that is, organic and inorganic waste. Organic waste is one which can rot. It produces a bad smell and attracts pests. Examples of organic waste are food scraps, vegetable and fruit peelings, grass, animal and poultry droppings.

Inorganic wast does not rot. It includes broken bottles, pots, tins and polythene bags. This kind of waste is difficult to dispose off, making the home untidy.

Activity 1.19 Sorting out household refuse

In groups, label different waste bins for collecting different types of refuse. Sort out the different types of refuse and place them in the correct bins.

Waste disposal

Why do you think you should dispose household waste well? You should dispose of waste as quickly as possible. When waste is not disposed of, it produces a bad smell, attracts rats, flies, and other pests which spread germs.

Waste handling

Activity 1.20 Discussing ways of refuse disposal

In groups,

1. Share how you dispose household waste at home.

2. Discuss the different ways of disposing of household waste.

3. Present your findings to the class.

Activity 1.21 Explaining terms in refuse disposal

In your notebooks, explain the following terms as used in refuse disposal:

(i) Waste

(ii) Waste disposal

(iii) Waste handling

(iv) Waste re-cycling

(v) Waste re-use.

Activity 1.22 Discussing categories of refuse and how they are disposed off

1. In groups, identify the different types of refuse from your immediate environment and in your wider community.

2. Discuss how these are disposed of.

3. Share in class what you have discussed.

1.7: Cleaning agents and cleaning equipment

Cleaning Agents

Cleaning agents or hard-surface cleaners are substances, usually liquids, powders, sprays, or granules used to remove dirt, including dust, stains, bad smells, and clutter on surfaces. The importance of cleaning agents includes health, beauty, removing offensive odour, and avoiding the spread of dirt and contaminants to oneself and others. Some cleaning agents can kill bacteria on door handle, worktops and other metallic surfaces but can also clean at the same time. Others called degreasers, contain substances that help dissolve oils and fats.

Figure 1.19: Sample cleaning agents

Activity 1.23 Using different types of cleaning agents

1. Identify some of the cleaning agents from Figure 1.19.

2. List other cleaning agents apart from those in Figure 1.19.

3. Describe how the above cleaning agents are used in cleaning surfaces and areas of food handling. Sample cleaning equipment Figure 1.20:

Sample cleaning equipment

Activity 1.24 Using different types of cleaning equipment

1. Name some of the above equipment.

2. Describe how they are used on different surfaces at home.

3. Draw a table with one side having the equipment and another side having its usage and share with your classmates.

Importance of observing hygiene when using facilities such as a rubbish pit, toilet or pit latrine and drainage

Have you ever imagined a life without or with poor sanitation facilities and poor hygiene?

Lack of solid waste collection and poor drainage are among the causes of very poor hygiene conditions. Hygiene and sanitation play an important part in maintaining health.

Poor hygiene and sanitation will cause you illnesses like diarrhoea. It also serves as a carrier for vectors such as mosquitoes which spread malaria.

Sanitation is one of the most important aspects of your community well- span. This is very beneficial to the economy. You may find out that many sanitation facilities are shared in both urban and rural settings. You should therefore, take much care to ensure that they are kept clean. You will also realise that improper sanitation affects your academic performance.

Activity 1.25 Finding out the ways rubbish pit, toilet or latrine are kept clean at home and at school.

1. Share with others the ways in which rubbish pit, toilet or latrine are kept clean at home and at school.

2. Present your findings to the class using a chart or chalk board demonstration.

1.8: Control of household pests

Household pests can be a problem in a home. They multiply rapidly and feed on leftover food or unwashed utensils. They carry germs that cause diseases like cholera, dysentery, and typhoid fever. A high standard of cleanliness is required to control them.

Activity 1.26 In groups, Discussing household pests

1. Identify the different types of household pests.

2. Discuss the effects of household pests on health and property.

3. Give opinions on how to control household pests.

4. Present your findings to the class using a chart or chalk board demonstration. Common Household Pests

Figure 1.21: Some household pests

Guidelines for controlling household pests

1. Cover all the food with a clean cover.

2. Dispose of household wastes correctly.

3. Wipe off spills on tables and floors immediately.

4. Use disinfectants when cleaning different areas in the home where food is handled.

5. Store foods carefully.

Activity 1.27 Carrying out a community cleaning exercise

Visit a neighbouring trading centre and carry out a cleaning exercise to demonstrate the importance of living in a clean environment.

Project: Work in groups

1. Make use of the waste materials around your school to make useful items.

2. Set up a waste disposal unit in your school.

3. Write a report on your project work.