How much do you know about balancing eating and drinking with activity? Read on to find out more and to test your knowledge!

European Food Framework

As part of a project called the European Food Framework, teachers and nutritionists from the British Nutrition Foundation visited young people in schools in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales earlier this year. They wanted to find out what young people thought about physical activity, and balancing activity and eating and drinking. The young people they spoke to knew a lot about what it meant to have a healthy diet and lifestyle and were often very active. Some had already gone swimming before school that morning and were planning sports activities at lunchtime and after school!

Using energy

One thing some young people were confused about was the idea of ‘energy’. The energy used by the body is measured in kilojoules (or calories), which can be seen on food packets. To help us know how much energy we need there are recommendations. For example, for girls of 11-14 years old, the guideline daily amount of kilojoules would be about 7,700KJ and for boys of that age would be about 9,200KJ. That is what energy means in a scientific way, but, the word energy can be used in another way too. We can use it to describe how we feel. For example, feeling ‘full of energy’ means feeling bright and ready to go. So these two meanings of the word ‘energy’ were sometimes mixed up. Test your energy knowledge with the true or false statements below.

True or false?

1) Healthy foods have more energy than unhealthy foods.

False! Actually it is not really true to say foods are just ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’. For example, if you only ate broccoli that would not be healthy because your body wouldn’t get everything it needs. Also, foods that you might think of as ‘unhealthy’ can still be part of your diet as long as it is balanced overall. The amount of energy in a food is measured in kilojoules. For example a medium-sized apple provides about 200 KJ (45kcal) and a medium sized bar of milk chocolate contains about 1,175KJ (280kcal). So the chocolate provides more energy than the apple, but the apple is more healthy. Knowing about these differences in the energy found in foods can help you balance how much energy you take in from foods and drinks during the day.

2) Energy from unhealthy foods is more fattening than those from healthy foods.

False! One kilojoule of energy is always one kilojoule, no matter what food or drink it comes from. So someone could have a healthy diet but have too many or too few kilojoules, or the right number of kilojoules but from an unhealthy diet. The best thing is to get the right amount of energy from a healthy diet as well as being physically active.

3) Having bigger portions of foods and drinks usually makes you eat or drink more.

True! Most people will eat or drink more if they are given a bigger portion of a food or drink, without even realising that they are doing it. This can mean that they take in more energy than their body needs.

4) Foods containing lots of energy will make you feel energetic.

False! Your body controls the amount of energy that you can use during the day. When you eat, your body releases some energy and stores what is left over, mostly as fat. Your body uses its energy stores in between meals when you are not taking in any energy. However, if you often eat more than you need then, over time, the fat in your body can start to build up. So eating foods that contain lots of energy (kilojoules) will not necessarily make you feel more ‘energetic’ after you’ve eaten them.

5) Having a balanced diet and active lifestyle can help you to get a healthy energy balance.

True! Eating a healthy, varied diet and making sure you are active on most days can really help you to get the right balance. The Government recommends that young people should be active for at least 60 minutes a day.

by Bridget Benelam, British Nutrition Foundation