Year 5 Teachers

 

Introduction

In Year 5 QCA Science unit A poor diet (Unit 5A) children learn that a poor diet can cause illness and death. They learn which foods are high in fat, which are high in sugar or starch and which foods provide materials for growth. They learn that too much fat and sugar is unhealthy and it is important to eat fruit and vegetables.

In this unit, children are encouraged to produce a week's worth of menus for a varied and balanced diet. Prior to doing this work in Year 5 it is encouraged that children are given the week's food diary to fill in so they have a record of what they ate in a week and can compare it to what they subsequently learn makes a healthy and balanced diet.

  
 

Background

Pupils should learn about the balance of good health plate where food is split into five categories and shown according to how much of the diet they should make up. This plate shows:

  • bread, cereals, potatoes, rice, pasta (33%)
  • fruit and vegetables (33%)
  • milk and dairy foods (15%)
  • meat, fish, eggs, pulses, beans, nuts (12%)
  • treats high in fat and/or sugar (8%)

The eatwell plate

The key message is that a healthy diet contains a balanced mix of food types. Children should not worry about achieving the balance shown on the plate at every meal, but should aim to eat food in these quantities over a week. The aim is to get children to eat a wide variety of foods and include lots of fruit and vegetables and few sugary or fatty foods. Children should not think of any food type as 'bad' unless it is mouldy.