Health & Wellbeing

Gastro 

Please be aware that there is gastro going around.  The Department of Education states that students are to be away from school for 24 hours after the last incident.   

The Importance of Fuelling your body

ust like putting the right kind of fuel into a car to help it to give its best performance, our bodies also need ‘fuel’ to help them operate properly.

Of course cars need to be maintained (looked after) in other ways, as does your body, but neither of them can work without fuel.

Your body needs protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals and water.

· Protein: builds up your muscles, organs and glands. It helps repair and replace them too, so that your body can keep on working. If you eat meat, chicken, fish, eggs, nuts, dairy products and legumes, then you've got it!  Protein from animal foods has all the essential amino acids you need. Plant foods have each got some of them.

· Carbohydrates: They give energy to all the cells in your body.  They produce glucose. Glucose gives you quick energy, but your body cells can't use heaps of it all at once so it saves some in your liver and muscles, as glycogen.  Some simple carbohydrates come from 'sometimes' foods like fizzy drinks and lollies, which have lots of sugar and don't have important vitamins which your body needs.  But many come from foods such as apples, bananas, grapes, raisins, as well as low-fat ice cream and yummy frozen yoghurt. These give you extras such as vitamins and minerals.  Complex carbohydrates come from food like bread, cereals, pasta and vegies like corn, potatoes and carrots. They give you energy more slowly so it lasts longer and they have heaps of vitamins and minerals, which your body needs.

· Fats:  By eating fats, you store energy for later.  There are three types of fat that we eat. 

Saturated fatty acids - from animal foods, dairy foods and some oils that come from plants.

Unsaturated fatty acids - from plants, fish and most plant oils.

Mono unsaturated fatty acids - from some plant products such as olive oil and canola oil.

· Vitamins and Minerals:  Our body needs vitamins and minerals to help it work.  There are two types of vitamins, fat soluble and water soluble.  There are 2 types of minerals too - macro minerals and trace minerals.

· Water:  Your body needs water to work well too.  The water in blood carries food to all parts of your body.

Breakfast provides energy and essential nutrients, improves alertness, concentration, mental performance, mood and memory.

Smart Eating Ideas for Brekkie:

Here are some options below for delicious breakfast ideas that your kids will hopefully love!

• A bowl of whole grain cereal with milk, a dollop of yoghurt and sliced fresh fruit. Try adding a sprinkle of nuts for extra crunch!

• A delicious smoothie made from milk, fresh fruit and yoghurt

• A toasted slice of sourdough bread with some cheese, baked beans or avocado

• Untoasted muesli or rolled oats

• Poached eggs on whole grain toast with tomato, mushrooms or spinach

www.cyh.com/HealthTopics

http://www.linkhc.org.au