Topic > The importance of healthy eating and exercise for children

A healthy diet and the right amount of exercise are important. It can greatly affect a child's education if it is not cared for properly. A poor diet can lead to lack of concentration and learning and memory difficulties, as the Society of Neuroscience recently revealed: “that diets with high levels of saturated fat actually impair learning and memory”. the cheapest and easiest foods to prepare are those low in vitamins and minerals essential for the child's development. An excellent vitamin for a child's concentration is vitamin B. Vitamin B deficiency has been shown to affect "impaired memory, higher levels of anxiety, confusion, irritability, depression, and inhibited mental performance." therefore a poor diet will lack vitamin B and will decrease the child's concentration. If a child has poor concentration, he or she will not learn much, resulting in lower grades. These nutrient-poor foods aren't very filling and if they're hungry they can't concentrate. The Daily Mail says, "They can't concentrate properly because they don't eat, sometimes for days, and are tired and stressed." These children are malnourished and so the only thing they will focus on is the next time they eat, instead of learning. Inside Education states that “a child who can focus on learning and not on a hungry stomach has the power to stop the cycle of poverty through education.” Lack of exercise also affects children's education: with obesity on the rise, children should exercise more and eat healthier. Some chronic diseases result from a child's lack of physical movement and can cause problems in later life. The US National Institutes of Health states that “physical inactivity is a primary cause of most chronic diseases.” an example of a chronic disease caused by lack of physical activity is type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes occurs when "the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the body's cells do not react to the insulin." Type 2 diabetes is often linked to obesity, which occurs if a child has a poor diet and lack of exercise. . Diabetes affects a child's ability to learn and concentrate, as Diabetes UK states: "Diabetes can affect a child's learning because it can cause difficulties with attention, memory, processing speed and perceptual skills if it is not managed." this affects their overall quality of education as they do not concentrate properly and therefore will not learn effectively. A type two diabetic should see their doctor two to four times a year, and these appointments may be scheduled during school hours, taking time away from the child's learning. Lack of exercise as a child can greatly affect his or her future life, as diseases such as heart disease and cancer become more and more of a risk. Science News states that “Even healthy 9-year-olds may begin to show an increased risk of future heart problems if they are physically inactive.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay There are many things schools and providers should do to promote healthy eating and exercise. Practitioners can promote regular exercise by holding physical education classes, either once a week or more than once. It is important for schools to hold physical education lessons since they are theremany advantages. These include: “healthy growth and development,” “prevents sleep deprivation,” “helps relieve stress and anxiety,” “physical education makes an individual flexible and happy,” and allows students to focus and concentrate more. Physical education lessons allow children to develop their skills and motor skills through the physical education lesson, as well as developing social, communication and language skills. It is good practice to make physical education lessons fun so that children do not relate physical education to bad experiences, children who associate premature ejaculation with bad experiences often exercise less as adults. Practitioners and schools should have a designated outdoor play time for children to run around and let off steam, they should also provide equipment for children to use, for example: skipping ropes and soccer balls. They can also organize lunchtime and after-school activities to allow children to have a range of activities to try and develop. Another way in which practitioners could promote development is through PSHE lessons on healthy eating. If the provider sits with children and explains that for their body to function it needs to be fed properly and made sure it is taken care of, then the child may begin to understand that they need to eat properly. It also means that children gain an understanding of nutrition from an early age, enabling them to make better decisions in the future. Most facilities offer a healthy lunch option for families who pay for hot food, meaning children can have a hot, nutritious meal at least once a day. They also have a milk and fruit moment which helps develop their bones and they also eat an amount of fruit per day. Most schools also encourage parents to pack a healthy lunch for children and not one full of processed foods and additives. Families who cannot afford to feed their children should have free school meals and access to breakfast clubs so that children can focus on their learning and have something sustainable and healthy to eat that day that allows them to grow and develop. Schools should also have care plans for children who are allergic or intolerant to things, so that staff know what they can and cannot give the child and what to do in an emergency. own policies and procedures. But one department for education policy is the Food in Schools Policy. In short, it is what schools should provide for their students and it states that they “should have a written policy in place by the end of the 2013/14 school year”. Schools should offer their students healthier food options that are low in fat, sugar, salt and high in fiber. An example is the vegetable lasagna with vegetables hidden in the ragù and wholemeal puff pastry. They want to see every part of the school working together to help children become healthier by doing things like: providing healthy foods, helping children learn about food, and educating older children on how to cook healthy, nutritious meals. In the policy there are rules for school meals, these include things like: rice and pasta must be available at least once a week, fried food should not be served more than twice a week, fish should be available once a week, at least two portions of vegetables should be available per meal and milk/water should be available every day. Food must also be provided to all children with dietary needs such as: religion, culture,.