An Analysis of the Eatwell Plate Program - Essay Example

?An Analysis of the Eatwell Plate Program Unconscious eating of foods with little or nutritional content causes malnutrition, and the lack of physical activity combined with consuming more than the daily recommended servings of fat-laden and sugary foods increases the problem, especially among the young children (Welch, McMahon, & Wright, 2012). Due to the lack of proper education and campaigns gearing towards healthy eating and living, malnourishment becomes widely known, with many sufferers ending up either really bone-thin or gaining weight and becoming obese (Smith, 2008; Swanson, et al., 2011). This costs people more in the long run, and by not informing them of healthy choices for meals, they could develop more illnesses as they age, and by then the diseases would have affected their organs, bodies and overall health greatly. Thus, it is a strong prerogative that obesity should be halted at its earliest stages. Obesity has been growing at a sharp rate during the last few years, which is a highly-documented phenomenon not just in media within the UK but across the world, and this can be blamed on several factors such as changing lifestyles of people, poor eating habits, accessibility of processed and fast food, and the lack of strict governmental regulations on implementing a healthy diet (Daries, 2012; van der Lingen, 2008). It has been established that obesity counts as a disorder with numerous health impacts such as higher risks for developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular problems, Type II diabetes, high cholesterol levels, elevated blood pressure levels, and interestingly, increased risks for developing depression (Linsey, Kane, & Owen, 2011). There are many benefits that could be gained from undertaking steps in ensuring that the members of the population are able to eat well and healthily, and most of these can be observed among younger children and adolescents. The health benefits of eating healthy and nutritious food has been extensively studied and published, however the behavioural effects of healthy eating were just starting to emerge. It has been recorded that children who were able to eat properly especially during breakfast time were more likely to feel full for a longer time, were able to focus much more on lessons, and exhibited lesser behavioural problems such as hyperactivity and depression (Albon & Mukherji, 2008; Brilliant Futures, 2010; Colquhoun, et al., 2008; Gordon, 2011). This shows that by addressing the problem of hunger and malnutrition together, not only does the problem of obesity get a clearer solution, but also other behavioural problems as well, and all of these can be initiated through the introduction of regular and healthy eating. Numerous campaigns such as the 5-A-Day Meal Plan, the Eat Well Do Well Program, Jamie Oliver’s visitations to school lunches and dinners, and the Eatwell Plate were implemented and strengthened to jumpstart people’s choices in eating healthier alternatives to easily-accessible foods such as fast and highly-processed food (Brown, et al., 2011; Dowler, Caraher, & Lincoln, n.d.; Colquhoun, Wright, Pike, & Gatenby, 2008; Smith, 2008; van der Lingen, 2008). The most well-known and well-endorsed strategy devised by the National Health Services (NHS) of the Department of Health (DH) is to apply the Eatwell Plate, introduced in 2007, and consists of a plate in the shape of apie chart showing the proportions of each food group that must be eaten in order to have a healthy and balanced diet (National Health Services, NHS, 2011). According to the DH, the plate shows five sections, each section showing the proportions of each food group for each meal, were devised as such: bread, rice, pasta, and other starchy foods (33%); fruit and vegetables (33%); milk and dairy foods (15%); meat, fish, eggs, beans and other protein sources (12%); and foods and drinks high in sugar or fat (8%) (Albon & Mukherji, 2008; Department of Health, DH, 2012). It is expected that by following the guidelines, people can have informed choices and be mindful of what they would eat. In addition, food traffic labels were also established, so as to inform consumers which foods are considered healthy and may be eaten in moderation, or unhealthy and must be eaten in moderation or less (Albon & Mukherji, 2008). The DH aims to introduce healthier eating habits to citizens, especially to younger members of the population since it has been established that it is easier to modify habits of the children and adolescents (Caraher, et al.; Brilliant Futures, 2010; Weischelbaum, 2011). The Eatwell Plate may have been instrumental in most people beginning to discover and enjoy the benefits of eating healthier, but the campaign has many setbacks which were unable to address the needs of other citizens which may have problems following the eating habit guide, such as patients with certain nutritional and dietary needs (Daries, 2012). Also, there were other factors that were tied to eating and living unhealthily, such as the high costs of fresh food compared to processed food, lack of access to healthy food choices, large disparities between food prices in various regions, amount of knowledge about food preparation techniques, and the busy schedules within the household, among others (Bozkurt, Caraher, et al., 2010; 2010; Gordon, 2011; Smith, 2008; Swanson, et al., 2011). Also, the number of serving per day were not indicated in the Eatwell Guide, which may confuse consumers on how much kind of food may be safely eaten in each meal for each day, and this was not easily foreseen and managed (Brown, et al., 2011). Lastly, cheaper alternatives and specific examples of such foods were also not mentioned, which prevents interested parties to try eating as healthy as possible, and discourages them to change eating habits in order to save money, particularly mentioning the disadvantaged sectors of society (Dowler, et al., n.d.). The Eatwell Plate is only one of a few factors that could affect the food choices of people however other problems must also be addressed in order for it to become fully-acceptable to all levels of people in society. Possible alternatives and additional strategies are needed in order for the Eatwell Plate to be sustainable for at least ten years, and it is through continuous efforts in its campaign that long-term results can be observed. It has been found out that aside from the lack of solid information about the importance of healthy eating, there is also a need to inform consumers about various cooking methods, nutritional values, other alternative methods of selecting and preparing healthy meals, and a conscious effort of sticking to selected meal plans (Bozkurt, 2010; Brown, et al., 2011; Smith, 2008; van der Lingen, 2008). Also, in order to become exemplary among the younger generations, the government must also hold campaigns that include celebrities and other well-known people in their advocacy of healthy people. By maintaining their connections with people and providing them with positive role models that could influence a wider audience, it can be expected that the Eatwell Program of the DH could have a greater impact as opposed to not holding any active campaigns. The benefits of eating healthy food are numerous, and it has lasting effects, both with the individual’s mind and body. However, many people are still fully uninformed with these benefits, thus they still stick to unhealthy eating and living habits. While the Eatwell Plate Program may be instrumental in changing the ways of the people, it is only one way of combating unhealthy eating habits, and if not properly adjusted according to the needs of most people, may become easily forgotten. There are other things to be addressed as well, not just the eating habits of the citizens since the malnutrition problem and the obesity epidemic are both affected by multiple factors. It is thus important that tackling the obesity and malnutrition problem be solved in multiple approaches for it to become highly successful and sustainable. Bibliography Albon, D. & Mukherji, P., 2008. Food and Health in Early Childhood: A Holistic Approach. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.. Bozkurt, G., 2010. A comparison of physical store versus online grocery shopping habits based on consumers' environmental characteristics. [Online] Available at: http://chesterrep.openrepository.com/cdr/bitstream/10034/129516/1/gulten%20bozkurt.pdf [Accessed 30 January 2013]. Brilliant Futures, 2010. Healthy Pompey: Eat well, move more, live longer. [Online] Available at: http://www.wellbeingsoutheast.co.uk/uploads/33468F8A-9457-D9E4-5CE4F671859BE2AF/Healthy%20Pompey%20Scope%20Report_reduced.pdf [Accessed 30 January 2013]. Brown, K., Timotijevic, L., Barnett, J., Shepherd, R., Lahteenmaki, L., & Raats, M., 2011. A review of consumer awareness, understanding and use of food based dietary guidelines. British Journal of Nutrition, 106(1), pp. 15-26. Caraher, M., Lloyd, S., Lawton, S., Singh, G., Horsley, K., & Mussa, F., 2010. A tale of two cities: a study of access to food, lessons for public health practice. Health Education Journal, 20(10), pp. 1-11. Colquhoun, D., Wright, N., Pike, J. & Gatenby, L., 2008. Evaluation of eat well do well kingston upon hull's school meal initiative, Hull: Centre for Educational Studies, Institute for Learning, University of Hull. Daries, H., 2012. Nutrition for Sport and Exercise. West Sussex: Blackwell Publishing. Department of Health, 2012. About the eatwell plate. [Online] Available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/06/about-the-eatwell-plate/ [Accessed 30 January 2013]. Dowler, E., Caraher, M. & Lincoln, P., n.d. Inequalities in food and nutrition: challenging "lifestyles". [Online] Available at: http://www.ana.org.nz/sites/default/files/Inequalitiesinfoodandnutritionchallenginglifestyles.pdf [Accessed 30 January 2013]. Gordon, E., 2011. Broccoli or broken windows? the relationship between anti social behaviour and a nutrient deficient diet. Internet Journal of Criminology, Volume September, pp. 1-89. Linsey, P., Kane, R. & Owen, S., 2011. Nursing for Public Health: Promotion, Principles and Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. National Health Services, Department of Health, 2011. The Eatwell Plate. [Online] Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/eatwell-plate.aspx [Accessed 30 January 2013]. Smith, A., 2008. Factors affecting access to fruit and vegetables in chester and the importance of eating healthy: a case study of blacon and hoole. [Online] Available at: http://chesterrep.openrepository.com/cdr/bitstream/10034/56879/32/adam%20smith%20-%20part%201.pdf [Accessed 30 January 2013]. Swanson, V., Power, K., Crombie, I., Irvine, L., Kiezebrink, K., Wrieden, W., & Slane, P., 2011. Maternal feeding behaviour and young children's dietary quality: a cross-sectional study of socially disadvantaged mothers of two-year old children using the theory of planned behaviour. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, Volume 8, pp. 65-75. van der Lingen, A., 2008. The rise of and fall of jamie's school dinners. In: H. Leileveldt, ed. The Policies of Food and Fat: a Perspective on Obesity and Public Policy. Middleburg: Roosevelt Academy, pp. 215-235. Weichselbaum, E., 2011. Nutrition and health of schoolchildren, London: The British Nutrition Foundation. Welch, R., McMahon, S. & Wright, J., 2012. The medicalisation of food pedagogies in primary schools and popular culture: a case for awakening subjugated knowledges, London: Routledge. Read More