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Community Health Volunteer's Training Manual - Population Council

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Module 4 The work of <strong>Community</strong> <strong>Health</strong> Volunteers<br />

Topic 2 Components of a healthy diet<br />

200<br />

Everywhere in the world, people eat the foods that are common in their community. Though<br />

the diets may be different, these foods contain certain common basic nutrients. These<br />

nutrients are proteins, fats, carbohydrates, micronutrients, vitamins, water and roughage<br />

(Box 4.3.1). A healthy or balanced diet is a meal which consists of a mixture of these basic<br />

food nutrients in the right proportions.<br />

Many people do not eat the right food in the right combination. This is not because they<br />

don’t have the food, but it is often because they do not know the right combination of<br />

foods to get a healthy diet. Poor diets and poor food choices expose the body to attacks by<br />

diseases.<br />

Exercise 4.3.1<br />

Objective<br />

1. To discuss the food groups and plan a balanced<br />

diet with a common combination of food in your<br />

community<br />

Time: 5 minutes<br />

Questions<br />

1. What are the common foods in Ghana?<br />

2. What are the main food ingredients and their<br />

food nutrients?<br />

3. What common combination of food in your<br />

community constitutes a balanced/healthy diet?<br />

Box 4.3.1: The seven food groups<br />

Instructions to the<br />

Facilitator<br />

1. Lead participant in<br />

brainstorming common<br />

foods eaten in our<br />

communities and the<br />

nutrients they contain.<br />

2. Help them to identify a<br />

balanced/healthy diet<br />

with locally available<br />

foods.<br />

1. Proteins or body building materials (meat, fish, milk, egg, chicken, groundnuts, snails,<br />

soyabean, legumes (beans)<br />

2. Fat which are energy giving foods (oils, fats)<br />

3. Carbohydrates which are energy giving foods (cassava, yam, plantain, cocoyam, rice,<br />

etc)<br />

4. Micronutrients which repair the body (iodated salts)<br />

5. Vitamins that aid in the absorption of foods (fruits, okra, garden eggs, green leafy<br />

vegetables)<br />

6. Water which lubricates the body cells (fruits and leaves e.g. kontomire or cocoyam leaf)<br />

7. Roughage which helps in digesting the food we eat.

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