Orphans and Vulnerable Children - CRIN

The Meaning of Nutrition

In this activity, you will:

 Discuss and define what nutritionmeans

Facilitator’s notes:

An adequate diet requires consuming a variety of foods that will provide the body with the

necessary energy, protein, fats and micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals) it needs to function

properly. These nutrients can be obtained from:

 Locally available foods grown in gardens, gathered or bought from markets that are

naturally rich in nutrients

 Fortified foods that have been enriched with extra vitamins or minerals

 Micro-nutrient supplements, available as pills or tablets rich in vitamins and minerals.

All these sources of food contain nutrients that help the body to remain healthy and strong.

For this activity you will need:

 Flipchart and markers

Facilitator’s notes:

1 Introduce this topic to the group by asking participants to describe why they think

food is important to the body. Write their responses up on the flipchart.

Summarise and clarify their contributions by giving the definitions of nutrition

and poor nutrition in your facilitator’s notes.

2 Explain that food has different uses: energy, the growth and repair of body tissues, and

protection against diseases. Start making the link between sufficient quantities of different

types of food and the health of the body. You will discuss these in more depth in the next

activities.

Definition of nutrition:

Nutritioncan be defined as the use of food by our bodies for growth, energy and

protection from disease.

Good nutritioncan be defined as the intake of sufficient nutrients and the efficient use

of food by our bodies.

Poor nutritionmeans an insufficient or unbalanced intake of food substances, which

generally results in malnutrition, which affects the proper functioning of the body.

Activity 1

20 minutes

Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Unit 2, Module 3^225