1. The Function of Food

Food is important for life. To be healthy and active, we should certainly have enough food. But the foods we eat should also be safe and rich in all the nutrients our body needs. We should choose from a wide variety of foods and we should eat them regularly, throughout the day, every day of the year. Do not forget that we should also enjoy the food that we eat; it should look, smell and taste good. Without good nutrition, children and young people cannot develop their potential to the full, and adults will have difficulty in doing their best.

Food provides our bodies with what they need to:

·         stay alive, be active, move and work;

·         build new cells and tissues for growth;

·         stay healthy and heal themselves;

·         prevent and fight infections.

2. The Importance of a Healthy Diet

Many Namibians have come to understand the word Diet to mean the kind of foods that people eat for slimming or losing weight, but the word really means all the foods and beverages (drinks/liquids) any person consumes, even those who are not slimming. So a good diet means a Healthy Eating Plan and healthy and balanced nutrition means eating the right type of foods in the right quantities to keep healthy, keep fit, and enjoy life.

For our nutritional well-being we need to have a variety of nutritious, safe and acceptable foods that meet the dietary needs of all members of the household every day throughout the year.

3. Food Safety

Food safety is about handling, storing and preparing food to prevent infection and help to make sure that our food keeps enough nutrients for us to have a healthy diet. Unsafe food and water means that it has been exposed to dirt and germs, or may even be rotten, which can cause infections or diseases such as diarrhoea, meningitis, etc.

These diseases can make people very sick or even be life threatening. When people are sick, they are weak and would have difficulty working or concentrating at school. Some of these infections also make it difficult for our bodies to absorb the nutrients they need to get healthy. Unsafe or stale foods also deteriorate and be of poor quality, which means they lose nutrients and so we do not get enough of what we need for a healthy diet. So unsafe food can also lead to poor nutrition.