Healthy World Update
Making Healthy Choices in Year 8 Healthy World
This term, students of Year 8 Healthy world have been investigating their own personal nutrition and movement habits, as well as exploring widespread health issues facing Australia.
Students have been critical of daily eating and movement habits, fitness testing, and monitoring sleep and screen time patterns to identify areas of personal health improvement.
By continuing our investigation and referring to the Australian Guidelines to Healthy Eating and the 24 Hour Movement guidelines, students are drawing connections between Australian health concerns and proposing health plans to improve specific areas of own and others health.
Did you know?
By eating the recommended amounts from the Five Food Groups, and following the Australian Guidelines to Healthy Eating, children will get enough of the nutrients essential for health, growth and wellbeing. This is essential for learning and reaching potential!
Childhood is a time of learning and children who grow up in families that have healthy eating and movement habits are more likely to make their own healthy choices as they get older.
You can help by teaching your whole family to:
- Choose ‘everyday foods’ for home and school from the Five Food Groups.
- Save discretionary choices for special occasions.
- Provide a variety of types and colours of fresh vegetables and fruit
- Enjoy reduced fat varieties of milk, yoghurt and cheese
- Eat mainly wholegrain cereal foods and breads.
- Drink plenty of water instead of sugary drinks like cordial, and soft drink.
- Eat a healthy breakfast every day.
- Learn about how foods are grown and where they come from.
For children and young people, being active every day has many social, emotional, intellectual and health benefits, including:
- a chance to have fun with friends and family
- reduced antisocial behaviour
- stronger cooperation and teamwork skills
- better self-esteem and confidence
- lower anxiety and stress
- better concentration
- healthy growth and development
- strong muscles and bones
- improved fitness, including coordination and movement skills
- lower risk of disease
- lower risk of unhealthy weight gain.
We recommend children and young people do at least 60 minutes each day of moderate to vigorous physical activity that makes the heart beat faster. More is better. It doesn’t have to be a full 60 minutes at once – several shorter sessions through the day work too. At least 3 days per week, children and young people should incorporate vigorous activities and activities that strengthen muscle and bone in the 60 minutes.
For more information about our nutrition and movement recommendations for children and young people, see: