Know the general objective of nutritional education

The recognition of the individual’s need to learn to eat correctly is one of the pedagogical discoveries of this century. To enjoy adequate nutrition, individuals must have access to sufficient, good quality food. That they understand what an ideal and healthy diet consists of. Also the skills and motivation that lead to wise food choices. Previously, there was the concept that everyone knew how to eat. What he lacked was what to eat or what to buy it with. Any diet was good, as long as it satisfied hunger. Even today there are many human beings in the world who do not recognize the relationship between the type of food they eat and their health. And much less do they understand the therapeutic function that food can have in diseases due to malnutrition. The beginning of nutritional education At the beginning of the 20th century, a strong scientific movement began that gave impetus to the science of nutrition. With the First World War, the fact that a third of the working-age population was not physically fit to enter the army made certain governments worry about feeding the population. Studies on this aspect of man’s life began to be sponsored and encouraged. The concern that the people had a correct diet, and therefore, better health, brought different forms of action. Among them are those of mass nutritional education. The use of popular educational media was used. Nowadays it is known that nutritional education must be systematic, individualized and appropriate to the student, with a graded content. uated and rich in educational experiences. Like any other branch of education, nutritional education is a fundamental means for improving the population’s diet. Both from an individual point of view and in the case of groups. It induces the individual to consume a correct diet and teaches him to better use the resources available for his diet. Eating habits Man’s behavior regarding food is expressed through a series of habits. These determine the way you choose your food, prepare it, serve it, distribute it and consume it. A series of factors intervene in the formation of such habits that must be studied and known in each region or group. The main ones being the geographical environment, religion, tradition, and technological progress. The general objective of nutrition education is to establish attitudes and habits that result in intelligent food selection and the consumption of a nutritious diet for all ages. Achieving this objective involves knowledge of the basic principles of nutritional education. As well as the in-depth study of man, in all his manifestations related to food. Parallel to the development of nutrition science, nutritional education has gradually discovered and enunciated principles that govern the teaching of good eating habits. That his habits, his capacity and ways of learning are closely related to the work of man. These basic principles are closely related to the principles of general education and health education in particular. Basic principles of nutritional education Food has multiple meanings for man. Frequently, These meanings are simultaneous and the person uses several of them in the context of the same experience. At the same time that the food stimulates your senses, hunger or with pleasant or unpleasant memories. According to whichever meaning is most important at that moment, he will accept or reject the food. It has been said that there is no better seasoning than hunger. For example, a food that is presented to us when we are at the end of a meal, that we reject because it is too sweet or too salty, we accept it willingly and do not take into account its flavor, if it is offered to us when we are hungry. On the other hand, in other cases, we find individuals who prefer to endure hunger rather than eat a food that has an unpleasant meaning for them. Or that your religion considers forbidden food. Man needs to learn to eat In the human species, instinct is not a sure guide to obtaining an adequate diet. It is necessary to educate the child’s palate and gradually introduce different foods and ways of preparation into their diet. In order for you to learn to consume them and thus be able to have an adequate diet. Individuals who did not have adequate nutritional education during childhood grow up unable to enjoy the enormous variety of foods that exist in their environment. Eating habits are cumulative When a new eating habit is introduced into a family, it is transmitted to the following generations. In this way, the food culture is enriched and we often see families who guard it with great zeal. Through the generations, the recipes are considered more appreciated. Some of which were acquired by a relative who took a trip abroad or obtained it from a friend. This is how they go accumulating eating habits. Eating habits are not static Despite their traditional cumulative spectrum, eating habits can change in light of new approaches and meanings that food acquires. Especially with the introduction of new production techniques, which make domestic tasks easier. Education can modify eating habits Every individual acquires their eating habits through the patient and systematic teaching of the adults who were in charge of their education during their early years. Plus the influence of people outside the home, with whom the individual interacted later. Although the speed of learning decreases with age, the ability to learn does not disappear. This allows the individual to acquire new eating habits at all ages, varying the motivation and methodology in each case. The educational act in nutritional education In every educational act, we find three essential elements: educator, learner and content. In all cases, in order to achieve effective education, the method must adjust to the characteristics of said elements. Throughout life, the nutrition educator is represented by different people: The mother teaches the child from the first days to know, accept and taste food. Later, at school, the child learns to eat new foods and try new ways of preparing them. Get to know their nutritional value and the importance of each of them, as well as the ways of cultivation and production. This knowledge is then transmitted to the home. As an adult, the individual has the opportunity to acquire new eating habits due to changes in the environment that surrounds them. Like meetings, new friends, trips, visits, etc. The educator In relation to the student, we find that his learning is accelerated in the early age. Within a year the child comes to know most of the flavors and can distinguish them without difficulty. Already at school age, their habits are perfectly established and the change that is observed during adulthood is extremely slow. Because for each age of the learner, the educator, the content and the learning process vary, the method must vary according to the age of the learner, their educational level, the environment in which they live, the resources available to them and the content that they want to transmit. It must be taken into account that the best method is the one that favors the highest degree of student participation. The lower the educational level, the simpler the audiovisual material used will be. And we will try, as far as possible, to increase personal contacts by promoting meetings in small groups. Where a pleasant atmosphere reigns so that communication can take place with the minimum of barriers. The higher the level of the learner, the less will be the need for practical demonstrations. And the use of printed material, books, brochures, questionnaires, will be more indicated. It should not be forgotten that the living conditions in rural regions are different from urban ones. The way the family is integrated and the person who makes decisions regarding food are important factors that must be considered in nutrition education.