Eatwell Plate

Eatwell Plate

What is it?

The Eatwell Plate is a pictorial summary of the main food groups and their recommended proportions for a healthy diet. It is the method for illustrating dietary advice by the Department of Health, issued officially by the government of the United Kingdom.

Carbohydrates

Bread, pasta, grains, cereals, rice, couscous, potatoes etc.

Carbohydrates are starchy foods and should make up one-third of your plate as they help to fill you up. Try to eat wholegrain varieties where possible because once broken down, they are released into the bloodstream more slowly, giving you energy for longer. 

Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and veg should make up a third of your daily food intake. Try to eat a variety and mix up the colours – darkly-coloured fruit and veg contain more antioxidants, which are great for your health. Fruit and vegetables have different nutritional benefits so you should eat as much variety as possible.

Dairy foods

Butter, yoghurt, cream, cheese, milk etc.

The calcium you get from dairy foods is really important for strong bones and healthy teeth, but as these foods are generally quite high in fat they should only be enjoyed in small quantities. 

Protein (non-dairy)

Meat, fish, eggs, beans, lentils, pulses nuts, vegetable protein etc.

Protein is a vital part of your diet because it is essential for growth and repair of body tissue. You only need a small amount to get all the benefits, and you should try to eat high-quality protein. Aim for a diet packed with beans, pulses and lentils, and good-quality meat and fish rather than meat or fish that has been deep-fried or battered in breadcrumbs!

Foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar

Cakes, crisps, chocolate, sweets, fizzy drinks etc.

It probably won’t come as a shock to hear that the things in this food group should only be enjoyed occasionally. A diet packed with these foods will lead to weight gain and put you at higher risk of diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Foods in this group also create an instant ‘sugar high’ or energy rush. If the body becomes accustomed to this feeling it can become dependent on it, and then you risk becoming trapped in a cycle of highs and lows where you’re constantly craving sugary foods.

Crumble

My Strawberry and Apple Crumble

Ingredients (2 Big Servings)

Crumble

30g Special K cereal

90g Flour

70g Butter

20g Sugar

Filling

20-30 Strawberries

3 Apples

30g Sugar

1 Tablespoon of Water

Toppings
2-4 scoops of Blueberry Ice Cream

Reflection

Overall, I think that my strawberry and apple crumble turned out really well. The crumble tasted really good and the crumble and filling matched pretty well. My favourite was the crumble topping because it was really crunchy. I think the apples should be cut into smaller pieces. I liked the strawberries because the flavour was strong. The crumble tasted really good when I added the blue berry ice cream because the crumble was warm while the ice cream was cold.

Baking

Baking

Methods:

• Creaming
• Melting
• Whisking
• Rubbing In

Tips:

• Avoid Over mixing
• When flour is combined with wet ingredients, proteins in the flour are activated that help hold the dough together, if the proteins are over activated, however, your cookies will turn out tough. To avoid this, stop mixing when there are no streaks of flour remaining in your mixing bowl
• Store Your Sweets
• Wrap dark chocolate in foil, and keep it stored in a cool, dry place (It could last for 2 years)
• Milk chocolate and white chocolate have a more limited shelf life so those could last for 8 to 10 months
• Caramels stored at room temperature should last 6 to 12 months.
• To prevent fruits from sinking to the bottom of cakes and cupcakes, try dusting the pieces lightly with flour before adding
• Bring all the ingredients to room temperature before baking
• Preheat the oven
• Have all the ingredients in front of you to know what you have and don't have (also its neater)

Basic Cocoa Muffins

Reflection
Throughout this units I have learned a lot about food tech. I learned about how to use appropriate equipment and how to correctly measure the quantities about marketing and most importantly learning about how to make my muffin and breakfast. I think that I did really well in the muffin and breakfast unit. I could have done better by using more fruits in my muffin and not just chocolates. Overall, I really liked the two units and I really enjoyed eating the result. I really hope I could do this again and I had lots of fun.

Pastry

• Puff/ Flakey
• Pies lids
• Egg Tart
• Sausage Rolls
• Shortcrust
• Custard Tart
• Quiche
• Pies
• Filer
• Spring Rolls
• Samosa
• Baklava
• Strudels
• Hot Water Paste
• Pork Pie
• Choux
• Eclairs
• Profiteroles 
• Suet
• Jam Roly Poly

8 rules about Pastry

Flour

• If you're making shortcrust pastry plain flour is recommended because it will create a crumbly surface instead of tough. If you're making puff pastry, adding some bread flour that's high in protein to your plain flour is a good idea. This will help it be stronger so that is doesn't fall apart.

Temperature

• Water mixed with flour is very helpful, because it swells helping form gluten. However it is harder to be absorbed in a cold environment (which is what you want). That is why, when making shortcrust or puff pastry cold hands a marble bench, cold ingredients and cold equipment are ideal.

Fat

• Butter is added to Shortcrust pastry for flavour and also to stop the development of gluten. In Puff pastry butter is added cold in between thin layers of pastry to make it puff when it melts in the oven. Butter(fat) is very important.

Sugar and Acid

• Adding sugar before the water is a must. This is because once the water is added it the sugar creates a barrier stopping the water be absorbed into the flour, creating gluten.

Water

• By adding the water gradually to either pastries you're minimising gluten development. If you add to much water, add some flour until it's not sticky. If don't add enough water it will look lumpy.

Working with Dough

• When working Shortcrust you need to treat it like a girl. Be gentle and kind otherwise it will become tough. When working puff pastry it's the opposite. You need to roll and fold, activating the gluten so that it puffs up in the oven.

Rest

• Letting your pastry rest is vital. Normally after rolling it the recipe will tell you to place it in the fridge for 15min, but ideally 30min is better. Refrigerating is important because it lowers the risk of the pastry not holding it's shape. 

Blind Bake

• Soggy bottoms are ver common in tarts, especially with a runny filling(such as custard). That is why cooking the base/pastry before filling it is a good idea, because it allows it to repel moisture and stay firm. This is called blind-baking.

Reflection

Overall, I think I did a good job in making the tarts, as it tasted really nice and it had lots of flavour. If I could do this again, I would add lemon jam into it as the tart was really really sweet. I learned how to use proper equipment in making the tarts and how to blind bake. I really enjoyed making this and hope to do it again. I might try making these at home.

Fruits

Classification:

Stone:

• Plum
• Peach
• Apricot
• Avocado
• Cherry
• Mango
• Jackfruit
• Lychee

Berries:

• Banana
• Strawberry
• Raspberry
• Blueberry
• Blackberry
• Melon :

• Galia
• Honeydew

Hard:

• Pear
• Apple

Citrus:

• Grapefruit
• Lemon
• Lime
• Yuzu
• Orange
• Blood
• Mandarin

WHY IS FRUIT GOOD FOR US?

Fruit is low in calories and packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre. Most of the nutrients found in apples, peaches and plums are in, or just under, the skin. So eating fruit with the skin on can give you more fibre and nutrients.

Fibre helps make you feel full so eating foods high in fibre should help to stop you from being hungry between meals. It also helps to control blood sugar levels. Having a diet rich in fibre helps to reduce the risk of bowel cancer, diabetes and other diet-related diseases. The type of fibre found in fruit is an insoluble fibre. This means it is not absorbed into the body, but passes through the digestive system, removing waste products along the way and keeping the gut healthy.

HOW MUCH FRUIT SHOULD WE EAT? 

We should be eating at least five portions of fruit and veg every day. One medium-sized piece of fruit or a portion of 80g counts as 1 of your ‘5 a day’ (see Getting your 5 a day). For example: 2 kiwi fruits or satsumas, 1 medium banana, orange, apple or pear, a handful of berries or grapes, a wedge of melon or pineapple (80g or more).

DIFFERENT WAYS TO ENJOY FRUIT 

There are so many ways of enjoying fruit: in home-made smoothies, chopped up and scattered over cereal or yoghurt, in fruit salads, grilled, poached or stewed and then served with granola or pancakes. You can also include fruit in lots of savoury dishes: slice an apple or pear into matchsticks and add it to a salad, throw a handful of chopped dried apricots into a Moroccan-style tagine or add prunes to a pork stew for incredible flavour and sweetness.

Eggs

Eggs

Why are eggs good for you?

Eggs have excellent source of protein it can play a valuable part in a balanced diet, especially for vegetarians who aren’t getting any protein in their diet from meat.

Eggs are a good source of vitamins, particularly B vitamins and vitamins A, D and E.

Eggs are also a source of minerals including phosphorous, which is good for healthy

bones, and zinc, which aids growth and contributes towards a healthy immune system.

Where should you keep eggs?

- The Fridge (this isn't necessary but it will keep them fresher for longer because their quality deteriorates much faster at room temperature)

- The simplest way to store eggs is in the box you buy them in (Egg shells are porous

and can absorb the odours of other foods so try to keep them away from anything

strong-smelling, like fish)

- Make sure you use eggs by the ‘best before’ date shown on the egg or the box

Are there any safety issues with egg?

Salmonella is a bacterium that caused a large number of reported cases of food poisoning in Europe
in the 1980s. Many of these cases were associated with the consumption of raw or lightly cooked eggs. At the time, health authorities estimated that one in every 10,000 eggs carried this form of salmonella. However, salmonella has pretty much been eliminated today.

Health warning

Certain groups of people, such as young children, the elderly and pregnant women, may have weaker immune systems, which put them at higher risk of contracting salmonella. To be on the safe side, they should avoid eating foods that contain raw egg homemade mayonnaise or chocolate mousse.

Breakfast

Breakfast

My English Breakfast

Ingredients
- 1 Toast
- 3 Sausages 
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 Canned beans
- 5 Whole Mushrooms
- 3 Tomatoes

Reflection

Overall, I think that my breakfast turned out better than what I expected. The food was cooked well and it taste really good. My favourite was the mushrooms and the sausages because it has lots of flavour and its really juicy. The baked beans were the easiest part because all we needed to do was to heat it up. I think that the tomatoes could have been cooked more because it was really soggy and I should have added more spices because it didn't have much flavours in it. I didn't really like the scramble egg because it was really watery and and it didn't taste that nice

Why you should have breakfast everyday

- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it provides you with the energy and nutrients that lead to increased concentration in the classroom

- Studies show that breakfast can be important in maintaining a healthy body weight

- Hunger sets in long before it's time for lunch, but because it's not convenient to eat properly, many people who have not eaten breakfast snack on foods that are high in fat and sugar

- People who skip breakfast are unlikely to make up their daily requirement for some vitamins and minerals that a simple breakfast would have provided

- Breakfast provides energy for the activities during the morning and helps to prevent that mid-morning slump

Tips on Eating a Quick and Healthy Breakfast

- Pick at least 2 - 3 food

Eg. 

-Bread and Grain (i.e.cereal, toast, muffin)

-Milk and Milk product (i.e. low-fat yogurt, low-fat milk)

-Fruit or Vegetable (i.e bananas, apples, carrots)

- Sometimes you should replace or accompany that morning cup of coffee with a glass of orange juice or milk

- If you don't have much time, make an omelette. You can shorten preparation time by chopping up your vegetables ahead of time

- Get up 15 minutes earlier than you usually wake up. You can fix and consume a healthy breakfast in 15 minutes or less

- Plan ahead to eat breakfast. This means you should decide what you are going to eat for breakfast before the next morning. You can save time by putting out the box of cereal or cutting up some fruit the night before.

Breakfast around the world

CHINESE

-  Dumplings

- Rice in vegetable soup

- Fried sponge cake

- Steamed creamy custard bun

- Porridge

Eg.

FRANCE

- Tea

- Coffee

- Juice

- Hot Chocolate

- Bread 

- Butter

- Pastries

Eg.

JAPANESE

Wafuu Breakfast

- Rice

- Fish

- Miso Soup

- Natto Beans

- Nori (Seaweed)

Eg.

Youfuu Breakfast

- Buttered Toast

- Eggs

- Coffee

- Potato Salad

Eg.

Metabolism

What affects your basal metabolic rate?

Age - When you get older your metabolism generally slows

       - When babies and children go through periods of growth, their metabolism speeds up

Gender - As men are usually larger than women, they generally have faster metabolisms

Body size - People with bigger bodies tend to have a larger Basal Metabolism Rate

Physical activity - Regular exercise increases muscle mass and encourages your body to burn kilojoules at a faster rate, even when at rest

Environmental factors - The weather can also have an effect on your metabolism – if it is very cold or very hot, your body has to work harder to maintain its normal temperature and that increases the metabolic rate

Drugs - Caffeine and nicotine can increase your metabolic rate, while medications including some antidepressants and anabolic steroids can contribute to weight-gain regardless of what you eat

Diet - Certain aspects of your diet can also affect the metabolism, for instance if you don't have enough iodine for optimal thyroid function it can slow down your metabolism

Health and Safety

Health and Safety

Food safety and hygiene are critical to our health. From purchasing and preparing food to cooking and dining out, eating right begins with eating safe. Here are some information and tips about food safety and hygiene.

Food Safety : Avoiding Cross Contamination

Some foods naturally have much higher in bacteria than other, and need to be handled with lots of care. The most important raw food to look out for are meat and fish, as the bacteria found on them can easily lead to food poisoning.



For example, you or you're family member is cooking grilled fish and salad for dinner. If you chop up the raw fish on a chopping board before cooking it , then use that same knife and board to prepare your salad, the salad would be infected with the bacteria from the raw fish.

There are many ways to avoid cross contamination, you can start by, storing raw meat and fish on the bottom shelf of your fridge, and storing food that is ready to be eaten like salad, dairy food
or cooked food on the shelves above. Doing this stops the juice
from the raw meat and fish can't drip onto the cooked food or ready
to be eaten food and cross contaminate them.

Another way to avoid cross contamination is by, being aware of your surroundings because there may be germs and bacteria in the soil or any muddy vegetables. Peel your food in the sink and remember to rinse it well before you use or cook it, also remember to clean the sink and wash your hands before you start to do anything else.

Always wash your hands after touching anything that might contain lots of bacteria on it, for example touching your pet, the rubbish bin and more, and never forget to wash your hands after going to the washroom.

Food Safety : How to Cook Safely

• Always wear an apron, not only does it keep you from ruining your clothes but it's used so that if you’re splashed with hot oil or water you can just easily pull the apron away from yourself before the liquid soaks through to your skin.

• If you are cooking with other people around you and you spill something, tell everyone in the room to watch out and quickly clean it all up. It is best to tell people you spilled something or to watch out for something because you don't really want people to start slipping and sliding all over the place.

• When you're cooking on the hob, always angle your pans so that the handles face out to the side over the worktops. It's not safe for the handle to stick out over the edge because it would be really easy to knock into them and cause a huge spillage, especially when it's hot.

• When you're moving something really hot like a hot pan or a pot full of hot water and you're trying to move it to the sink to empty it or clean it, make sure people know about it or no one is around you.

• Unless the metal handle is cool, always pick it up with an oven glove or a folded up tea towel, you don't want to burn your hand.

• You don't really want children or pets laying around the kitchen while you're cooking because you don't want them to knock stuff down or cause a spillage or hurt themselves. Also in the kitchen there are many sharp knifes and you don't want them to go to the wrong hands.

Food Safety : Knife Safety

This is a very strange way but to avoid accidents using the knife is by actually making your knives
sharp because using a blunt knife, you will have to use more force when you push it down and that is when things could slip. Always remember to sharpen your knife.

Always use the right knives for example when you're trying to cut small ingredients, trim or peel always use a paring knife, if you're trying to chop, dice, slice a loaf of bread use a chef's knife.

When you're using a cutting board always put a damp towel underneath it before using it, this will prevent the board from slipping and moving while your trying to cut, chop, slice something.

If you ever have grease or oil or what ever slippery substance on your knife's handle stop what you're doing and clean it, because if you can't get a good grip on the knife it could slip off your hands and you could get hurt.

When you've finished with a knife, clean it then put it away immediately or you could just put it in a place where people can see it. I recommend you not to leave a knife in a sink with a whole lot of stuff, or in soapy water because people might suddenly reach in to wash something and might hurt themselves with the knife.

After finishing with a knife, put it in a knife block, if you don't have a knife block just lay them flat in a drawer not filled with lots of stuff and people can see them. Putting them in a drawer with tongs, whisks, wooden spoons and other utensils where you have to dig around is a bad idea.