Learning Goals
Learning Goals: Food Coaching VRE110
- To explain the scope and nature of food coaching and what is meant by a healthy diet.
- To explain why food coaches should abide by a professional code, and what the legal and ethical standards are.
- To understand different types of special diet for chronic conditions and their benefits to clients, as well as a range of other special diets and their impact on health.
- To discuss what is meant by overeating, its health implications, and how to develop plans to control or reduce weight.
- To describe what diets are considered unhealthy for a range of different body types.
- To understand general nutrition requirements of adults and seniors, and to discuss possible coaching strategies for working with adults, seniors and carers
- To understand general nutrition requirements of children, and to discuss possible coaching strategies for working with children and their parents or other caregivers
- To explain the importance of changes in lifestyle to improve the benefit of food coaching.
- To explain how the client will move on after food coaching has ended
- Explain how to organise, market and manage a food coaching service
More Information
Overeating:
Many of us overeat from time to time, e.g. at a dinner party or social function, and it is not necessarily a problem. However, overeating can be a problem for some people particularly when it is used to derive comfort form food to overcome depression or feelings of sadness. Overeating can also be symptom of an eating disorder such as bulimia, where it is followed by episodes of purging to rid the body of the food.
Overeating can be defined as consuming more energy than we need. If we overeat over a long period, then we have excess calories which are not burnt and it results in weight gain.
What do we mean by being overweight?
What is considered overweight can vary across cultures. Therefore, it is difficult to have universal agreement on what is overweight. Mostly we think of being overweight as having excess body fat. However, we all need some fat for our bodies to function normally. Fat is used as an energy store and to insulate us against cold. It also plays a role in the functioning of different bodily systems such as the endocrine system (hormones), reproductive system, and immune system.
A general definition of being overweight could be having more body fat than is considered healthy. Although being overweight is not the same as being obese, it does expose people to similar health risks albeit to a lesser degree.
Measuring Body Fat
One of the most widely used ways of measuring body fat is through a person’s body mass index, commonly referred to as BMI. The BMI is an attempt to measure body bass i.e. muscle, bone and fat.
BMI is determined using a formula based on an individual’s weight and height.
Body Mass Index = Body Weight(kg) divided by Height (m2)
BMI is related to body composition. It is really a measure of how thick or thin a person is and is based on average people with average body composition. For these people a BMI of 18.5 to 25 would be considered normal. Below 18.5 is underweight and above 25 is overweight, with various categories of overweight and underweight specified as you can see in the following table.
Table: Standard BMI Categories & Values
| Category |
BMI (kg/m2) |
|
from |
to |
| Very severely underweight |
|
15 |
| Severely underweight |
15 |
16 |
| Underweight |
16 |
18.5 |
| Normal (healthy weight) |
18.5 |
25 |
| Overweight |
25 |
30 |
| Obese Class I (Moderately obese) |
30 |
35 |
| Obese Class II (Severely obese) |
35 |
40 |
| Obese Class III (Very severely obese) |
40 |
|
Using the formula above, let’s say a man weighs 104 kg and is 183 cm tall. His BMI is calculated as 104 kg divided by 1.832 Â (= 3.349). He would have a BMI of 104/3.35 = 31 kg per m2. He would therefore be considered moderately obese.
The BMI, whilst widely used, does have its drawbacks. For instance, it is more accurate when applied to uncovering obesity levels in large populations rather than individuals. At the individual level, the BMI does not scale up well. Taller people are not simply scaled up versions of smaller people, so some taller people can end up with a BMI which is considerably higher than their actual body fat percentage. As such, if taken literally BMI scores can result in some shorter people thinking they are thinner than they are, and some taller people may thinking they are fatter than they actually are.
BMI also fails to recognise physical variables such as whether a person of a given height has a large, medium or small body frame. Therefore, the BMI of a person with a small frame could indicate that they are normal weight for their height whereas the reality is that they could be overweight. Similarly, a tall person with a large frame could have a BMI score which suggests they are overweight, but the reality is they are quite normal.
Furthermore, the BMI does not distinguish between muscle and fat mass. Therefore, athletes and others who have a muscular body build could end up with a high BMI and fall into a category which is clearly untrue.
Overall, BMI provides a better estimate of obesity than body weight and it can provide a good starting point for helping to determine whether someone has a weight problem. Generally, it is more helpful when combined with other measures, like waist to height ratio or waist to hip ratio, and some common sense is used in interpreting the findings.
Body Fat Percentage
Body fat percentage (BFP) gives a much better idea of how overweight (or underweight) an individual might be compared to BMI. The body fat percentage can be regarded as a measure of a person’s fitness. It is the only body measurement which calculates a person’s relative body composition without using their height or weight.
The BFP is calculated as the total mass of fat divided by the total body mass. Body fat includes both essential body fat and stored body fat.
- Essential body fat – this is necessary to maintain life and reproductive functions.
- Storage body fat – this is fat which is deposited in adipose tissue. Some of it serves to protect internal organs.
The percentage of fat in the body needed for healthy functioning is more than simply the essential body fat since some storage fat is needed. However, there is some disagreement about how much fat is needed. Generally speaking, essential fat is thought to be the level below which there are likely to be adverse effects on physical and physiological wellbeing. But, it is difficult to give general guidelines. Because although a particular value might be good for a person’s health it can also affect their athletic performance.
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Q. Practical work – How is this done?
A. To find out more about this part of the course please visit the section on How Our Courses Work here.
FAQ - RHS Theory Qualifications
