Chapter+2+-+Literature+Review

The increasing awareness of the importance of diet for health promotion and disease prevention has lead to a greater concern about the diet and eating pattern among people. Eating patterns such as eating frequency, skipping of breakfast and frequently of eating a fast food might influence the nutritional status which then influences health and academic performance (Shaw, 1988). Eating pattern today will shape the diet late tomorrow (Dwyer et al, 2001). According to Taras (2005), nutrition and student achievements have been connected, and without proper fuel for the body, the mind will cease to function to the best of its ability. Proper fuel, or “normal amounts of nutrition”, is described as eating a balanced meal that includes various food groups (Rampersaud et al., 2005; Taras, 2005). This paper attempts to report the eating pattern among UMP students and association between eating patterns with gender, ethnicity, body mass index status and academic performance.
 * 2.0 Intro**

The term ‘eating patterns’ refers broadly to occasions of eating and the context of eating occasions. Eating patterns influence nutrient intake; for example, Dwyer et al. (2001) found that as the number of eating occasions increased, so did the overall energy intake. Eating a healthy breakfast appears to confer a range of benefits, including: improved cognitive function at school; attentiveness; social interaction; and overall nutrient balance and energy intake (Shaw, 1998). Children who regularly consume breakfast had better Healthy Eating Index scores for grains, fruits and milk products compared with those who ate breakfast less frequently (Bowman et al., 1998) and among adults, skipping breakfast is associated with obesity (Ma et al., 2003). Adolescents with a consistent meal pattern tend to be leaner than those with an inconsistent meal pattern (Siega-Riz, Carson & Popkin, 1998) and other evidence has suggested links between skipping meals and the development of overweight (Wolfe et al., 1994). That is, regular consumption of breakfast, lunch and dinner appears to support the maintenance of a healthy weight. Videon and Manning (2003) found that adolescents who ate a higher number of family meals during the week were more likely to eat the recommended amounts of fruit, vegetables and dairy products. Neumark-Sztainer et al. (2003) produced very similar findings, but also found an inverse association between the number of family meals and soft drink consumption. That is, young people who ate more meals with their family also drank less soft drink. __http://www.coo.health.usyd.edu.au/pdf/11_eatingpatterns.pdf__
 * 2.1 Eating Pattern**

Nutrition is a vague term and can include many elements of daily diets. The nutrients described in this research refer to protein, fiber, glucose, and carbohydrates within various foods. In individually large amounts, each of these types of nutrition can be harmful to the body in terms of weight gain and high cholesterol levels (Fischer //et al//., 2002; Rampersaud//et al//., 2005). However, a balanced meal including all four of these energy-builders has the ability to increase cognitive functioning before testing (Fischer //et al//., 2002; Ritz and Berrut, 2005). Funder (2004) discussed the theory of ascending reticular activating system, or ARAS, in the human brain. Eysenck’s theory is extended to the balance of the excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms, and when a balance is achieved then a certain level of cognitive arousal takes place (Funder, 2004). The ARAS is suggested to regulate the amount of information that reaches the brain (Funder, 2004). Nutrition is one factor that may easily affect the delicate balance, cutting off the appropriate arousal to bring about cognitive processes and memory retention in an individual. // (Saint Martin’s University Biology Journal May 2006, Volume 1)
 * 2.2 Nutrition**

**2.3 New Food** **Pyramids** The Food Pyramid, developed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), is an excellent tool to help you make healthy food choices. The food pyramid can help you choose from a variety of foods so you get the nutrients you need, and the suggested serving sizes can help you control the amount of calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sugar or sodium in your diet.  //
 * 

Eat Sparingly
 * Fats and Sweets**:

calcium
 * Dairy:** Get your

Good source of vitamins || ||  ||  || 
 * Veggie And Fruits:**

with less fat
 * Protein:** Meat

source of energy ||  At the base of the food pyramid, you will see the group that contains breads, grains, cereals and pastas. These foods provide complex carbohydrates, which are an important source of energy, especially for a low-fat meal plan. You can make many low-fat choices from foods in this group.
 * Grains, Phasta And Cereal****:** Good
 * Bread, Grain, Cereal and Pasta Form the Base**

**Fruits and Vegetables** Fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients. Many are excellent sources of vitamin A, vitamin C, folate or potassium. They are low in fat and sodium and high in fiber. The Food Pyramid suggests 3 to 5 servings of vegetables each day. Meat, poultry and fish supply protein, iron and zinc. Non-meat foods such as dried peas and beans also provide many of these nutrients. The Food Pyramid suggests 2 to 3 servings of cooked meat, fish or poultry.Choose lean meat, fish and dry beans and peas often because these are the lowest in fat. Products made with milk provide protein and vitamins and minerals, especially calcium. The Food Pyramid suggests 2 to 3 servings each day. If you are breastfeeding, pregnant, a teenager or a young adult age 24 or under, try to have 3 servings. Most other people should have 2 servings daily. Interestingly, cottage cheese is lower in calcium that most other cheeses - one cup counts as only 1/2 serving of milk. Go easy on high-fat cheese and ice cream. Choose non-fat milk and yogurt and cheeses made from skim milk because they are lowest in fat. **Fats and Sweets** A food pyramid's tip is the smallest part, so the fats and sweets in the top of the Food Pyramid should comprise the smallest percentage of your daily diet. The foods at the top of the food pyramid should be eaten sparingly because they provide calories but not much in the way of nutrition. These foods include oils, cream, butter, margarine, sugars, soft drinks, candies and sweet desserts. []
 * Beans, Eggs, Lean Meat and Fish**
 * Dairy Products**