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Certificate in Understanding Nutrition and Health Level 2

Our Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Nutrition and Health (RQF) is an accredited qualification on which you will learn how to implement good eating habits and how to help others practice healthy eating, the impacts to health and why it is important to maintain a healthy diet overall. 

The six modules are theory based, provided as a remote learning opportunity with assignments, workbooks and resources provided.

Course Details

Qualification Name: Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Nutrition and Health (RQF)
Accreditation: iCQ OfQual recognised qualification
OfQual Qualification Accreditation Number (QAN): 603/3511/7
Average time to completion: 8 to 12 weeks

Course Content

Module 1

Understanding eating disorders

Understand the term ‘eating disorder’

  1. Define the term ‘eating disorder’
  2. Describe a range of eating disorders

Understand the causes of ‘eating disorders’

  1. Describe the causes of eating disorders

Understand how an eating disorder may affect the individual and others

  1. Describe the signs and symptoms of eating disorders
  2. Describe the feelings an individual with an eating disorder may experience
  3. Describe the ways that an eating disorder can affect the individual
  4. Describe the ways that an eating disorder can affect an individual’s life
  5. Explain how an individual’s eating disorder may affect others

Understand how a specific eating disorder may be managed

  1. Describe how eating disorders can be treated
  2. Explain how others can influence an individual to recover from a specific eating disorder
  3. Describe resources and treatments that are available to an individual experiencing an eating disorder

Module 2

Principles of healthy eating

Understand the link between diet and health

  1. Explain what a healthy diet is
  2. Describe a healthy diet for a child
  3. Describe a healthy diet for an adult
  4. State the diseases that are connected to unhealthy diets
  5. Identify the sources of energy from food
  6. Identify the amounts of calories supplied by different food sources
  7. Calculate own Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
  8. Estimate own Physical Activity Level (PAL)
  9. Use findings from BMR and PAL calculations to determine own energy needs
  10. State factors affecting a person’s energy requirements
  11. Describe the relationship between calorie intake, calorie expenditure and weight
  12. Explain why it is important to control salt intake

Understand what makes up a healthy diet

  1. State the main food groups
  2. List and range of foods belonging to each of the food groups
  3. State examples of current healthy eating advice
  4. Explain the importance of eating a variety of foods

Know the nutrients in food and how they can maintain health

  1. Define the term ‘nutrient’
  2. State the nutrients needed by the body
  3. Identify foods that are a good source of each nutrient
  4. Explain the role of nutrients in maintaining health
  5. Describe the factors that influence how much of each nutrient a person needs
  6. Explain the importance of drinking an appropriate amount of fluids

Understand the principles of healthy food preparation

  1. Explain what needs to be considered when planning healthy meals
  2. Explain how the cooking method can affect the nutritional value of foods
  3. Describe healthy food preparation methods

Module 3

The principles of weight management

Understand the risks associated with ineffective weight management

  1. Define the terms:
    • obese
    • emaciated
    • malnourished
  2. Explain the health risks associated with obesity
  3. Explain the health risks associated with emaciation
  4. Describe the signs and symptoms of malnourishment

Understand food additives

  1. Explain the term ‘body image’
  2. State how media portrayals of body image may impact on an individual’s weight management

Understand effective methods of weight management

  1. Describe the role of a balanced diet in weight management
  2. Define the term ‘energy balance’
  3. Explain the implications of energy balance in weight management
  4. Outline lifestyle choices that impact on weight management
  5. List common weight-loss myths
  6. Describe an effective weight management programme

Be able to plan a short-term weight management programme for an individual

  1. Identify appropriate goals for the weight management programme
  2. Gather information to plan a weight management programme
  3. Plan a short-term weight management programme

Module 4

Use food and nutrition information to plan a healthy diet

Understand food labelling

  1. State the nutritional information that must be provided on food labels
  2. State the recommended daily intake, for an adult of
    • fat
    • sugar
    • salt
  3. List a range of foods that have a high content of
    • salt
    • sugar
    • fat
  4. List a range of foods that have a low content of
    • salt
    • sugar
    • fat
  5. Use nutritional information from food labels to calculate the energy provided by fat, protein and carbohydrate in each food
  6. Explain ways that food label claims and descriptions may be misleading

Understand food additives

  1. Define the term ‘food additives’
  2. State the main groups of additives
  3. Explain the function of each additive
  4. Explain why additives are used in food
  5. Explain the legislation surrounding the use of food additives
  6. Outline nutritional recommendations for adults

Apply principles of healthy eating

  1. Record own food and drink consumption for one week
  2. Compare own food and drink consumption against current healthy eating advice
  3. Outline the steps that could be taken to make the diet healthier

Module 5

The principles of food safety in the home environment

Know the importance of handling food safely

  1. Explain why it is important to handle food safely
  2. Identify hazards relating to food safety
  3. Identify ways in which food should be handled safely to avoid contamination during:
    • storage
    • preparation
    • cooking
    • serving
    • re-heating

Know the importance of personal hygiene when handling food

  1. Explain how to maintain personal hygiene when handling food
  2. Explain how to prevent cross-contamination
  3. Identify how and when to wash hands
  4. Describe the risks resulting from not maintaining personal hygiene when handling food

Know how to store food safely

  1. 1 Explain how to store the following types of food:
    • fresh
    • convenience
    • high risk
    • low risk
    • frozen
  2. Explain why it is important to follow food storage instructions

Know how food storage can affect the nutritional value of food

  1. Outline how storage methods can affect the nutritional value of food
  2. Explain the optimum storage method to maintain the nutritional value of:
    • fresh food
    • convenience food
    • frozen food

Know how to keep the food area clean

  1. Explain why it is important to keep the food area clean, hygienic and disinfected
  2. Describe how to keep the food area clean and hygienic

Understand the importance of temperature when cooking food

  1. Explain why it is important to ensure that food is cooked to the correct core temperature
  2. Describe ways to check that food is cooked to the correct temperature

Know how to dispose of food waste safely

  1. Explain why it is important to dispose of food waste safely
  2. Describe how to dispose of food waste safely

Module 6

Consider nutritional needs of a variety of individuals

Know the nutritional needs of young people

  1. Plan balanced meals and snacks for a day for a chosen age group
  2. Explain why the meals and snacks chosen are appropriate
  3. Explain the factors that influence eating patterns of various different age groups
  4. State the energy requirements of various different age groups
  5. Explain how a lack of Iron in the diet can affect an individual
  6. State the importance of calcium and vitamin D in the diet
  7. Identify good sources of key nutrients for young people
  8. Outline nutritional recommendations for young people

Know the nutritional needs of adults

  1. Plan balanced meals and snacks for a day for an adult
  2. Explain how the meals and snacks chosen are appropriate
  3. Describe factors influencing energy requirements of adults
  4. Explain why adults may be at risk of malnutrition
  5. Outline nutritional recommendations for adults

Enrolment and Delivery

Please use our enquiry form or contact us by telephone if you have any queries about this qualification or would like to express an interest to enrol onto this course. A member of our team will be happy to answer any questions, help to make sure this course is right for you and/or your staff team, and talk you through what is involved in enrolment and course completion.

Upon enrolment, you will be assigned a personal tutor who will assist you through achieving successful and meaningful completion of your award. All of the electronic resources, workbooks and assignments required for you to complete the course will be emailed to you for you to commence working with at a time of your convenience. Your tutor will work with you to set targets and milestones that are achievable for you and will check in with you regularly, providing assistance whenever necessary.

On successful completion of your award, your assessor will coordinate with the awarding body for the issuance of your certificates, which will be promptly delivered to you.

Funding and Pricing

Including Assignment, Workbook and Resources:

The full cost of this qualification is £120 per person which is duly invoiced at the point of enrolment.

* You will need to be registered with the Workforce Development Fund if you wish to claim back costs.
** The claim-back £GBP value quoted above was correct as of 28th March 2022.

Upon completion and certification of this qualification, the certificate(s) for your staff members will be sent to you along with all of the supporting data and information required for you to submit your WDF costs claim. This makes the claims process very simple and straightforward. This service is provided as part of the original service charge. No extra fees will apply.

Funding Availability for Care Employers

This care qualification can be funded by Skills for Care as part of the Workforce Development Fund (WDF). The Workforce Development Fund (WDF) is funding from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). It supports the provision of high-quality care and the continuing professional development (CPD) of staff across the adult social care sector by providing a contribution towards the costs of vocational learning. The fund allows you to claim back money towards the costs of workers completing a broad range of adult social care qualifications, learning programmes and digital learning modules.

Organisations wishing to access the funding must meet the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) requirements for WDF. Further details on this can be accessed on the Skills for Care Website here.

Quality Assurance

This Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Nutrition and Health is accredited to the Regulated Qualification Framework (RQF), the new framework for creating and accrediting qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (OfQual) regulates this qualification, examinations and assessments in England.

Complete Training is an approved registered centre with the OFQUAL regulated awarding organisation ‘I Can Qualify‘ (iCQ). All our qualifications are subject to both internal and external quality assurance processes to ensure we meet all of the awarding body specifications. All course materials are developed to meet the specific outcomes that make up the full qualification.

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