Lecture about Healthy Eating - IELTS Listening Sample Answer

IELTS Listening section comprises two monologues and two conversations. Candidates are tested based on how well they can comprehend four different audios of IELTS listening. This topic - A lecture about healthy eating is IELTS listening part four. Candidates need to answer the following IELTS Listening question types:

• Sentence completion

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Professor: I'd like to introduce our speaker today who has come all the way from Manchester. Dr Paul Harold, the Head of Research in Nutrition at Manchester University. He is going to talk to us about ways we can improve our lifestyle and fitness. This will include watching what we eat and being more careful about our calorie intake as well as taking regular exercise. This is an important current issue as many people eat too much junk food and the nation as a whole is fatter than it was one hundred years ago.

Dr Harold: Thank you, James, for your introduction. You are absolutely right; statistics show that the nation is heavier than it used to be and this is due to the long hours that we work and the lack of time we have to prepare healthy meals that are low in fat and sugar. There are some simple steps everyone can take to help improve their general health; maybe lose some weight first; in the long run, it could lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.

The first thing to do in order to check that your weight is healthy is to work out your Body Mass Index or BMI. This is a tool that can help you find out if you are a healthy weight for your height. Obviously the height of a person will affect what weight they should be. To work out your BMI you should take your weight in kilograms and divide it by your height in metres. Then you divide the results by your height in metres again. The results you come up with can be checked on a chart to see if your BMI is too high, too low or about right.

Even if your BMI is about where it should be it is still important to eat a healthy and well-balanced diet. A healthy diet involves consuming appropriate amounts of all the food groups, including an adequate amount of water. Nutrients can be obtained from many different foods, so there are a wide variety of healthy diets.

To start with, it is important to eat starchy foods such as bread, cereals, potatoes, rice, and pasta, together with fruit and vegetables and this should provide the bulk of most meals. Some people wrongly think that starchy foods are 'fattening'. In fact, they contain about half the calories of the same weight of fat. Also, starchy foods often contain a lot of fibre. When you eat starchy foods, you get a feeling of fullness which helps to control appetite. It is also important to eat a least 5 portions, and ideally 7 to 9 portions, of a variety of fruit or vegetables each day. If you eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, then your chances of developing heart disease, a stroke, or bowel cancer are reduced. You also need a certain amount of protein to keep healthy. However, most people eat more protein than is necessary. You should choose poultry such as chicken or lean meat. There is evidence that eating oily fish helps to protect against heart dis-ease. It is probably the 'omega-3 fatty acids' in the fish oil that help to reduce build-up in the arteries. Aim to eat at least two portions of fish per week, one of which should be oily.

Pause (4 seconds)

Obviously what we eat is highly important but it is also crucial to do regular exercise as it strengthens the heart, tones our muscles and is also good for the mind. We're increasingly living in a world where physical activity has stopped being a day-to-day part of our lives.

We have domestic appliances to wash and dry for us 'and cars to get us around and with the decline in manual labour many of us spend our working day sitting at desks. Adults should do a minimum of 30 minutes moderate-intensity physical activity, five days a week. You don't have to do the whole 30 minutes in one go. Your half-hour could be made up of three ten-minute bursts of activity spread through the day, if you prefer. The activity can be a 'lifestyle activity' such as walking to the shops or taking the dog out or structured exercise or sport, or a combination of these. But it does need to be of at least moderate intensity. For bone health, activities that produce high physical stresses on the bones are necessary.

Well, I hope you have learned some interesting facts from this talk and that it will help you to change your lifestyles for the better. Thank you for your attention and I believe that James has some handouts to give you on this subject, James....

Section 4

Questions 31-40
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

To calculate your Body Mass Index you should first take 31___________in kilograms and divide it by your height in meters.

Answer: your weight

Explanation: To calculate your body mass index or BMI, one should firstly take their weight and divide it by their height in meters.

Also check:

Healthy Diets

It is important to eat starchy foods with fruit and vegetables.

There are people who 32______________that starchy foods are ‘fattening’.

Answer: (wrongly) think

Explanation: There are many people who consider starchy foods like the ones containing fat, like cereals, bread, potatoes, and rice.

Eat a minimum of 33_______________ of fruit and vegetables a day.

Answer: five portions

Explanation: According to the lecture, person should eat five portions of fruits and vegetables a day.

People tend to eat too much 34________________and you only need a certain amount to keep healthy.

Answer: protein

Explanation: People consume more protein than required. There is a certain amount of protein that should be consumed, and it should include lean meat and chicken.

People say that 35________________ can help protect against heart disease.

Answer: oily fish

Explanation: There is evidence that your fish or the ones containing omega 3 fatty acids help prevent heart diseases.

Exercise is good for us because

It strengthens the heart

It tones our 36_______________

Answer: muscles

Explanation: Exercise is good for human beings because it tones our muscles and also strengthens the heart.

It is good for the mind

We do less exercise because we have domestic 37________________to do things for us.

Answer: appliances

Explanation: The reason we do less exercise because we have domestic appliances to conduct things for us.

Adults should do at least 38___________________moderate-intensity physical activity, five days a week.

Answer: 30 minutes

Explanation: It is recommended that adults do 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity five days a week.

Physical activity can be:

A lifestyle activity

A 39________________activity

Answer: structured

Explanation: Physical activity can be a lifestyle activity like walking to the shops, or taking the dog out for a walk, or making a structured exercise routine.

Sports

Activities that produce 40___________ on the bones are necessary.

Answer: high physical stresses

Explanation: For bone health, it is necessary to do high physical stresses that affect the bones.