Healthy Eating
Eating a healthy and varied diet is really important to help you grow and develop. What we eat can also affect our mood and how we feel. It can be tempting to binge on junk or processed foods but these will be high in fat, sugar and salt and affect our mood in a negative way.
Making sure your diet includes all the key food groups will give you the energy and nutrients you need.
Maintaining a healthy weight for your height means that there is a balance between what you eat and the energy you use in your daily life. Sometimes this can be difficult to get right. If the majority of what you eat is whole, fresh foods and processed foods are kept to a minimum or as a treat, you will start to find the right balance.
Do you know all the different food groups?
- Fruit and vegetables
- Bread, rice and pasta
- Meat, fish and eggs
- Milk and butter
- Oil, salt and sugar
Which of these count as your five a day?
Yes or No?
No but they are a great source of protein
Yes or No?
Yes fresh, frozen or tinned all count
Yes or No?
Yes of course, fresh vegetables count
Yes or No?
Yes but choose versions lower in salt and sugar
Yes or No?
No, these don’t count but they are great sources of fibre
Yes or No?
Yes but a maximum 150ml, once a day
Eating for better health and wellbeing what can you do?
If you put diesel in a petrol car it won’t work and our bodies are the same, more of the nutritional stuff helps us to feel, look and perform to our best.
So, what does that look like……….
- Eating a good wide range of foods, reducing processed food and plenty of fluids.
- We all have our preferences, but our taste buds change so always worth giving something new a try.
- If we don’t have enough to drink especially in the hotter weather our bodies can’t cope and start to show signs to encourage us to help them. Maybe a headache, feeling thirsty or hungry, our wee/urine is darker, we can’t concentrate and feel tired. Water is best and it’s easy to get.
- Try to get some fruit and vegetables each day as they contain loads of health and mind boosting qualities. Maybe try some different ones?
- Carbs like rice, pasta, potatoes, bread - give wholemeal a go.
- Boost your calcium for strong bones and teeth with foods like milk, cheese, yoghurt, dark green veggies or tofu, almonds and seeds.
- Protein - get some meat, fish, eggs, pulses (beans, peas and lentils).
Did you know?
Most people do not get their daily requirement of Vitamin D in the winter so consider a supplement in those months. Vitamin D is from sunlight and is also found in a small number of foods like Salmon, egg yolks, red meat and fortified foods.
Did you know?
It is thought that most girls age 11-18 do not have enough iron particularly if you have heavy periods. Think do I eat some red meat, or have beans like red kidney, edamame or chickpeas. You can make a great hummus from chickpeas maybe try it out add a new skill! Great for snacking on with veggies.
So what about those things we all enjoy ,you know crisps, chocolate, cake , energy drinks – think of them as in moderation or as an occasional as they are full of stuff that our bodies struggle to cope with so don’t really make us feel or look great after that initial hit and that’s why we start craving more of these to top up.
The Eatwell Guide
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