Diet & Nutrition
A healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health, and can help us feel our best.
Eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions and consuming the right amount can support us to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, as well as influence our mood, energy levels and ability to deal with daily tasks.
Practical tips to make healthy changes
Healthy changes happen best when we make small, realistic changes to how we eat and the level of physical activity we do.
Check food labels
Nutrition labels can help you choose between products and keep a check on the amount of foods you’re eating that are high in fat, salt and added sugars.
The traffic light labelling system displayed on the front of some food packaging shows whether a food has high, medium or low amounts of fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt. It will also show the number of calories in that particular product.
Calories (kcal) are a measure of the energy in food. Knowing how many calories we consume per day – and balancing that with the amount of energy they use up in activity – will help us to maintain a healthy weight.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman that figure is around 2,000kcal a day. These values do vary depending on age, size and levels of physical activity, among other factors.
Cook meals from scratch
Preparing and cooking food from scratch can help us eat more healthily as it puts us in control of portion size and means saturated fat, salt and sugar can be limited. Handpicking ingredients makes us aware of the quality of the food we’re eating.
To save time, why not try batch cooking in advance and freeze meals to have at a later date?
Measure portion sizes
It’s important to be aware of portion sizes because our bodies may be getting too much or too little of what it needs to stay healthy. Should you wish to measure portion size accurately the best way is to weigh food, but a more practical way is to use our hands, as this typically corresponds to body size and energy needs.
Make simple swaps
Making small sustainable changes to our diet is the most achievable way to maintain a healthy weight.
A few simple swaps can help us to eat more healthfully, for example swapping out white bread and grains for brown bread and wholegrain varieties. Try making some of the food and drink swaps suggested by NHS Live Well and remember small changes can make a big difference to our diet overall.
Plan your meals
Planning meals in advance and creating a shopping list can help avoid making last-minute, less healthy choices. By knowing exactly what’s needed from the shops, you will save time and money, and are less likely to pick up extras or buy things you may not use. Meal planning can also help you to reduce food waste.
Eating Well for Less
Eating a healthy balanced diet doesn’t have to be expensive. Have a look through some top tips to eat well for less:
- Buy frozen or canned fruit/vegetables, they have the same amount of nutrients as fresh products. If buying canned fruit, try and avoid those in syrup
- Cook with pulses- aim to bulk out dishes with these protein-rich foods and give your body and wallet a boost. For example swapping out half the meat in a chilli or bolognese for lentils
- Freeze leftovers to eat at a later date
- Fruits and vegetables taste best when they’re in season and it’s also when they’re cheapest
- Plan your meals and try writing out a shopping list so you’re only picking up what you need
- If possible, you could order shopping online for delivery- it’ll help stop you picking up extras
- Try cheaper brands (do a blind taste test with the family to see if you can tell the difference, it could be fun!)
- Look out for “yellow sticker bargains” at the shops- check for fresh items that you’d eat on the day or can freeze
Vegetarian/Vegan Diets
If well-planned and nutritionally balanced, vegetarian and vegan diets are healthy for both adults and children. If eliminating animal products from your diet, it is important to replace the key nutrients found within them to continue a healthy balanced diet. If buying non-dairy alternatives it’s best to check the ingredients for fortification/added vitamins and minerals – this will usually be vitamin D, B vitamins and calcium.
Useful Links
- Helping you eat a healthy, balanced diet
- Helping you eat a healthy, balanced diet – BSL videos
- Find information on food labels, portion sizes, planning meals and vegan/vegetarian diets
The Association of UK Dieticians
- You’ll find information written by dietitians to help cut through the noise and conflicting information out there on food and nutrition
- Looks up the calories of more than 150,000 different foods and drinks quickly and simply
- Advice, tips and tools to help you make the best choices about your health and wellbeing
- Ways to eat well and move more with the whole family
- Leftover food recipes
- Various healthy recipe ideas
- British Heart Foundation interactive portion guide and handy tips
Support for maintaining a healthy weight
There are many contributing factors to maintaining a healthy weight:
Healthy Weight
There are many physical and mental wellbeing benefits linked to a healthier weight and being more active, we can have better mobility and energy, more restful sleep and improved mood.
Mental Health
We know that weight loss can be tough and that the challenge isn’t only physical. Understanding relationships with food, as well as support to deal with emotional triggers are important to achieving healthy weight goals.
Green Health
Getting regular exercise can improve sleep quality, especially exercise that involves natural light. Even a short walk during the day may help improve sleep, there are lots of local Green Health opportunities.
Physical Activity
Being physically active offers a huge variety of benefits to our health, both physically and mentally. Staying healthy and increasing physical activity each day is a great way to help you become and maintain a healthy weight.
