What Is Healthy Eating?

Image Credit

Eating regularly is having three meals and 2-3 snacks a day at regular intervals.

Regular eating is important to help keep your blood sugar level stable, preventing dizziness, tiredness and becoming ‘hangry’.

Eating regularly helps prevent you from becoming really hungry and over eating, which can lead to you feeling out of control.

Young people use up a lot of energy with all the learning and socialising they do, so regular eating is key to maintaining a healthy mind and body.

Image Credit

Food can be divided into six main food groups. A balanced diet includes all food groups:

• Protein – such as meat, dairy and pulses
• Carbohydrates – such as rice, potatoes and bread
• Fat – such as oils, spreads and avocado
• Fruit and vegetables – such as bananas, broccoli, tomatoes
• Dairy or dairy alternatives – such as milk or soy products
• Occasional foods – such as chocolate, crisps, cake

This balance of food groups helps us to ensure our body is getting all the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

Carbohydrates are essential for providing energy to fuel our day to day activities and boost our mood, whilst fat is essential for the absorption of some vitamins and minerals.

Occasional foods are to be enjoyed in moderation and form part of a healthy, enjoyable diet.

Image Credit

Healthy eating is about enjoying a range of foods; not following a set, restricted diet that tells you it’s ‘healthy’.

There’s no such thing as a good or bad food! These fad diets often include strict rules, limited food choices and make you feel bad when you ‘fail’.

Often these types of diets can set you up to ‘fail’ as they’re so restrictive that you crave the foods you’re missing out on and end up over eating them.

‘Normal eating’ is eating when you’re hungry, eating because it’s a meal time and sometimes just eating because you fancy the food.

Find help in your local area

Find help in your local area

Find out what services are available to you in your area. Remember your school nurse is always there to give you confidential help and support.

Select Your Area

Brighton & Hove and West SussexBuckinghamshireCoventryDevonHampshireHertfordshireKentLeicesterManchester and TraffordNottinghamshirePlymouthSandwellShropshireSolihullStaffordshire & StokeWalsall