Eating & Drinking Better
Eat Better, Look Better and Feel Better!
What you eat affects how you look and feel. If you eat a good mixture of foods your body will get most of the things it needs to be healthy. A healthy diet is one which includes:
- Lots of fruits and vegetables, try to have at least 5 portions every day.
- Plenty of filling high fibre starchy foods, bread, chapattis, rice, pasta (wholegrain types are best) and potatoes.
- Some protein foods; choose a mixture from fish, lean meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, peas, beans and lentils.
- Small amounts of fatty and sugary food.
- Some milk and dairy foods everyday. Try to include milk, yoghurt and cheese with low or reduced fat versions to cut fat but not calcium.
- Log on to http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/5ADAY/ for great tips on how to get your 5 a day!
Making Healthier Choices
Most people would be healthier if they ate less fat and sugar.An easy way to make healthier choices is to look out for the traffic light icons on the packaging of some products. There are many supermarkets and food manufacturers who are participating in the traffic lights labelling schemeThe colours can tell you how high or low the product is in something so if you see a red light on the front of the pack, it tells you that the product is high in something we should be trying to cut down on. It's okay to have this type of food occasionally, or as a treat, but try to keep an eye on how often you choose these foods, or try eating them in smaller portions. You can find more information on traffic lights labelling on the eatwell website.
There’s also a whole section on eating well through your teens. Log on to www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/teens for lots of useful advice and information from eating yourself gorgeous to busting food myths!
Are You Drinking Enough?
We should be drinking about 6 to 8 glasses (1.2 litres) of water, or other fluids, every day to stop us getting dehydrated.Not drinking enough water can lead to headaches, confusion and irritability and a lack of concentration, therefore increasing your water intake is one way to help improve your performance! When the weather is warm or when we get active we need more water but try and avoid drinking soft and fizzy drinks that are high in added sugar.
Vegetarians & Vegans
Vegetarians and Vegans
If you are a vegetarian or vegan, it is particularly important that you eat a good mix of food, to get all the nutrients you need. For more information log on to the Vegan or Vegetarian society or ask at your local health food shop.
The Vegan Society
Email: info@vegnasociety.com
Website: www.vegansociety.com
The Vegetarian Society.
Tel: 0161 925 200
Email: info@vegsoc.org
Website: www.vegsoc.org
Phone for leaflet on teenage vegetarian info and GCSE project book.
