Diet and maintaining a healthy weight are really important parts of leading a healthy lifestyle. A balanced diet is important for your health and can help you to feel your best. Your body needs food and water for energy to allow you to breathe, think and move, to help you grow and to help you heal. Your body needs lots of different essential nutrients to do this, however no single food has every nutrient. This means that to be healthy, you should eat foods from every food group.
As well as giving your body energy and essential nutrition, a healthy diet can help you to maintain a healthy weight and prevent obesity and the possible risks, such as type 2 diabetes.
A healthy diet is a way of ensuring you eat the food your body needs, whilst not following a strict or restricting diet. There is no such thing as ‘good and bad’ foods, as everything can contribute to a healthy diet, in moderation.
Top tips for a balanced diet and healthy weight
- Eat lots of fruit and vegetables, recommended 5 portions a day
- Eat lots of different types of food, to get all of our essential nutrients.
This includes:
- Protein such as meat, dairy and pulses
- Carbohydrates such as rice potatoes and bread
- Fats such as oils and spreads
- Fruit and vegetables
- Occasional foods such as crisps and chocolate
- Cut down on sugar!
- Get active, plenty of exercise can help us to maintain a healthy weight
- Drink plenty to stay hydrated
- Eat breakfast to keep healthy and to kick start our metabolism in a morning
- Eat regular meals to keep your energy and concentration up throughout the day. It is recommended that you have 3 meals and 2-3 snacks per day