Healthy Eating

Friday, September 18, 2009

There is no such thing as good or bad food - you don’t have to give up all your favourites to be healthy! Eating a balanced diet and taking part in regular exercise is the best way to stay healthy.

Different types of food give us different amounts and types of nutrients that we need to be healthy, which is why it is important to eat a range of food. Eating fruit and vegetables with your meals or as snacks will help you to stay healthy. You will be less likely to get heart disease and some cancers. We should all try to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day.

• Eat often: Fruit, vegetables and starchy foods (such as bread, rice, pasta and cereals) and some meat, fish, dairy foods and/or beans and pulses.
  

• Eat rarely: Chocolate, sweets, crisps, biscuits, takeaway food (such as burger and chips) and sugary drinks (such as cola) all have a lot of fat and/or sugar

The food we eat gives us the energy our bodies need. The amount of energy in food is worked out by counting how many calories it has. Your body either burns the calories you eat through physical activity (taking part in team sports, walking, swimming, cycling, dancing), or it stores those calories as fat to be used later