Healthy Eating
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.
It is not healthy to be underweight or overweight. If you don't eat enough food and you become too thin, you may not be getting all the nutrients you need from your diet. Find out if your weight is in the healthy weight range for your height by using a Body Mass Index calculator.
Snack
Dash
Play snack dash and collect as many healthy eating points as you can while avoiding the bad guys and keeping up enough energy to get through the course!
Eating Disorders
Anyone can suffer from an eating disorder. Eating disorders are often a way of coping with feelings that are making you unhappy or depressed.
Anorexia Nervosa
If you have anorexia nervosa you will only be eating a small amount and this will lead to severe weight loss and ill health. You might: want to do a lot of exercise; lie about the amount you eat; deny you have a problem; have an intense fear of gaining weight.
Bulimia Nervosa
If you have bulimia you might be eating large quantities of food and then vomiting or using laxatives to get rid of the food. You could feel ashamed, depressed or guilty.
Binge Eating
If you are binge eating you might be eating lots of food, often in secret. You may eat a particular type of food. You may feel guilty, depressed and out of control. Over a period of time you will gain weight.
It can be hard to get better on your own. It is important that you get help and support. If you need more info or just somebody to talk to, check out the listed web sites.
Last Updated: 11-Jul-2007
